Shoe Protectors Made From Bias-Ply Tires

Shoe Protectors Made From Bias-Ply Tires FARM HOME Miscellaneous 29-5-21 They may not win any fashion contests, but the shoe protectors designed by Jerry Vander Wal of Manteca, Calif., are an innovative solution to a situation he found himself in. "I do lathe and mill work in the shop on our ranch. The problem is that metal shavings become embedded in the soles of my shoes, which can be very hard on floor coverings in the house," Vander Wal says. "When my wife had new floor coverings installed in our house last year, the installer told me that my shoes would have to be banned if I wanted the linoleum and carpets to last." This presented him with a problem, since Vander Wal finds lace-up shoes to be the most comfortable and he didn't like the nuisance of having to untie and tie them up again every time he came into the house to use the bathroom or get a cup of coffee. He concluded that he needed something to slip over his shop shoes. "After some thought, I went through my collection of tires and found an old bias ply tire. I cut off two sections of tire, just a little longer than my shoe size. I used a hack saw to cut through the bead, and a utility knife to cut through the rubber," Vander Wal explains. "Next, I drilled a couple 3/8-in. holes about 1 in. back from each side of one end, just under the bead wire. I wound a piece of baling wire through the hole to bring the sides together." He keeps the tire shoes at the bottom step by the back door so he can quickly slip into them with a slight kick as he heads into the house. He goes in, does his business, and then kicks them off again at the back steps, all without ever having to reach down and touch them. "I found the shoes to be a little uncomfortable around the ankles, so I used a utility knife to trim the rubber smooth just inside the bead where the ankles are. After putting on a layer or two of duct tape, they were even more comfortable," Vander Wal says. "I can see these indoor tire overshoes could be useful for gardeners and farmers who need to briefly come into the house, but prefer lace-up shoes. The biggest drawback with these tire clogs is my teenage children. They have come up to me and said, ædad, you aren't going to wear those things around the house when my friends are over, are you'?" Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jerry Vander Wal, 7701 Lathrop Rd., Manteca, Calif. 95336 (ph 209 823-1915; elevenvws @juno.com).

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