Pickup-Mounted Tire "Feed Pusher"

Pickup-Mounted Tire "Feed Pusher" PICKUPS Miscellaneous 32-6-27 Greg Nye found a new way to put worn-out tractor tires to work. The Ocha, Utah, dairy man used a big wheel loader tire to build a pickup-mounted "feed pusher" to keep feed in reach of cattle. "It's simple to make and eliminates the need for a tractor," says Nye. The 17.5 by 25 tire bolts to a steel plate that rotates on the end of an arm at the back of Nye's 1994 Chevy 2500 pickup. The arm moves hydraulically and angles against the ground so contact with the ground causes it to rotate. Nye removed the pickup box and built a flatbed in its place, using 3 by 4-in. sq. tubing for the frame and 1/8-in. thick diamond plate for the deck. A home-built A-frame assembly supports the arm and is bolted onto the driver's side of the flatbed. The arm hinges on a pin and is raised and lowered by a 30-in. long, 3-in. dia. hydraulic cylinder that's operated by a 12-volt electric/hydraulic power unit. The arm folds over the center of the flatbed when not in use. "We use it at our custom calf raising operation where we also milk 2,400 animals at two separate facilities about 1/8 mile apart," says Nye. "We had been using a feed pusher mounted on a loader tractor, but it caused a lot of wear and tear on the tractor. We were constantly wearing out the clutches and replacing worn-out loader pins. The pickup is equipped with a diesel engine and automatic transmission so it's simple for anyone to operate, including inexperienced hired help. "Our total cost to build it was about $4,200, but we figure it takes less than a year of wear and tear on a tractor to pay for it." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Greg Nye, 3250N 596 W., Ocha, Utah 84624 (ph 435 406-9362; g_nye19@yahoo.com).

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