Hardening Tires Might Prevent Stalk Damage

Hardening Tires Might Prevent Stalk Damage TIRES/WHEELS Miscellaneous “I’ve had a lot of problems with corn stalks damaging my tractor tires so I’ve decided to buy new tires and let them harden for two years before putting them on ” says Paul Butler a Macon Ill no-till farmer “I’ve read and heard that aging tires makes the rubber harder so there’s less puncture damage and that should definitely save on repair bills ” Butler has noticed more damage to his tractor tires from stalk punctures in the past few years “I think the new hybrids we’re planting have much stronger stalks and when they’ve got a short and sharp edge they seem to really raise havoc with my tires ” Butler says In his no-till operation he drives directly over stalks several times a season “I’m driving on stalks when I’m planting when I’m side dressing and when I’m spraying ” Butler says “and every time across those tires are taking a beating I’ve heard from tire people that older tires will stand up to stalks better than brand new ones ” With that thought in mind Butler bought a new set of tires for his main tractor and plans to let them “harden” in his machine shed for a couple years Titan Tire Corporation says that tires will harden over time much like erasers do on a pencil Oil used in the manufacturing process evaporates and the rubber compounds get harder Titan and other manufacturers are working on compounds to make tires more resistant to stubble damage but there’s no silver bullet solution Titan is experimenting with blends of synthetic and natural rubber and materials like Kevlar in its tires Some of those produce 6 to 10-ply ratings but those tires would also cost more Another solution might come from Custom Tire Cutting of Oaktown Ind a company that’s been hardening tires for tractor pullers since 1997 They put tires into a large oven for two days and “bake” some of the oil out of the rubber The lugs become harder which in turn provides a better grip Custom’s Bob Parkes says the same drying process on conventional tractor tires would produce harder lugs and sidewalls so the tires could be less prone to stalk damage He’s had a few calls in the past year about the process for regular ag tires and expects more interest at his booth during the tractor pulls at the 2012 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville The cost for hardening tires at Custom’s Oaktown location would be $225 to $250 a set That cost doesn’t include shipping to and from the company’s plant Other farmers have less costly methods of hardening tires One internet post by an Illinois farmer suggested storing tires on top of an aluminum or steel roof during the hot summer months to speed the hardening process Parkes said that might work but tire manufacturers are using compounds that stand up better to sunlight and ozone than they did 10 years ago Another post suggested putting tires in an empty grain bin and turning on the heat That poster thought it might cost $250 to speed dry a set of new tires Butler however is content to just store his new tires in his shed for a couple years “It’s not costing me anything in fact I’m getting stronger new tires two years from now for today’s prices ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Paul Butler 6671 Hibbard Rd Macon Ill 62544 ph 217 865-2415

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