Steel Wheel For Center Pivots

Steel wheel for center pivots IRRIGATION Acessories 14-3-9 Bernard Bockerman, Prosser, Neb., says he's reinvented the wheel. Bockerman has produced two prototypesof a new steel wheel for center pivot irrigation systems designed to reduce ruts and eliminate problems getting stuck in mud. "The wheel brings mud through it and drops it back on the ground," Bockerman says. "It doesn't get stuck in the mud and it doesn't create ridges." He had grown tired of pulling his three pivots out of mud. He also got tired of replacing their rubber tires when they wore out after a couple of harsh, Nebraska winters. Bockerman says he first got the idea for the steel wheel 20 years ago. He put the two prototypes on a pivot last year and ran them all summer. The result: The pivots didn't get stuck, even in mud holes, and the resulting tracks were only 3 to 4 in. deep. "There weren't any ridges like regular tires leave even where there was a real problem with mud," he says. Bockerman says his steel wheel, which he plans to produce and sell, is compatible with existing tires and can be re-placed one at a time as needed. Once . installed he says they'll never wear out and never go flat. For more information, contact FARM SHOW Followup, Bernard Bockerman, Prosser, Neb. 68868 (ph 402 744-4061).

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