“Never Go Flat” Irrigation Tire
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Farmers with rubber-tired irrigation systems know rubber tires are subject to vandalism, slow leaks and blowouts that are expensive to repair. And if an irrigator’s tire is flat, crops can be flooded with too much water. A service company in the Texas Panhandle has found a solution.
Armored Tire owner Warren Merrell has developed a three-part polymer that’s injected into a pneumatic tire through a 3/8-in. dia. hole. It makes the tire virtually indestructible. As the product is injected, a vent hole or two lets the air out. The holes are plugged and the tire is ready for use. Merrell says the compound remains flexible and isn’t affected by Texas heat or Kansas cold. The formula has been lab-tested, driven for miles and miles, field-tested for a year and has been successfully used for 3 years. One test included cutting away the rubber tire around the compound. The polymer did just fine on its own. Merrell predicts the tires will work for at least 10 years.
Merrell grew up on a farm in the Texas panhandle and has a lot of first-hand experience with flat tires on irrigation systems. He started working on the problem in the early 2000’s, and after a decade of R&D, started his own company. He serves customers in Texas, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska.
Merrell has tried his product on other tires on his family farm and learned that each tire type and application requires different formulas. He’s confident that he and his chemists will be able to figure out how to adapt his product for those uses. For now he’s determined to solve problems on irrigation system tires, and he’s happy that his customers are happy. Merrell says “my long-term vision is that someday all farm tires will be indestructible”.
The cost for injecting tires typically ranges from $250 to $350 depending on size. Merrell says that although that’s more than a new conventional tire, it’s less than plastic tires. When the true cost of repairing a flat is calculated, he says the math favors Armored Tire’s solution.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Armored Tire, 8605 N FM 400, Idalou, Texas 79329 (ph 806 441-8769; www.armoredtirellc.com).
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“Never Go Flat” Irrigation Tire IRRIGATION Miscellaneous Farmers with rubber-tired irrigation systems know rubber tires are subject to vandalism slow leaks and blowouts that are expensive to repair And if an irrigator’s tire is flat crops can be flooded with too much water A service company in the Texas Panhandle has found a solution Armored Tire owner Warren Merrell has developed a three-part polymer that’s injected into a pneumatic tire through a 3/8-in dia hole It makes the tire virtually indestructible As the product is injected a vent hole or two lets the air out The holes are plugged and the tire is ready for use Merrell says the compound remains flexible and isn’t affected by Texas heat or Kansas cold The formula has been lab-tested driven for miles and miles field-tested for a year and has been successfully used for 3 years One test included cutting away the rubber tire around the compound The polymer did just fine on its own Merrell predicts the tires will work for at least 10 years Merrell grew up on a farm in the Texas panhandle and has a lot of first-hand experience with flat tires on irrigation systems He started working on the problem in the early 2000’s and after a decade of R&D started his own company He serves customers in Texas Colorado Kansas and Nebraska Merrell has tried his product on other tires on his family farm and learned that each tire type and application requires different formulas He’s confident that he and his chemists will be able to figure out how to adapt his product for those uses For now he’s determined to solve problems on irrigation system tires and he’s happy that his customers are happy Merrell says “my long-term vision is that someday all farm tires will be indestructible” The cost for injecting tires typically ranges from $250 to $350 depending on size Merrell says that although that’s more than a new conventional tire it’s less than plastic tires When the true cost of repairing a flat is calculated he says the math favors Armored Tire’s solution Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Armored Tire 8605 N FM 400 Idalou Texas 79329 ph 806 441-8769; www armoredtirellc com
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