Airless Wheel Minimizes Ruts From Center Pivots

Airless Wheel Minimizes Ruts From Center Pivots IRRIGATION Irrigation Systems “My business partner David Patrick reinvented the wheel ” says Zack Fleishman Shark Wheel CEO “He discovered that everything in nature moves in a sine wave like radio ocean or a DNA helix People walk right left right; planets move around the sun everything alternates in a sine wave ” The result of this discovery was the Shark Wheel an airless one-size-fits-all agricultural tire solution used largely in center-pivot irrigation systems The unique 140-in rolling radius wheel comes in both a standard style and a high traction model for the most challenging pivot operations To perfect their technology Shark Wheel interviewed over 200 farmers asking what would make a perfect wheel for their farm The overwhelming answer was a tire that didn’t cause rutting followed by an avoidance of flat tires and fast repair capabilities With this information in mind Fleishman says they tried to consider everything first addressing flexibility without damaging drive trains and gearboxes like many other airless tires were known to do Their distinctive wheel features bolt-on paddles made of spring steel covered by over-molded natural rubber that can be replaced in only a minute The paddle’s shape resembles flexing seagull wings as they move through a field “Everything we do at Shark Wheel is based on nature ” Fleishman says “Our secret sauce is the shape We consider ourselves a geometry company solving problems through shapes If you speed up the wheel it looks like a bird flapping its wings ” He explains the distinct makeup leaves a left right left snake-shaped path in the soil Trailing wheels work opposite moving right to left transferring soil back to where it was Rather than digging and causing ruts the ground is left virtually undisturbed Independent studies have shown a 55 percent reduction in rutting when compared to competitors’ wheels Shark Wheel hopes to continue progress toward use in other agricultural equipment Over 3 000 dealers in North America now have access to the wheels that began shipping to customers 2 mos ago Fleishman says the cost of the Shark Wheel is slightly more than a standard radial tire but less than their airless competitors Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Shark Wheel Ag 27285 Las Ramblas #220 Mission Viejo Calif 92691 zack@sharkwheel com; www sharkwheelag com

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