Tractor Tire Bead Harrow

Tractor Tire Bead Harrow TILLAGE EUIPMENT Harrows 16-5-10 Old tractor tires can be easily converted into low cost "tire bead harrows", says Bob McIntyre, supervisor for Iowa State Research Farm near Rhodes, Iowa. McIntyre cuts the beads out of 38-in. rear tractor tires and bolts them together in two rows, with the front row chained to a 16-ft. long steel pipe salvaged from an old conventional harrow. "It does an amazingly good job and works especially well when pulled be-hind a disk or chisel plow to level out the ground and seal it back up," says McIntyre, who uses a Sawzall to cut out the beads. 'The tire beads won't break on rocks which is a key advantage over spring harrows. Each bead weighs about 35 lbs. Two beads can be stacked together to make the harrow heavier so that it does an even better job of plowing through ridges. The top side of the bead should face upward so that the bead digs into the ground instead of floating above it." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Rhodes Research Farm, Iowa State University, 1079 320th St., Rhodes, Iowa 50234-9706 (ph 515 493-2738).

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