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Did You Know? 5 Rounds of Tire Trivia

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 23:20:37 GMT

Many people ignore tires as long as they aren’t flat. Here are some facts to help tires stay round:

1. Tires exposed to the sun during long-term storage often develop a dusty brown coating. “We put chemicals in tires that reduce damage from exposure to sunlight and ozone,” says Greg Jones, with Firestone Agricultural. “That brownish coating is those chemicals coming to the surface, helping protect the tire. It’s actually better to leave that coating on the surface than to wipe it off. But we can only put so much of those protectants in the rubber. Eventually they get used up, and that’s when tires get hard and start to weather check.”

2. Tire “protectants/preservatives” are, for the most part, cosmetic. “I’ve never seen any product that actually soaks into the rubber enough to make a difference,” says Jeff Miller, with Trelleborg Wheel Systems. “Rubber doesn’t absorb anything well. Most products advertised as rubber preservatives just make tires look shiny and new.”

3. It’s normal for any tire to lose 2 psi of air pressure per month during storage. The slow leakage may be around or through a valve stem or from the bead area. Leave any tire unattended long enough and it will become under-inflated.

4. The biggest factor that influences the longevity of high-pressure semi-truck tires is air pressure. “Heat is the enemy of rubber,” says Miller. “Running a semi-truck tire even 5 psi lower than recommended creates excess heat in the tread and carcass that affects the tire’s life.”

5. In a report by tire re-treader Bandag, it was noted that “pinging” tires with a hammer or tire billy to check air pressure was as accurate as, “…checking the engine oil level by tapping the side of the oil pan.” Bandag recommends using an accurate air pressure gauge to keep tires within 2 psi of recommended pressure.

Slick Soy Products

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 05:57:03 GMT

For Cathy Horton, it all started with Ohio-grown soybeans. In 2007, she set out to build Nutek, a company that manufactures environmentally friendly industrial and commercial lubricants and cleaning products.

In three years, Horton led the company to develop more than 40 products using bio-based, nontoxic ingredients with recyclable packaging. Today, Nutek’s products Bolt Off and Lubfix are on the shelves of retailers nationwide, displacing traditional brands, such as Liquid Wrench and WD-40.

Magic beans. This from-the-farm, for-the-farm success story can be traced back to its roots in the soybean fields of Ohio and an initial investment from 31 farmers with seed money for the company.

“The soybean is the magic bean,” Horton says. “Its properties as a lubricant are incredible, and it can be seven times more lubricious than petroleum. Also, it doesn’t fail under heat or pressure. I gave the farmers who were considering investing in my company samples to use, and they returned with positive feedback and an injection of cash for my business.”

Horton says her agrarian roots—she was raised on a 300-acre grape vineyard—focused her commitment to build a new product for the agricul-tural community.

The cooperative network of Mercer Landmark Inc., helps Horton source the soybean oil. She reports that many of the farmers who supply soybean oil use no-till production, Roundup Ready seed, GPS application technologies and other production practices that add value to Nutek products as being environmentally friendly.

The company’s soy usage has grown 10 times in the past year.

“The soybean oil we use is naturally extruded with heat and not chemicals,” she says. “I went out of the way to defeat any argument that this wasn’t a green product.”

The products are packaged in recyclable aluminum containers that use nitrogen as the propellant instead of carbon dioxide.

Nutek has patented putting its green Simply Soy lube on a biodegradable cloth so that it can be used to wipe down ag machinery. The cloth wipes can also be used to clean and lubricate chains instead of spraying the lubricant and wasting product.

In July 2010, Nutek was acquired by cleaning products company Hoover.

“This acquisition will help our company become a global success story,” Horton says. “We will continue to develop new products. One of the industries with huge promise for us to serve is the automotive industry. We’re recently developed and placed in AutoZone a nontoxic brake cleaner and brake dust eater.”

You can find Nutek products nationwide at Ace Hardware, Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Home Depot, Kroger, Northern Tool + Equipment, Tractor Supply Company, True Value and 30 stores in the cooperative network of Mercer Landmark. The full lineup of Nutek products is also available online at www.nutekgreen.com.

“I know what it means to build a financial future in farming,” Horton says.

“I encourage farmers to continue to innovate on their farms and to find new ways to commercialize what they grow,” she adds. “When farmers come together in cooperation with one
another, it’s an authentic voice and a powerful action group.”

13 Don’t-Forget Tools for Field Repairs

Tue, 17 May 2022 13:40:39 GMT

Overlooked tools can save the day during field repairs.

Whether you’re loading a portable toolbox into a pickup truck or outfitting a full-bore service truck, there are optional tools and accessories that make maintenance and repairs in the field easier and safer. Such as:

A 16” pipe wrench and the biggest slip jaw pliers you can buy. You probably remember an instance when one or both of these tools would have been handy during field repairs.
A 4 lb. blacksmith hammer and at least an 8 lb. sledge hammer for when gentle persuasion isn’t enough.
Some kind of pocket voltmeter. A $35 meter from NAPA will do basic voltage testing as well as a $300 voltmeter from Snap-on.
Jumper cables. At least 1-gauge cables, 25’ long. A battery “jump pack” is an alternative, but a jump pack for farm use needs to have at least 3,000 amps capacity and always kept plugged into a cigarette lighter/inverter charger. Otherwise you’ll think you charged it last month, but it was actually last spring. If it’s discharged you’ll have to drag out the battery cables.
Hydraulic jack(s) and sections of railroad ties/bridge planks to use as blocks when jacking equipment in soft dirt. A spade or shovel to dig/move dirt when positioning those jacks.
Large sheets of cardboard, or a tarp, to lay on when working under machines on muddy ground.
Empty 5-gal. buckets with lids, to drain, save and keep oil or coolant clean for re-use after repairs. Shallow drain pans for draining fluids when there’s no room for a 5-gal. bucket. Include a funnel.
A 3-step and a 5-step stepladder. Combines, grain carts, sprayers and even planters are getting taller and taller. A 5-step may be too tall in some places, and a 3-step may be too short, so one of each satisfies all needs.
At least one 6’-long “railroad bar,” for prying and lifting heavy components. Much better and safer than robbing a steel fence post out of a fence row.
A 12 volt to 120 volt electrical inverter, to charge batteries for cordless tools and lights.
Cans of aerosol brake cleaner or contact cleaner for field-cleaning parts. Cans of WD-40, JB-80, Kroil or a penetrating oil of your choice.
A razor knife and pack of razor knife blades. Better than your pocketknife for precise cutting, especially if your pocket knife is as dull as mine.
A zip tie assortment. Rolls of duct tape and electrician’s tape. A box of assorted hardened-steel roll pins. A box of assorted cotter keys. Rolls of 16-, 14- and 12-gauge electrical wire. A box of assorted electrical wire splices and connectors, and…a box of Band-Aids.

Read More from Dan:

Moisture is the Enemy of Farm Machinery

5 Guarantees When Working on Machinery

Planter Oil Leaks: Common Causes and Fixes

A Few Useful “Pocket Tools” for Planting

Closing Thoughts on Modern Planters

Do Pretty Corn Fields Actually Translate Into Higher Yields?