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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2017)
October 6, 2017 CapitalPress.com 7 Jeremy Siegrist of Ag West Supply makes a road call at Rickreall Dairy in Rickreall, Ore. As with other opera- tions, the dairy uses many types of equipment, each with tires specific to their use. Courtesy Photo Ag tires also need care and maintenance For the Capital Press While doing preventive maintenance it’s easy to put off replacing tires — espe- cially when a combine tire can run $3,000 to $4,000. What’s not so easy is fix- ing the old tire on a tractor that’s stuck out in the field. Mike McLain, Ag West Tire Department manager in Rickreall, Ore., said techni- cians carry 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of non-toxic liquid in tanks with them for add- ing weight to tractor tires when they make a field call. Putting 150 gallons of bal- last in one large tire gives better traction by adding about 1,500 pounds to its to- tal weight. “Now have fun going out and fixing a flat on an in- side dually,” McLain said. “You’ve got to pump the liq- uid out; we may use a boom or forklift to unbolt and lift out the inside tire, which is 6 feet tall and weighs about a ton. Then empty the liquid from the inside tire and take it off the rim while it’s on the tractor and find out your repair. That’s a $500 flat re- pair.” Of course, it’s not always about the tire itself. “One of the biggest issues farmers have with tires is the drivers; you can be trained in a two-hour class and get a farm endorsement at the age of 13 and get in a $250,000 combine and run in some- body’s field,” McLain said. “Naturally, they have driv- ing skills, but when they’re going to make a corner they might hit a fencepost or a piece of equipment and then they’ve ruined the tire.” A lot of farmers are also investing in caterpillar-like tracks for their tractors, though they are more expen- sive up front and to main- tain. Not to worry, said Kim Oberg, manager of D&S Tires in Parma, Idaho. His company recaps both tracks and tractor tires. “We can save their tires,” Oberg said. “As long as we have a good core we can re- build them.” Tires from all over the country and Canada roll into their plants in Idaho, Ne- braska and Indiana. Retreading tracks is about half the cost of buying new ones and doubles the life of a track core. “You don’t have to throw that core away; we’re recy- cling your track core and that’s the biggest thing; we’re not throwing all that rubber in the dump,” Oberg said. “It’s quite a process to see; we buff off all the old lugs, put on a new layer of rubber, extrude our lugs, put each one on and then we vol- canize it with high heat and pressure for about 4½ hours so that the rubber sticks.” In addition to retreading many types of ag tires and tracks, D&S makes irriga- tion pivot tires from old truck casings. These are shipped into the plant from all over the country and then buffed, recapped and placed in a hot cap mold to form the tire. OTECO WE SPECIALIZE IN BULK BAGS! WHEEL TRACK FILLERS • Fills ruts properly and with the correct material. • Completely fills ruts with one pass. • 10 cubic yard (28,000 lbs.) total capacity. • One-man operation. • Off-season uses include filling ruts in roads and transporting grain. BAGS: • Seed Bags • Fertilizer Bags • Feed Bags • Potato Bags • Printed Bags • Plain Bags • Bulk Bags • Totes • Woven Polypropylene • Bopp • Polyethylene • Pocket Bags • Roll Stock & More! THE ONLY SOLUTION All else is just another problem. (307) 331-0734 (307) 322-9415 www.otecomfg.com WSG17-1/102 By BRENNA WIEGAND HAY PRESS SUPPORT: • Hay Sleeves • Strap • Totes • Printed or Plain • Stretch Film (ALL GAUGES) WAREHOUSE PACKAGING: • Stretch Film • Pallet Sheets • Pallet Covers LOCATIONS: Albany, Oregon (MAIN OFFICE) Ellensburg, Washington CONTACT INFORMATION: Phone: 855-928-3856 Fax: 541-497-6262 info@westernpackaging.com ....................................................... CUSTOMER SERVICE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY! w w w. w e s t e r n p a c k a g i n g. c o m WSG17-3/100
