The Issue with Rutting
A common issue that arises with center pivot irrigation systems is rutting. Rutting is caused by wet soil and frequent traffic from the tires. The pressure from the tires digs into the soil causing a cavern to form, which causes soil and crop damage. Water also pools into the rut where the compressed soil doesn’t allow it to drain, thus negatively impacting overall irrigation and cost-efficiency. Farmers have found solutions to minimize the effects of ruts including taller tires giving them more clearance before risking gearbox damage, wider tires to spread the weight of the system out, but still having to disc the ruts out of the field or even fill them in with material.
Evolution Wheel's Solution
The EWRS-PIVOT irrigation pivot tires offer a cost-effective solution that prevents rutting in the first place. We designed the EWRS-PIVOT irrigation tires with a wide footprint, bi-directional tread, and a concave profile. The wide footprint distributes the weight out evenly, the bi-directional tread doesn’t hold onto the mud and the concave profile keeps the soil underneath the tire instead of pushing it out. Eliminating the need to disc the ruts out or having to fill them in.
Cost-Effectiveness of the EWRS-PIVOT Irrigation Pivot Tire
the EWRS-PIVOT is an airless tire. A common concern we hear is that airless pivot tires work the gearbox harder than a pneumatic pivot tire would, but this is not always true. Instead of air, the EWRS-PIVOT uses what are called core holes. Core holes or open areas of space within the tire allow the rubber to flex and absorb impact like a pneumatic tire without the risk of a flat. A flat pneumatic pivot tire can fill with mud and water which can cause gearbox damage as well damage to the rim costing money every step of the way. This increases downtime for the center pivot system until the tire is replaced and everything is fixed. The EWRS-PIVOT irrigation pivot tires eliminate this cost.
