Pivot Track Solutions

In the world of center pivot irrigation farming, farmers are always looking for new ways to prevent pivot track formation cheaply and effectively. Depending on the soil type and environment your system is working in, tracks can become so deep that they damage your irrigation system causing downtime, flat tires, and crop damage at the end of the season.

There are a few ways farmers deal with pivot tracking but they either involve more equipment, filling tracks with different materials, or just adding more maintenance taking up your valuable time.

Discing and Scrapers

Discing or scraping your field to fill tracks can work however the equipment needed is expensive, cause soil deterioration, and is time-consuming. Farmers are very busy people and adding another job to the list is not an ideal solution.

sprinkler extenders

There are a few products on the market that extend the sprinkler heads on your pivot system behind your tires to not soak the ground your tires are operating on. These oftentimes create more problems with sprinklers not working properly due to poor water pressure and only work if your pivot rotates in one direction. Many pivots rotate back and forth in a "windshield wiper" pattern essentially making these products useless for these applications.

Filling Pivot Track

Filling tracks with different materials is another strategy that farmers use to fight the effects of deep ruts. A common material used is decorative landscaping lava rocks that provide a bit of traction in particularly bad areas. Poking holes in a bag of decorative lava rock allow it to sink to the bottom of the track helping with grip. This doesn’t prevent rutting itself but may help get your pivot moving again in a pinch when it's stuck.

Other materials commonly used include gravel, sand, and hay. These materials will fill the ruts to the surface of the soil and reduce tracking, however, the problem is that gravel and sand can damage to tilling equipment while the hay will decompose over time, requiring continuous filling. Not to mention the process is very time-consuming.

Different Tire Solutions

Sizes

The main sizes of pneumatic style tires offered are 14.9” X 24” tires, and 11.2” X 38” tires. The wider 14.9” X 24” spec pivot tire increases surface area for added floatation and the 11.2 x 38” spec pivot tire allows for more depth clearance, so the ruts can go deeper without creating problems. These tires do have their benefits for certain situations however neither prevent track formation.

Plastic and Steel Pivot Tires

Steels pivot tires were among the first airless pivot tires ever used in the field and recently we have seen plastic pivot tires being used in place of steel. The problem with these materials is that they have no give. the lack of flexibility is hard on the gearbox and decreases traction. In short, these tires sacrifice traction and flexibility to eliminate flat tires.

The EWRS-PIVOT Series

The EWRS-PIVOT series airless pivot tire is the only solution that prevents tracks from forming in your field. This tire is designed with a concave true-to-spec 14.9” x 24” profile that increases surface area and holds mud underneath the tire to maximize floatation. The rubber is designed with core holes that compress to mimic the flexibility of a pneumatic tire and the aggressive bidirectional tread pattern maximizes traction.

Due to the EWRS-PIVOT being an airless tire, there is no chance of a tire going flat in the field. On top of this, the tire is segmented. Each segment is bolted to the rim allowing the owner to service the tire if needed by simply switching the damaged segment with a new one only using a ¾” wrench.

Evolution Wheel designed the EWRS-PIVOT to minimize the time spent in the field dealing with these issues. No more filling tracks, no need for sprinkler extenders, or to disc the field every season. Using a pivot tire that is low maintenance and prevents tracks from forming saves you time, energy, and money.

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EWRS-PIVOT SERIES

The EWRS-PIVOT series of airless pivot tires from Evolution Wheel offers the most advanced airless technology to the irrigation market. This solution delivers serviceability, traction, and floatation into one impressive offering.

Our tread design and tire profile offer greater traction through mud and obstacles. The unique concave contact face helps eliminate rutting by keeping dirt under the tire, where it belongs. The face of the tire is pointed inwards. Compared to typical pneumatic irrigation tires which convex shape push mud out from under the tire, causing ruts.

Our proprietary segmented design bolts onto our high strength wheel, allowing you the ability to service the tire quickly, eliminating the need to change a tire in the field.

Unlike other airless pivot tires, the EWRS-PIVOT compresses flat pushing material out, it's a self-cleaning system. The compressed cores elongate the footprint of the tire allowing it to wrap over obstacles increasing traction and reducing ground pressure.