Farm King’s new “Propeller series” snowblower comes with aggressive propeller blades Mitas PneuTrac tire looks like it’s fl at, but rides smoother than conventional tires in mounted on a paddle-style auger to cut through hard-packed snow. rough fi eld conditions, says the company. “Paddle” Snowblower Cuts Mitas Tire Mimics A Track Tires that look like they’re running fl at but operators who spend long hours in the fi eld Through Hard-Packed Snow aren’t really turned farmer’s heads at the 2015 in rough conditions. The smoother ride may We spotted Farm King’s new Propeller Series down larger pieces of snow as it enters the Farm Progress Show in Illinois. That’s where also reduce wear on the machines, he says. 3-pt. mounted snowblower this fall at the machine and moves toward the fan, providing the Mitas PneuTrac made its working debut Two PenuTrac sizes are undergoing Ohio Farm Science Review show. a smoother fl ow of snow into the fan. on a Case IH Maxxum tractor. PneuTrac extensive fi eld testing in Europe: 280/70 R18 What sets the snowblower apart is its Propeller Series snowblowers are available 28-in. tires were mounted on the front with and 600/65 R38. The company says when aggressive new propeller blades mounted in cutting widths from 50 to 120 in. and 38-in. PneuTracs on the rear. the product is released for sale – hopefully on a paddle-style auger. According to the cutting heights from 24 to 41 in. A driving demonstration paired the in 2016 – that it will produce the new tires company, the design maximizes performance Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Farm PneuTrac tractor with a conventionally- in its Charles City, Iowa plant. in extreme conditions with heavy, packed and King, 1260 Clarence Ave., Winnipeg, equipped tractor, rolling over obstacles in The footprint of a PneuTrac is 53 percent wet snow. The rapid rotation of the auger Manitoba, Canada R3T 1T2 (info@buhler. the fi eld. The driver of the PneuTrac tractor larger than a standard pneumatic tire and with the propeller blades is said to break com; www.farm-king.com) barely noticed a bump while the conventional it provides higher tractive force. Better tire driver bounced inside the cab. pressure distribution lowers ground pressure. Company spokesperson Dan Kirkpatrick Lateral stability is rated 167 percent higher says the simple test really showed the ride than standard tires. PneuTrac tires mount on smoothing capabilities of PneuTrac in rough standard rims . Instead of a fi eld conditions. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mitas horizontal auger feeding snow PneuTrac tires improve productivity and Tires North America, 7400 Carmel Executive to the blower, operator comfort at the same time, says Park, Suite 100, Charlotte, North Carolina Snowblast Avishay Novaplanski of Galileo Wheel, Ltd., 28226 (ph 704 542-3422; www.mitasag. snowblower the Israeli comany that invented the concept. com;[email protected]). uses 2 sets of fan He adds that a smooth ride is imperative for blades that bore into snow and blast it out the chute. Tweel Tires Gain Market Traction The innovative Tweel airless tire introduced by Michelin in 2005 is slowly gaining market traction. Even though 10 years is an eternity for product roll out, it doesn’t seem Skidsteer Snowblower to be the case with this idea. Tweels are now being used on skid steer loaders, zero-turn Blasts Through Drifts mowers and some industrial loaders. The company thinks Tweels will also be used on Snowblast snowblowers live up to their a matter of removing the skid-steer loader other vehicles like golf carts. Tweel replaces name, blasting through drifts and snow banks plate, removing the hydraulic pump, and 23 components of a normal radial tire with easily thanks to their unique design. Instead inserting a 540-rpm pto shaft. a simple design. of a horizontal auger feeding snow to the “The Snowblast is simple, durable and The Tweel uses a solid inner hub mounted blower, it has 2 sets of fan blades that bore aggressive,” says Holzwarth. “When the to the vehicle, surrounded by polyurethane into the snow and blast it out the chute. irregular cutting edge hits hard packed snow, spokes assembled in wedge patterns. A Tweel airless tire uses a solid inner hub “The twin fan blades act like an auger the points wedge in and pop the snow up.” shear band circles the spokes and produces pulling snow in,” says Myron Holzwarth, The simplicity of the design eliminates surrounded by polyurethane spokes as- the surface that meets the ground. Different sembled in wedge patterns. Teamco, Inc. “The cups on front of the fans, drive clutter to either side of the cutting face types of treads attach to the shear band. combined with their 6 blades, produce a shell. The direct chain drive (no gearbox) is Tweels are made with different spoke $200 to $800. Deere mowers equipped with smooth-running operation with less pounding completely enclosed in an oil bath behind tension that allow different handling Tweels cost about $750 more than the same as snow hits the chute.” the fans. Cutting blade fans are mounted on characteristics. Some are fl exible for a softer model with regular tires. The Snowblast design is not new. In heavy-duty shafts and bearings. ride and easier handling while others are more Commercial operators who’ve used Tweel fact, it has been around since the 1970’s “The sides are like a knife cutting into the sturdy for extra strength during rugged jobs. clad mowers say the ride is excellent because as a commercial grade snowblower. What snow bank,” says Holzwarth. Michelin says the Tweel rolls just like a the Tweel absorbs bumps better than air-fi lled is new are the smaller size models that are He notes that with standard snowblowers, pneumatic tire and absorbs shock well. In tires. The full-width spokes provide excellent available with hydraulic drive on a skid-steer as you drive into the snow, the snow pushes late 2014 Michelin announced plans for a cutting height control and outstanding lateral or wheel loader as small as 30 hp. They are against the auger. With the Snowblast, the $50 million, 135,000 sq. ft. production plant support for sidehill mowing. also available with a 3-pt. hitch, pto drive for snow moves straight into the fan and only in Piedmont, South Carolina that will build Michelin says a Tweel will last nearly tractors as small as 35 to 40 hp. makes one turn up the chute. Tweels for commercial and agricultural 3 times longer than a conventional tire. “Models range from 42 in. to 74 in.,” “The Snowblast has unbelievable capacity,” application. Tread can be replaced without having to says Holzwarth. “Hydraulic-powered units says Holzwarth. “As you drive forward, it is Deere uses X Tweels on its Z Trak series replace the spokes and hub. The company range from $7,000 to $12,000, depending on like you are corkscrewing into the snow you mowers. Chase Tew, manager of commercial is focusing initial production on commercial options. The pto versions run about $2,500 are blowing.” mowing at Deere, says the X Tweel is built and agricultural applications because those less.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, to last 3 times longer than a conventional industries suffer signifi cant downtime from Skid steer or wheel loaders should have Teamco Inc., 27065 Kerslake Pl., Tea, S. Dak. pneumatic tire. It’s puncture resistant and punctured tires. high-fl ow pumps. Tractors should have a Cat. 57064 (ph 605 498-0610; teamco@teamco- doesn’t require maintenance. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, II 3-pt. hitch. inc.com; www.teamco-inc.com). A Tweel for a front-end loader costs about Michelin Tire, Piedmont, S. Car. (www. Switching from hydraulic to pto drive is $1,200 compared to pneumatic tires for michelintweel.com). 1-800-834-9665 • [email protected] • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 39, no. 6 • FARM SHOW • 31