Tires Steel/Iron Tractor Tires??

[B8FISH]

Curious--is there still a specific application/reason why one would use steel or iron tractor tires?? On a recent drive thru the middle of NY I saw a lot of tractors (they seemed to be primarily in the Amish community area) that had steel tires and I got to wondering if there was a specific reason--or if they were just predating the availability of good rubber tires??

 

[RobS]

It's an Amish thing. In our area, the Amish use horses, no tractors at all. I have seen others that use tractors but with steel wheels as you noticed. Same with the implements. I do not know the reasoning behind it.

 

[Thomas]

Eailer tractor years those heavy beast needed iron wheels,than during the war years rubber was hard to come by.

Iron wheels gave great traction in mud..snow..climbing hillsides..only draw back was ice and rear up frontend.

 

[aczlan]

Rubber tires are seen by the Amish as something "which could promote sloth, luxury or vanity" and thus "is strictly prohibited" (Source), as I understand it anything that makes them dependent on the outside world, or will distract from their family values is not allowed. There are two types of rules or "Ordnung" thatr they follow 1. The special conference decisions throughout history, from the 1500痴 onward. and 2. The contemporary rules defined by each church district.
Each "District" (or group of churches) sets their own standards on things like steel vs. rubber wheels on buggies, equipment, etc, they also decide things like if gas engines are allowed to power equipment, if they are allowed to propel equipment, if they are not allowed at all, etc.

Aaron Z

 

[jas67]

I used to do quite a bit of bicycling in Lancaster County, PA, where there is a high concentration of Amish. What frustrates me about the non-rubber tire Amish, is the degree to which they damage the local roads. There is a lot of obvious damage to the roads from driving their metal-wheeled tractors on the asphalt on hot days, in direct sun. This makes many of the roads at the least, annoying to bike on, but at worst, actually dangerous. Also, this speeds the degradation of the road surface, causing the need for repairs or repaving to occur sooner. The worst part of this, is those doing the damage contribute the least to maintaining the roads, as the obviously pay no road-fuel tax, and, as I understand it, pay very little in the way of any taxes.

I personally feel that metal-wheeled vehicles should be legally banned from driving on, or across public roads, due to the damage that they cause.

 

[jinman]

Curious--is there still a specific application/reason why one would use steel or iron tractor tires?

You don't have to worry about getting flats with steel tires. I can think of times I was working around a lot of young mesquite trees that I would love to have had some steel tires.

 

[Wis Bang]

It's interesting to see the means the Amish go to. Coming back from the steam train in Strausberg I spotted an horse drawn wagon mounting a v-4 Wisconsin engine driving the PTO shaft to a hay bailer working behind a horse drawn modern hay rake making windrows for the bailer. Alot of the road damage is from the iron shod wagon and buggy wheels plus the horseshoes don't help the asphalt either...

My last trip on Rt 340 you could really see how the Amish & Mennonite differ. I noticed a group of kids w/ plain color clothing watching older sister mow the lawn with an old push reel mower while at the other end of town I spotted a lady w/ brighter color clothing pushing a gas mower...all still in apron and bonnet.

 

[PA hayseed]

I've had this discussion with countless PennDot guys and gals in my state, and they all despise the Amish for their steel wheels. Funny, they never mention the overloaded logging trucks and triaxles braking hard on the warm asphalt in summer. They almost always agree that the truckers do more damage to the roads then that Amish ever could for two reasons 1) the amish wagons will almost never damage a road in PA in the fall, winter or spring, and 2) there are fewer amish than there will ever be of overloaded trucks.

 

[Wis Bang]

Being in trucking, I agree about the weight of trucks but the two lane highways around Lancaster have this strange grove that matches the place where the single horses trot.

 

[jas67]

Being in trucking, I agree about the weight of trucks but the two lane highways around Lancaster have this strange grove that matches the place where the single horses trot.

And I can definitely make out the distinct pattern of steel tractor wheel lugs no the asphalt of the roads that I referred to earlier in this thread.