Retractable Dual Wheel Steel Spikes for Tractors
When hill country turns wet, a tractor gets forced off the slopes, usually with work still left to do. Revolution's retractable dual wheel steel spikes put real steel traction under the tractor on steep, slippery ground, so it stays planted and safe on country that would normally have beaten you.
An extra two months of working range
Dual wheel steel spikes add roughly two more months of working range each season. Country that's normally too wet or steep to stay on stays workable, so you're not pulling the tractor off the hill weeks before the job is done.
For a fencing contractor or a fertiliser spreader that's extra earning weeks in the calendar, jobs you can still take when the ground's against you. For a hill-country farmer it's feeding out and getting around the tops right through the wet months. Set against the price of a set, the maths is straightforward: it pays for itself in the weeks it hands back.
"They effectively give you another two months of working range. Instead of having to get off the hill in May, you can now get off the hill in July." — Tony White
What they are
Dual wheel steel spikes are a set of steel wheels that snap-lock onto your tractor's rear hubs for grip in hill country. Each one is a steel rim that carries the load and holds the spikes. The spikes retract in and out, so they bite in the paddock and fold away for the road. And they're shaped to grip both ways at once, forward and sideways.
How They Work
Dual wheel steel spikes give a tractor traction on a hill three ways: the steel tyre carries the load and forces the spikes into the ground, they stay embedded under its weight through the turn, and their shape grips forward and sideways at once.
The steel tyre carries the load. Each spike wheel is a true steel tyre, set to match the circumference of the tyre it sits beside, and it adds around six inches of ground cover. So before the spikes even come into play you're getting flotation and support in soft ground. On the side of a hill the steel tyre becomes a shoulder for the tractor to lean on: as the rubber tyre squashes and falls away underneath you, the steel takes over and holds you up. When the spikes are out they sit fully embedded under that steel tyre, driven in under its weight rather than loosely poked into the dirt, with around 2.5 spikes fully in the ground at any point in the rotation.
You set how many spikes are out. The spikes are adjustable. You control how many are deployed at any one time, so you can match the bite to the ground you're on and fold the rest away.
Grip both ways at once. Because of the way the spikes are shaped, their side profile is as strong as their line profile. Every spike drives you forward and holds you against side-drift at the same time, roughly halving the side-slip on a hillside pass. Most spikes are a spade head, a knife that only bites rotationally as it goes into the ground; to get any side grip you have to physically turn every second one sideways, so half your spikes are only ever doing half the job. Revolution's don't work that way. That shaping is what makes this the only steel spiked dual wheel of its kind on the market — the design does the work. Spiked wheels have been around for years; what no one else is doing is building a steel dual like this.
Fitting, retracting and road use
Retracting the spikes is simple. Undo the nut-end bolt, pull it out, fold the spikes away (or expand them back out), and put the bolt back with the nut on. There are no cap screws to fuss with.
You can run them on the road, as long as the spikes are retracted, bolted away, and the bolts are torqued up tight so they can't work loose. That last part matters. A retractable spike that drops its bolt and deploys on the road is the one to avoid, so the rule is simple: keep your bolts tight.
Durability and maintenance
These wheels live in a wet, abrasive environment, so they're built for it. The steel is sandblasted before painting, not just powder-coated, so the paint keys on properly and holds. On top of that goes a two-pot undercoat and a two-pot topcoat, the same finish that goes on the machines. Bolts and pins are galvanised and passivated throughout.
Looking after a set is light work. If the wheels are staying on the tractor for more than about three weeks, grease the bolts and pins. There are deliberately no grease nipples, so you pull the pin or bolt out, grease it, and refit it. Run them in grease before you fit them and they look after themselves from the inside.
Sizing and how to order a set
Sizing comes down to your wheel, and it's quick to work out. The rim diameter is the main measurement, a 34-inch or a 38-inch rim for example. Smaller rims (around 34″) generally run the same tyre profile, so the rim size alone is usually enough. Larger rims (38″ and up) cover a much wider range of tractors, from a low-profile tyre right up to a big one, so for those we also need your tyre profile to size the ring correctly.
In short: give us your rim size, and if it's a 38″ or bigger, your tyre profile as well. Sets are available off the shelf where we have your size in stock, or made to order.
Price and finance
A set of dual wheel steel spikes is $13,800 + GST, supplied ready to fit to your tractor and backed by the same 12-month warranty as our post drivers. Set against the extra working range they buy you, roughly two more months on the hill every season, a set pays for itself in the earning weeks it adds back to your calendar. If you'd rather spread the cost, finance your set and put it to work while it pays for itself.
Get in touch to size a set for your tractor — call 0800 957 868 or email debbie@revolutionpostdrivers.co.nz.
Frequently asked questions
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Yes. Retract the spikes, bolt them away, and torque the bolts up tight so they can't work loose. As long as the bolts stay tight, road travel is fine.
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Far less than spinning tyres do. The spikes leave a small hole you can't get a foot in, and sheep, cattle and horses are fine over it. Run one mob of cattle across the ground and the marks are gone.
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Start with your rim diameter. For rims around 34″ the rim size is usually enough; for 38″ and up we also need your tyre profile. Send us those and we'll size a set, off the shelf if we have your size, or made to order.
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Hill-country tractors of any make. The set is sized to your rim and tyre, so it fits the machine you already run. If you're not sure yours suits, send us your rim size and we'll tell you.
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Enough to keep working steep, wet ground you'd otherwise be forced off, around two extra months of range a season. The steel tyre adds six inches of ground cover and a shoulder to lean on, and around 2.5 spikes stay fully embedded through the rotation.
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$13,800 + GST per set, supplied ready to fit, with finance available. Every set carries the same 12-month warranty as our post drivers.
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If they're on the tractor for more than about three weeks, grease the bolts and pins. There are no grease nipples by design, so pull the pin or bolt out, grease it, and refit. Running them in grease before fitting helps them look after themselves from the inside.