BOONE, Iowa – At Iowa State University (ISU)’s Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy (AEA) Farm, employees like AEA Farm Manager Nathan Meyers change up to 30 large agricultural tires in a year, which is why the farm’s newest addition helps minimize safety risks and maximize efficiency.

The TireGrabber, a patented tire handler that easily attaches to the front of the farm’s skid loader, holds the tire securely and safely, while farm employees remove or tighten the bolts. The tool is engineered to securely grip, lift and manipulate large-scale tires from 3,000 to 12,000 pounds, according to company officials at TireGrabber, Ltd., based in Camrose, Alberta, Canada.

Meyers said what once could take several farm workers, a forklift and an extensive amount of time to ease the tire off and put a new one on, now only takes two farm workers and about five minutes.

“We can more safely handle the tires, which is important because we move a lot of tires due to research projects going on,” he said. “We also have equipment coming here to the farm and we are shipping equipment out, so we’re constantly changing tires.”

Canadian farmer Darcy Goossen, the tool’s creator and TireGrabber president, and Steven Minken, TireGrabber senior business development manager, were inspired to partner with ISU after meeting Meyers at the recent Farm Progress trade show.

During an ISU campus visit, Goossen and Minken decided to lease the TireGrabber and a sprayer jack to the university at no cost to support agricultural safety education.

“Steven and I decided we wanted to start actually donating to causes where we could see the impact and plant seeds of safety for future generations,” Goossen said. “The TireGrabber is user-friendly and perfect for a university setting. Anyone can learn how to use it; it’s very self-explanatory.”

Kendall Lamkey, ISU professor of agronomy, and associate dean for facilities and operations for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said tools like the TireGrabber help ensure the university is a place that promotes safety and models safe behaviors to students.

“My top priority is to ensure the safety of all my employees,” he said. “I want to send them home the same way they came to work. I consider the TireGrabber a huge addition to keeping our faculty, staff and students safe, both here on campus and our facilities around the state.”

Meyers told Farm World the feedback about the TireGrabber has been very good: “The farm staff have enjoyed using the TireGrabber equipment because it makes a tough and dangerous job of changing and moving large agricultural tires into a safe and easier task.”

He said if the lease on the TireGrabber ended, “we would look into purchasing the TireGrabber. Safety is a big concern in agriculture and at Iowa State University, and this tool makes a dangerous job safer.”

He said the TireGrabber is a win for everyone and expects its use to extend beyond just the AEA Farm: “We want everyone to be safe, so when we aren’t using it, our other farms are welcome to borrow it.”