MudSmith Replacement Gauge Wheels Help Maximize Uptime for Planters and Drills

The MudSmith Gauge Wheel was created by Duane Smith and nephew Jacob on the Smith family farm in northeastern South Dakota in an effort to improve planting efficiency during wet soil conditions. The Smiths began no-tilling in the early 1990s and quickly grew tired of stopping to unplug muddy wheels.

“We were under our corn planters and drills hundreds of times, taking OEM gauge wheels off, cleaning them out, when we needed to be planting,” recalls Duane Smith.

The Smiths now market the MudSmith replacement gauge wheels for nearly every planter, air seeder and disc drill brand. The wheel’s open design keeps planters and air drills operating in conditions where OEM wheels would plug up with wet soil. After trying different designs, the Smiths progressed to the three-spoke wheel, which has proven to be the most plug-free design available in addition to offering excellent durability.

The newly improved wheel features a cast-iron hub, simplified bearing replacement and larger spaces between the spokes, which allows for better access and visibility to disc opener hubs and scrapers.

 “We’ve been running them on our own equipment for a many years, and we no longer have issues with plugging,” Duane Smith says. “These wheels are a huge improvement over the OEM equipment. We designed them so you can use standard bearings and tires from your dealer.”

Smith notes that original equipment gauge wheels require removing the tires, splitting the rim and removing bolts to get to the bearing. “With the MudSmith wheel, you remove the snap ring and replace the bearing,” he says. “We didn’t intend to sell them when we first made them for ourselves, but the response has been terrific.”

MudSmith USA / (877) 416-5457 / www.themudsmith.com