The Historical Legacy of Lancaster County's Steel

Once the steel wheels are installed on a tractor, Leonard Hoover test drives the vehicle.

Researching why some Lancaster County tractors have steel wheels proved to have several historical twists and turns.

What was uncovered is Groffdale Conference Mennonite farmers (known locally as Team Mennonites) have been running their farm tractors with steel wheels for nearly 100 years.

And they have no plans to stop.

A 1930s David Brown tractor shows early attempt for cushioning with coiled springs.

Since the boom of gasoline-powered tractors in the 1930s that replaced horse teams and steam engines, Groffdale Conference guidelines have called for the use of steel wheels — much like the original wheels of turn-of-the-century tractors on self-propelled farm machinery.

Although sometimes mistakenly called Amish tractors, steel wheels are used exclusively by the Groffdale Conference farmers here in Pennsylvania and in several other states where they settled.

Steel tractor wheels were always meant to discourage tractor use on paved roads. However, today it isn’t unusual to see steel-wheel tractors moving from field to field or heading to the produce auctions on paved roads.

Leonard Hoover inspects a large diameter set of steel wheels in his New Holland, Pennsylvania, shop.

In southeast Pennsylvania, there are just a handful of skilled machinist-welders doing this work. These manufacturers fashion all parts of the wheels except the bolts.

Leonard Hoover, a steel wheel manufacturer based in New Holland, Pennsylvania, manufactures and assembles these special wheels. There also is a separate group of men whose business is just to assemble the wheels from parts supplied by the manufacturers like Hoover.

And there are a few businesses that inventory and supply new or used belting (usually recovered from Pennsylvania coal mining operations) that provide up to the two inches of cushioning allowed on the steel rims. The completed steel wheels are secured to the tractor’s original hubs.

Holes being drilled through steel belting and steel tractor wheel outer rim to fasten compression blocks and cleats.

To start wheel construction, Hoover (who also makes pig scales for a local manufacturer) carefully measures the size of the tractor’s original rubber wheels. He then notes whether the tractor has all-wheel drive, which is considered when matching the smaller front wheels with the large rear wheels.

The tractor does not have to be on site during wheel construction. Hoover’s manufacturing time for the wheels is about two weeks, depending on their size.

The wheels are assembled like layer cakes on their side with one piece or strips of belting secured to the new steel outside rims with bolts. They are then topped with compressible synthetic blocks and cleats for traction in the field that also are bolted to the outer rim.

The belt cushioning for the steel wheels did not become popular locally until the early ‘90s. The wheel’s steel cleats now get small dimples to provide some traction for the tractors when driven on cold, hard macadam in the winter.

Most steel wheels are 14 to 16 inches wide but can be as wide as 24 inches, depending on the size of the tractor, Hoover said. The rims are fashioned from rolled steel and spokes are welded to secure the inner and outer rims.

Leonard Hoover attaches a new steel wheel to a John Deere’s original rear wheel hub.

The rubber belting is cut to size in long strips and then fastened to the new rims. Usually, two, 1-inch-thick pieces of belting are sandwiched and used for each tire.

Hoover, 30, has been welding since his teens. “My customers understand with so few wheel manufacturers in our area there is always a waiting list, and they are patient,” Hoover said. “Every set of wheels is slightly different, since each one is made by hand.”

At times, Hoover may add something new to the wheel he has been thinking about. Recently he designed and added small metal bumpers to the bottom of the steel cleats to help protect the rubber belting from tearing as the bumpers come in contact with the belting when the wheel compresses.

Although rubber tractor tires may loom on the horizon for Groffdale Conference farmers, for now they are happy to maintain the tradition of using steel wheels as their fathers and grandfathers have for the past 100 years.

Watch the video below to see how steel wheels are manufactured.

Watch Leonard Hoover manufacture steel belted wheels for a John Deere tractor.

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Art Petrosemolo is a freelance correspondent and photojournalist in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.