Key Things to Know About Electric Fencing

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Here at Mytee Products, we have been working to expand our inventory of items for agricultural customers. This includes our electric fencing inventory. Over the last few months, we have added a number of energizers and fencing material products to the agricultural category. We hope you find them useful.

Having said all that, we know that some of the customers who purchase electric fencing materials from us are getting into electric fencing for the first time. They are either transitioning from barbed wire to electric fencing, or they run fairly small operations and are setting up their fences for the first time.We want to help you make the best of your electric fencing choices. We are certainly not experts in cattle, but we do know a bit about electric fencing. We know there are two important things you should be aware of before you begin installing your fences:

1. Design and Layout Are Important

People unfamiliar with electric fencing do not realize that it differs considerably from barbed wire. A barbed wire fence acts as a physical barrier to keep cattle in. As such, barbed wire fences have to be designed and laid out in such a way as to prevent cattle from using brute strength to knock them over. Property owners have to use lots of posts and multiple lines of wire to counteract the physical strength of cattle.

An electric fence is not a physical barrier. It is a psychological barrier. As such, it does not have to be as strong or robust as barbed wire. But electric fencing does have to be designed in such a way as to take advantage of the psychology of cattle, especially if you want the cattle to behave in certain ways.

For example, alleys have to be designed with a little more width when electric fencing is being used. You want alleys to be wide enough to accommodate congestion without forcing cattle to get too close to the wires. Otherwise, traffic may come to a standstill because cattle believe they do not have enough room to get where they are going without touching the fence.

2. Cattle Have to Be Trained to Electric Fencing

The second thing to note is that cattle that have never been exposed to electric fencing have to be trained to it. Don’t worry, training is neither harmful nor difficult. Most cattle can be trained in a day or so using a very simple method that involves setting up a small training fence inside a barn or physically contained exterior yard.

The idea is to set up the temporary training fence so that there is an open way around it on one end. Then place hay on one side and water on the other. Cattle looking to get to one or the other by going through the fence will receive an uncomfortable reminder that touching the fence is not a good idea. They will eventually figure out that it is better to walk around the open end to get to the hay or water.

Once an animal makes that connection, the psychological training is complete. The animal will now avoid the fence altogether. It can be introduced to the pasture with the knowledge that the animal will not go near the permanent fence.

Whether you own a large ranch or a small hobby farm, we have the electric fencing materials you need to keep your cattle in. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions. We are more than happy to help you make the right purchase decision for your needs.

RoadCheck 2018 – Start Thinking Cargo Control

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The 2018 CVSA RoadCheck is less than two months away. The annual event will be held this year from June 5-7 all across North America. Inspectors will be on the lookout for the kinds of violations that could have you or your truck taken out of service for a considerable length of time.

News reports state that the 2018 RoadCheck will focus mainly on hours of service rules and the new ELD mandate. However, drivers should not let their guards down. Inspectors will also be looking at cargo control and the general condition of mechanical systems. As a company specializing in cargo control ourselves, our main priority is to make sure our customers have everything they need to both pass inspection and stay safe on the roads.

A Better Year in 2018

It is rather appropriate for us to talk about cargo control in relation to this year’s RoadCheck based on what happened last year. The main priority in 2017 was cargo control. And even though inspectors put a record number of trucks out of service due to cargo control violations, such violations were not the number one reason for out of service actions. The biggest problem in 2017 was hours of service violations.

It is kind of ironic that hours of service were such a problem even though the focus was on cargo control. This year the focus is on hours of service, but inspectors will still be looking for cargo control violations. It is our hope that drivers do better this year than last – in every area inspectors decide to look at.

A better year means fewer out of service actions. It means more secure cargo, safer roads, and fewer penalties for drivers and their employers. It even means a better reputation for an industry that has been struggling in that area for a while.

Cargo Control Tips for the 2018 RoadCheck

Mytee Products cannot do much to help you with hours of service and ELDs. We can help with cargo control. Here are a few tips we recommend for the last few weeks heading into the 2018 RoadCheck:

Check Your Equipment

Inspectors will be looking closely at the condition of your straps, chains, and ratchets during roadside checks. So make the time now to check all your equipment for wear and tear. If anything needs replacing, order it as soon as possible. We want you to have it in time.

Review Procedures

Familiarity can sometimes cause drivers to forget the standard procedures for properly securing cargo. Over the next few weeks, review your procedures to make sure they are fresh in your mind. You might even create a procedural checklist you can follow to get yourself back into the habit of employing best practices.

Think Overkill

Spend the next few weeks thinking overkill. In other words, do more than you know is necessary to correctly secure your cargo. An inspector will never penalize you for having too many straps, so spend a few extra minutes to add one more.

Check More Often 

You already check your loads at regular intervals throughout your journey. From now through the end of June, check more often. It only takes a few minutes to make sure your cargo is still secure. The payoff for doing so could be huge in the midst of the 2018 RoadCheck.

Again, if you need any cargo control supplies prior to RoadCheck 2018, order them as soon as you can from Mytee Products. We want to make sure you have everything you need before inspections begin in earnest.

How to Buy Loading Ramps

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You have landed on the Mytee Products website in your search for a good pair of trailer loading ramps. That’s great. We can get you hooked up not only with the ramps, but also all the other equipment and supplies you need to be a safe and successful flatbed trucker. Having said that, note that not all loading ramps are equal.

There are multiple manufacturers you can look to for quality ramps. There are also multiple designs to choose from. We recommend giving careful consideration to exactly what you need before you buy. Below are a few suggestions to help you get started.

The Loads You Typically Carry

Like everything else in flatbed trucking, you have to consider the kinds of loads you typically carry in relation to the loading ramps you need. Loads with heavier axle weights are going to require larger loading ramps with higher ratings. If you routinely haul the heaviest construction equipment, then you are going to need some pretty heavy-duty ramps.

The thing to keep in mind here is that loading ramps can be quite heavy. It is not unusual for a single heavy-duty ramp to be upwards of 100 pounds. If you don’t routinely carry loads requiring the monsters, you might be better off with lighter ramps that are easier to handle.

How You Intend to Store the Ramps

Flatbed truckers who use their loading ramps regularly – think construction equipment haulers here – are likely to keep them on board. The question is, where? How you intend to store your ramps may be a factor in the actual ramps you choose.

There are drivers who store their ramps on the upper deck. They may have to move them from time to time to accommodate other loads, but they find that upper deck storage makes for easier deployment. On the other hand, other drivers store them underneath using brackets mounted to the trailer.

The Kind of Trailer You Use

Different styles of trailers can indicate different uses for loading ramps. Are you hauling with a straight flatbed, or are you more likely to use a step-deck with your loading ramps? In a step deck scenario, you may need to use the ramps both to get the load onto the trailer and then to move it from one step to the next. You have to have loading ramps that work both ways.

Your Available Budget

We realize that price plays a role in the choices truck drivers make. We do not expect you to buy loading ramps you cannot afford. As such, your available budget is something else you have to think about. But think about it in both the short and long terms. For example, you might be looking at just a set of ramps right now. But will your needs change in the future?

It might be more cost-effective in the long run to purchase an entire loading ramp kit that includes ramps, mounting brackets, a ramp dolly, and everything else you need. The initial outlay will be more, but you will spend less by buying everything in a kit now rather than trying to piecemeal it down the road.

Mytee Products as a full selection of trailer loading ramps and supplies ready for purchase. We invite you to take a look at our complete inventory before you buy. We offer everything from loading ramps to truck tires and tarps and straps. Anything you might need as a flatbed truck driver is probably in our inventory. And if not, ask us about it. We will see what we can do.

Tips for Extending Tractor Tire Life

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There is a lot of information online about maintaining car and tractor-trailer tires. There is not a lot out there for agriculture tires. And yet, farmers do not want to spend any more on tractor and wagon tires than truckers want to spend to outfit their rigs. So knowing how to extend wagon and tractor tire life is important to farmers.

You can purchase tractor tires from Mytee Products for less than $200 apiece. Farmers can spend thousands of dollars per tire for the biggest, baddest tires built for monster agriculture machines. Either way you look at it, tires take a bite out of the farmer’s income. Why spend more than you have to when doing a few simple things can add years to the life of your tractor tires?

Become an Expert at Tire Pressure

Tire pressure is the most critical element in extending the life of wagon and tractor tires. Unlike tires for passenger vehicles and tractor trailers, agriculture tires should be inflated and deflated according to how they are being used. That’s why these tires have both low and high-end air pressure recommendations. Consider the following:

In the Field – It is generally recommended that you deflate tractor tires to the lowest recommended PSI when working in the field. This offers maximum traction and less tire compaction.

Working on Slopes – The stress put on tires increases considerably when a tractor is working on a slope. This kind of work generally requires inflating tires to the upper end of PSI recommendations. Some manufacturers even recommend exceeding maximum PSI by a few pounds for slope work.

Over The Road Transport – Transporting agricultural equipment over-the-road puts extra stress on tires that are not really designed to withstand this kind of punishment for prolonged periods. The general rule is to maximize air pressure for over-the-road travel.

It can be a hassle to continually adjust tire pressure on your tractor or wagon. But it is well worth the effort once you realize how proper inflation can extend the life of your tires.

Become an Expert at Tire Ballast

Adding tire ballast can be quite helpful for field work. Ballast adds extra down force that gives tires traction. But like inflation, ballast has to be properly managed. You want enough ballast in the field to prevent slippage, but then you want to remove that ballast once the work is done.

Always Match Your Tires

Extending the life of wagon and tractor tires is made a lot easier by correctly matching tires across a single vehicle. In other words, do not mix radial and biased tires. Do not use tires of different sizes just to avoid a purchase. Make sure all your tires match. And if you are using bias and radial tires in a dual situation, put the radials on the inside.

Storage in the Off-Season

The off-season is when a lot of unnecessary and unnoticed damage is done to tires. As you prepare your tractor for winter storage, jack it up and put it on blocks. Then remove the wheels and reduce tire pressure by 10 PSI or so. Store the tires standing upright on the tread. Do not lay them down flat.

Mytee Products has a selection of wagon and tractor tires for agricultural operations. We invite you to take a look to see if we have what you need. And whatever you do, get more bang for your tire-buying buck by following the recommendations we have included in this post. Extending the life of your wagon and tractor tires will make your Mytee purchase even more valuable.

5 Things To Remember When Loading Ramps

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We’ve all seen those epic fail videos online; videos showing people doing some pretty silly things. You don’t want to be included in that group when you are using trailer loading ramps. So learn how to use your ramps correctly. Otherwise, you could find yourself appearing in a viral video.

For the record, trailer loading ramps take advantage of a few key laws of physics that make it possible to get heavy loads up onto a trailer without having to use a lift boom. Those laws can be just as much your enemy as your friend. It pays to know how physics relates to the ramps you are using and the load they will carry.

Securing Ramps

The trailer ramps we sell are designed to be used with an aluminum skid seat and a locking rod. The reason here should be obvious: ramps need to be secured in place before any loading begins. Insecure ramps are almost guaranteed to fall away from the back of a trailer.

Before securing ramps, check to make sure the skid seat and locking rod are in good working condition. Any abnormalities that even look like they might compromise skid seat integrity should be dealt with before loading begins.

Loading at too Steep an Angle

The laws of physics dictate that less force is needed to move a load the lower the angle of ascent. As such, avoid the temptation of trying to load at too steep an angle. If the angle of load is too high for a particular job, either use longer ramps or find a higher surface you can use as an intermediate step in the loading process. If neither are possible, another method of loading will have to be considered.

Check Clearance

Clearance is a big issue when loading heavy equipment onto flatbed trailers. The clearance we are talking about is the clearance that exists between the bottom of the load and the top edge of the flatbed. A lack of sufficient clearance could mean a load gets stuck half-way on to the trailer, creating a potentially dangerous situation.

The way around clearance issues is to use ramps with arches built in. The arches lift the back of the load as it approaches the trailer, solving the problem of limited clearance.

Control Speed

Moving a load up a set of ramps too quickly is a dangerous proposition. Uncontrolled speed could cause a piece of heavy equipment to veer out of control once it reaches the flatbed. It could cause the equipment to jump, subsequently leading to damage on impact with the trailer.

There are just so many things that could go wrong here. So, whatever you do, make sure to control your speed when you’re using loading ramps to load heavy equipment. It is better to go too slow than too fast.

Always Ask for Loading Assistance

It is better to load ramps with assistance versus going solo. Flatbed drivers should always have the help of at least two other people who can keep an eye on the ramps from either side. If you can get two more to watch the trailer as well, that’s a bonus.

Trailer loading ramps are great tools for getting loads onto flatbeds. But they have to be used with caution and according to the laws of physics.

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