The original TireGrabber was the innovative brainstorm of Canadian farmer, Darcy Goossen. Over the years, Darcy noticed that as farm equipment was getting bigger, so were the tires. He was concerned that changing, storing and managing these oversized tires had become a serious safety hazard for his workers.
As the old saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” That is exactly what drove Darcy to invent The TireGrabber. A patent was applied for and granted in 2016. Five years and several prototypes later, he produced an ingenious device that was ready for market.
The TireGrabber is a 3-armed large tire handler that can be attached to any piece of equipment with a hydraulic source. It works like a claw to securely grip, lift, manipulate and mount large-scale tires up to 12,000 lbs (5,450 kg) and 120” (304 cm) in diameter with amazing precision. A single operator can change an oversized tire in about 5 minutes.
Since then, The TireGrabber has won awards and today there are several models available that will help make handling large scale tires faster, safer and much more efficient. The TireGrabber product line also includes the TG Equipment Jack, a remote-controlled, high-clearance jack that can lift machines weighing up to 30,000 lbs (13,600 kg).
The TireGrabber line is used and trusted by farmers, machinery dealers, tire shops and more in North and South America, Europe and Australia.
Interview with Gerard Zentner, CEO of TireGrabber.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Gerard Zentner: We manufacture, distribute and market the entire TireGrabber product line, which includes five models of The TireGrabber (TG3000, TG4000, TG4000R, TG4000XL and soon-to-be-released TG12000), the TG Equipment Jack plus custom quick attach plates for easy, flexible mounting on any sprayer, skid-steer loader, tractor, front-end loader, or crane.
Leveraging the agricultural roots and knowledge that shaped the first TireGrabber, we are continually growing our product line, and expanding our market to include other industries such as construction and mining.
E.E: What’s the news about new products/services?
G.Z: The TireGrabber recently designed, engineered and launched a new model – the TG3000 – developed for the safe handling of lighter equipment tires up to 3,000 lbs (1,360 kg). At the other end of the spectrum is the TG12000, which will be launched in September 2024. The robust TG12000 is designed to safely, securely hold tires weighing up to 12,000 Ibs (5,450 kg).
Also on deck are two new models of the TG Equipment Jack for heavy equipment applications.
In addition, we are currently in the prototype stage of a brand-new product called “The TrackGrabber,” which is an innovative device specifically engineered to remove and install rubber tracks on heavy-duty equipment.
E.E: What are the ranges of products/services?
G.Z: Currently, the two main product areas are tire handlers and jacking equipment.
The TireGrabber tire handler/manipulator easily handles tires from 34” (87 cm) to 120” (304 cm) in diameter, weighing from 3,000 lbs (1,360 kg) all the way up to 12,000 lbs (5,450 kg) with an impressive safety factor of 1.5:1. The three-armed grabber works like a wrist providing secure grip and a 45-degree rotation, which allows for easy alignment, balances the tire perfectly and makes tire changing effortless. The TireGrabber can be used on essentially any tire/wheel combination that applies to most agricultural, construction and mining tires.
The TG Equipment Jack was originally designed to lift high-clearance agricultural sprayers. It is a self-contained, remotely operated jack that can lift 30,000 lbs (13,600 kg)! Since its introduction into the market in 2021, the TG Equipment Jack has enjoyed tremendous success with customers for its amazing versatility to hoist and firmly hold up any large piece of agricultural, mining or construction equipment that requires tire changes or maintenance.
E.E: What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
G.Z: The TireGrabber’s market is currently North America, South America, Europe and Australia.
We find the global marketplace to be somewhat volatile, however across all industries there is optimism for a fair year. The ongoing interest rate dialogue from the central banks as to whether to raise or lower with some lowering and others holding the line indicates uncertainty. It also indicates that inflation is much better than it was, however, other key indicators are still soft including job numbers and manufacturing orders. For all intents and purposes, it looks like we are in for a soft landing coming down from the high interest rates. Our belief is that once interest rates stabilize at a lower rate, the economy will have a nice rebound.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
Since the pandemic, business operators in all industries are focused on the mental health and safety of their workers. They recognize that they bear the responsibility of providing a work environment that is psychologically healthy and that helps to ensure their people go home safe each day. We believe that the market is actively seeking products and services that will help them meet their goals for employee health and safety.
E.E: What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
G.Z: We know that The TireGrabber products that we have developed, designed, engineered, patented and produced are extremely innovative. No other products on the market come close to The TireGrabber’s engineering excellence, superior quality, safety rating (1.5 to 1), extensive range and versatility.
Frequently our customers tell us that The TireGrabber system is an incredible safe and efficient device for doing the very dangerous job of tire changes. The concept of having one hydraulic cylinder move all three arms to capture the tire works incredibly well. The TireGrabber’s central hub is rated for 36,000 lbs, providing extra muscle to allow the operator to easily pick up, maneuver and stack the tires horizontally for storage. This patented design creates a smart, easy and safe way to handle large, heavy-duty tires.
The TG Equipment Jack has been developed with a safety-first philosophy. The TG Equipment Jack can be placed under the machine and from 10 feet away (3 metres), the operator remotely controls a 12-volt electrically driven hydraulic system to raise the jack, easily lifting machines weighing as much as 30,000 lbs (13,600 kg)! Once lifted, the equipment is extremely stable allowing maintenance to continue safely.
Together, The TireGrabber and TG Equipment Jack allow for tire changeovers to be completed in a safe and efficient manner. With one operator able to change a large-scale tire in about five minutes, the return on investment is realized quickly as the time and labour savings are significant. In addition, the flexible mounting system means it can be used with virtually any existing piece of equipment with a hydraulic source. And, with less than 1% warranty, it’s built to last a lifetime!
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2024?
G.Z: Based on the orders we’ve been receiving, we see a very strong year for The TireGrabber, mostly due to market share growth. In our opinion, The TireGrabber is a device that meets a very real safety need on agricultural, mining and construction work sites. There’s definitely a gap and TireGrabber is ready to fill it.