New Tyres for Sheep Farmer
New Tyres for Sheep Farmer
Table of Contents
New Tyres for Sheep Farmer
Local Sheep Farmer Calls at Pellon Tyres for New Ifor Williams Trailer Tyres
A Different Sort of Job at Pellon Tyres in Halifax
Yesterday, we had a slightly different sort of job arrive here at Pellon Tyres in Halifax. Of course, we are used to seeing cars, vans, 4x4s and motorhomes coming through our doors every day, but this time it was a four-wheel Ifor Williams livestock trailer belonging to local hill farmer Boe Schofield.
Boe farms sheep up at Wainstalls, an area of high moorland just a few miles from our tyre depot here in Halifax. Anyone who knows this part of West Yorkshire will understand that Wainstalls is proper farming country. The roads climb steeply out of Halifax, the weather can change quickly, and the landscape opens out into some wonderful Yorkshire moorland.
It is beautiful countryside, but it can also be tough country in which to earn a living.
Boe had called in to have the tyres checked on his Ifor Williams trailer. Like most working farmers, he relies heavily on his equipment, and a trailer is not something that just sits around looking pretty. It has a real job to do, carrying livestock and helping to move sheep around the farm and to livestock markets, including the famous Skipton Auction Mart.
After checking all four tyres, we found that three of them needed replacing.
The tyre size was 175 R13 8-ply, a strong commercial-type tyre suitable for van and trailer applications. After a bit of Yorkshire bargaining — and believe me, Boe drives a hard bargain! — we eventually agreed on a price for three budget Maxrex tyres.
I must admit, this made me smile.
Farmers have always had a reputation for looking after the pennies, and quite rightly so. Sheep farming is a tough business, and every cost matters. Feed, fuel, machinery, veterinary bills, fencing and transport all take their share. So, when it comes to buying tyres, farmers know what they want and what they are prepared to pay.
Eventually, the deal was done, the three new tyres were fitted, and Boe was soon setting off back towards his farm at Wainstalls.
Just another day’s work at Pellon Tyres, perhaps, but this particular job got me thinking about the deep connection between sheep farming, wool, Halifax and the Yorkshire towns that grew and prospered because of this ancient industry.
New Tyres for Sheep Farmers Are an Important Part of Farm Safety
For sheep farmers like Boe, a reliable livestock trailer is an essential piece of equipment. Whether moving sheep between fields, collecting livestock or making the journey to Skipton Auction Mart, the trailer needs to be safe and ready for work.
This is where new tyres for sheep farmers become particularly important. Farm and livestock trailers often have a hard life, travelling along rough tracks, narrow country lanes and uneven moorland roads. They may also stand unused for periods of time before suddenly being called upon to carry a heavy load of livestock.
Unlike normal car tyres, trailer tyres can sometimes deteriorate through age before the tread has completely worn away. Cracking in the sidewalls, damage from potholes and prolonged exposure to the weather can all weaken a tyre over time.
For this reason, new tyres for sheep farmers are not simply about replacing worn rubber. They are an important part of keeping trailers roadworthy and ensuring livestock can be transported safely.
Before setting off for market, farmers should always check the condition of their trailer tyres, including the tread, sidewalls and tyre pressures. A tyre failure on a remote Yorkshire road is inconvenient at the best of times, but with a trailer full of sheep, it can become a much more serious problem.
The right new tyres for sheep farmers must also have the correct load-carrying capacity for the trailer. In Boe’s case, we fitted 175 R13 8-ply Maxrex tyres, which were suitable for the demands of his four-wheel Ifor Williams livestock trailer.
Good trailer tyres help provide stability when carrying livestock and give the farmer confidence when travelling over the challenging roads found around Wainstalls, Halifax and the wider Calderdale area.
Of course, farmers are always conscious of costs. As Boe proved during our friendly Yorkshire negotiations, every penny counts! However, fitting suitable new tyres for sheep farmers can help prevent breakdowns, avoid unnecessary disruption and keep an important piece of farming equipment safely on the road.
Here at Pellon Tyres in Halifax, we understand that a farmer’s trailer is much more than something simply towed behind a vehicle. It is an essential working tool, relied upon for transporting livestock and keeping the farm running smoothly.
That’s why checking and fitting new tyres for sheep farmers is another way we can help support our local farming community across Halifax, Calderdale and the surrounding Yorkshire hills.
Sheep Farming Around Halifax and the Yorkshire Pennines: New Tyres for Sheep Farmer
Sheep have been part of the landscape around Halifax for hundreds of years. In fact, you could probably say that without sheep and wool, Halifax might never have developed into the town that we know today.
The surrounding Pennine hills and moorlands are ideal sheep country. The land can be too steep, exposed or poor for growing crops, but hardy sheep can survive and thrive on these upland pastures.
Around places such as Wainstalls, Mount Tabor, Queensbury, Oxenhope, Hebden Bridge, Sowerby Bridge and the wider Calderdale area, sheep farming remains part of the landscape and our local identity.
Drive around these areas and you will still see sheep grazing on the hillsides, often in weather that would have most of us heading straight back indoors!
Hill farming is not an easy way of life. Farmers work in rain, wind, snow and freezing temperatures. Lambing season can mean working through the night, checking animals and helping ewes that are struggling to give birth.
Then there are fences to repair, sheep to move, fields to maintain, animals to treat and livestock to transport.
This is where a good, reliable livestock trailer becomes absolutely essential.
For farmers such as Boe, an Ifor Williams trailer is not a luxury. It is a working tool and an important part of running the farm.
Why Trailer Tyres Are So Important
Trailer tyres are sometimes forgotten because they may not cover the same mileage as the tyres fitted to a car or van. However, that does not mean they are any less important.
In fact, trailer tyres often have a particularly hard life.
A livestock trailer may stand for days or weeks before suddenly being loaded with animals and driven over country lanes, rough farm tracks and faster main roads. The tyres must cope with heavy loads, mud, stones, potholes and changing weather conditions.
Age can also be a major problem.
A tyre may still have plenty of tread but can deteriorate simply through standing for long periods. Rubber naturally ages, and exposure to sunlight and weather can cause cracking in the sidewalls.
This is something we always look out for when checking trailer tyres at Pellon Tyres.
In Boe’s case, three tyres needed replacing, and because this was a four-wheel trailer used for transporting livestock, it was important to fit tyres with the correct load-carrying ability.
The 175 R13 8-ply tyres fitted to the trailer are designed to cope with heavier loads than a normal passenger-car tyre. The term 8-ply comes from the older way of describing tyre strength. Modern tyres may not physically contain eight separate layers, but the ply rating still indicates the tyre’s strength and load capability.
This is particularly important on livestock trailers because the combined weight of the trailer and several sheep can soon add up.
Nobody wants a tyre failure on a remote moorland road or, worse still, on the way to market with a trailer full of animals.
The Ifor Williams Trailer: A British Farming Favourite – New Tyres for Sheep Farmer
When it comes to trailers in the British farming industry, few names are better known than Ifor Williams.
Founded in Wales in 1958, Ifor Williams Trailers has grown into one of Britain’s best-known trailer manufacturers. Its trailers can be seen everywhere, from farms and livestock markets to building sites, landscaping businesses and equestrian centres.
For many British farmers, the words Ifor Williams have almost become another way of saying ‘trailer’.
They are particularly popular because of their strong construction, practical design and ability to cope with the tough conditions found on British farms.
Our weather certainly gives equipment a hard time. Rain, mud, road salt and rough ground all take their toll. Farming trailers have to be built to withstand years of hard use.
The classic galvanised finish of an Ifor Williams trailer is instantly recognisable. Over the years, the company has developed a huge range of trailers, including livestock trailers, horseboxes, flatbeds, tippers, box vans and general-purpose models.
However, it is probably the livestock trailer that most people associate with British farming.
You only need to visit a busy livestock market to see how important these trailers have become.
On market day, the roads around places such as Skipton can be full of 4x4s and pickups towing livestock trailers carrying sheep and cattle from farms across Yorkshire and Lancashire.
The Journey from Wainstalls to Skipton Auction Mart
For a farmer based at Wainstalls, taking livestock to Skipton Auction Mart is part of a long Yorkshire farming tradition.
Skipton has been an important market town for centuries, and its livestock auction remains one of the best-known agricultural markets in the country.
Farmers travel from across Yorkshire and beyond to buy and sell livestock. For sheep farmers, the market is not just a place of business. It is also a meeting place where people catch up, discuss prices, exchange news and, no doubt, have a good moan about the weather!
And let’s face it, here in Yorkshire, the weather always gives us something to talk about.
Transporting sheep safely to market is an important responsibility. The trailer must be in good working condition, and that includes the tyres, brakes, lights, floor and general structure.
A breakdown on the way to market can cause serious problems, particularly when livestock are involved.
This is why checking trailer tyres before a busy farming season or an important journey is always a sensible idea.
Boe did the right thing by bringing his Ifor Williams trailer to us for a tyre inspection. Finding three tyres that needed replacement at our depot is far better than discovering the problem at the side of the road with a trailer full of sheep.
Sheep and Wool Built Halifax: New Tyres for Sheep Farmer
The sight of a sheep trailer in our tyre depot also reminded me of just how much Halifax owes to sheep farming and the wool trade.
Long before Halifax became an industrial town, local families produced woollen cloth in their own homes and small workshops.
The surrounding hills provided grazing for sheep, while the streams and rivers of the Calder Valley supplied water that would later power mills and support the growing textile industry.
Wool was woven into the very fabric of Halifax life.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution transformed the area. Small-scale cottage weaving gradually gave way to larger mills, and Halifax became one of Britain’s most important centres for woollen and textile production.
The wealth created by wool shaped the town.
It created jobs, built mills and warehouses and helped finance some of the magnificent buildings that still stand in Halifax today.
Perhaps the greatest surviving symbol of this history is the Piece Hall.
Originally opened in 1779, The Piece Hall was built as a place where handloom weavers could sell pieces of wool cloth. Today, of course, it has been wonderfully restored and has become one of Yorkshire’s best-known visitor attractions and music venues.
But its origins take us straight back to sheep, wool and the hard-working people of the surrounding Calderdale hills.
Every time we walk through The Piece Hall, we are walking through a piece of Halifax’s woollen history.
From Sheep on the Hills to Mills in the Valley
The geography of Calderdale played a huge part in the development of the woollen industry.
Sheep grazed on the higher land, while mills grew up in the valleys where water power was available.
Places such as Halifax, Sowerby Bridge and Hebden Bridge developed rapidly as textile production expanded.
The steep Pennine valleys were ideal for water-powered mills. Later, steam power allowed factories to become even larger and more productive.
Thousands of local people worked in the textile industry. Entire families depended upon the mills for their livelihoods.
Of course, working conditions were often incredibly hard by modern standards. Long hours, dangerous machinery and poor working environments were common.
Yet there is no doubt that wool and textiles helped build modern Halifax.
Even the grand homes, public buildings, banks, chapels and commercial premises that appeared throughout the area were often financed directly or indirectly by money made from textiles.
This is why I find it fascinating that, hundreds of years later, sheep still graze on the hills around Wainstalls while the town of Halifax below carries the architectural evidence of the industry they helped create.
The Famous Halifax Gibbet and the Cloth Trade
The woollen trade was so important to Halifax that the town even developed its own severe laws to protect valuable cloth.
The famous Halifax Gibbet is one of the town’s most unusual historical landmarks. It was an early form of guillotine used to execute criminals, particularly those convicted under local laws.
The Halifax Gibbet became associated with the protection of the valuable cloth trade. In a town where woollen cloth represented wealth and livelihoods, theft was treated extremely seriously.
The old saying:
“From Hell, Hull and Halifax, good Lord deliver us.”
became famous across England.
Today, thankfully, buying and selling woollen goods is a much more peaceful affair! But the story demonstrates just how important the textile trade was to the people and economy of Halifax.
Wainstalls: Proper Yorkshire Hill Country: New Tyres for Sheep Farmer
Wainstalls itself is a fascinating part of the Halifax area.
Sitting high above the Calder Valley, it is surrounded by open countryside, farms, stone walls, and moorland.
It is the sort of place where you can experience four seasons in one day.
One minute the sun is shining across the hills; the next, mist can roll in and completely change the landscape.
Winter brings its own challenges. Snow and ice can make the higher roads difficult, and anyone who lives or works around the Halifax hills understands the importance of having the right vehicle and tyres.
At Pellon Tyres, we have always had a strong connection with people living in these outlying communities.
Over the years, we have looked after vehicles belonging to farmers, builders, tradespeople and families from all across the Calderdale area.
A customer from Wainstalls may need tyres that can cope with completely different conditions from somebody who spends most of their time driving around a city centre.
That’s the beauty of running an independent garage. You get to know the area, the roads and, most importantly, the people.
Farmers, Money and the Art of a Good Bargain
I mentioned earlier that Boe drove a hard bargain over his three new Maxrex tyres.
This came as no great surprise to me!
After more than 60 years in the tyre trade, I have dealt with just about every type of customer imaginable, and farmers certainly know how to negotiate.
But I completely understand why.
Modern farming operates on tight margins. Farmers face rising machinery costs, fuel bills, feed prices, veterinary expenses and countless other costs that many of us never think about.
Sheep farming, particularly on upland farms, can be extremely challenging financially.
So, yes, Boe wanted a good deal on his tyres.
After a bit of friendly Yorkshire negotiation, we eventually agreed on the price of three Maxyrex budget tyres that were suitable for his trailer.
That’s how business should be done.
We supplied him with the tyres he needed at a price we could both live with. The trailer was made safe and ready for work, and Boe could return to his farm knowing that three fresh tyres were fitted.
No fuss. No unnecessary extras. Just a proper job at a fair price.
That’s always been our philosophy at Pellon Tyres.
The Importance of Supporting British Farmers: New Tyres for Sheep Farmer
I have enormous respect for British farmers.
We often take our food for granted. We walk into a supermarket and expect the shelves to be full.
But behind that food are farmers working every day of the year.
Animals still need feeding on Christmas Day. Sheep still need checking during storms. Lambing does not stop because it’s a Sunday or a bank holiday.
Hill farmers face some of the toughest conditions of all.
The beautiful moorlands around Halifax, Calderdale and the wider Pennines have been shaped by generations of farming families.
Without active farming, these landscapes would change dramatically.
Sheep farming also helps maintain the character of our upland countryside. Stone walls, open fields and grazing land all form part of the Yorkshire landscape that we know and love.
Of course, farming is changing. Environmental pressures, changing food habits and financial challenges mean that farmers constantly have to adapt.
But I hope there will always be room for family farms and working hill farmers in places such as Wainstalls.
They are part of our local heritage and, I believe, part of our future too.
The Wool Industry: Could It Have a New Future?
Wool built much of Halifax, yet in recent decades its value has fallen dramatically.
There have even been times when farmers have found that the cost of shearing a sheep is greater than the value of the fleece.
When you think about the enormous wealth once created by Yorkshire wool, that seems almost unbelievable.
However, there are signs that natural materials could become more important again.
Wool is renewable, biodegradable and naturally insulating. It can be used not only for clothing and carpets but also for building insulation, bedding, packaging and other products.
At a time when we are all being encouraged to reduce our dependence on plastics and synthetic materials, perhaps natural wool deserves another chance.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the material that helped build Halifax could find a new role in a more sustainable future?
The sheep are still here. The knowledge is still here. And the history is certainly all around us.
A Simple Tyre Job That Tells a Bigger Story: New Tyres for Sheep Farmer
So, what started as a simple tyre check on an Ifor Williams trailer turned into something much more interesting.
Three worn tyres were removed and replaced with new 175 R13 8-ply Maxtrex tyres.
Boe Schofield had done his Yorkshire bargaining.
We had done our job.
And the trailer headed back up the hill towards Wainstalls, ready to continue its working life on the farm and on future journeys to livestock markets such as Skipton.
Yet that simple trailer also represents something much bigger.
It connects modern-day farming with generations of Yorkshire history.
The sheep carried in trailers like Boe’s are descendants of the animals whose wool once helped create enormous wealth across Halifax and Calderdale.
The farmers working the hills today continue traditions that go back centuries.
And companies such as Ifor Williams continue providing British farmers with the tough, practical equipment they need to do their jobs.
Here at Pellon Tyres, we might be better known for fitting car tyres, carrying out MOT tests and repairing cars and vans, but jobs like this remind me why I still enjoy the motor trade after all these years.
You never know what is going to come through the gates next.
One day, it might be a small family car needing an MOT. The next, a BMW, requires performance tyres. Then along comes a four-wheel Ifor Williams sheep trailer from the moors above Halifax.
That’s the great thing about being an independent garage.
We are part of the local community.
We know our customers, we know our Yorkshire roads, and we understand that every vehicle — whether it’s a car, van or sheep trailer — has an important job to do.
And as for Boe?
Well, he got his three new trailer tyres at a price that kept a Yorkshire farmer happy.
Believe me, after more than 60 years in the tyre trade, I reckon that’s an achievement in itself!
Pellon Tyres – Proud to Serve Halifax and Calderdale
Pellon Tyres has been serving motorists, businesses and local communities in Halifax and the surrounding Calderdale area for decades.
From tyres and MOT tests to brakes, batteries, exhausts and general mechanical repairs, we believe in giving customers straightforward advice and only carrying out work that genuinely needs doing.
And yes, we also look after the occasional sheep trailer!
So, whether you drive a family car through Halifax, a van around Calderdale, a 4×4 across the Yorkshire hills or an Ifor Williams trailer full of sheep heading towards Skipton Auction Mart, good tyres remain essential.
Because whatever you drive — or tow — the only thing connecting you to the road is your tyres.
