The company’s innovative product development has sprung, in one form or another, from Lundell Farms; Brad and Brian Lundell are Vance’s nephews, and both have substantial hog operations, and this latest modern tool comes from their combined 32 years’ experience in caring for pigs.

The “EZ Roll Gate Wheel” debuted at shows this winter. The wheel is made of a durable, long-lasting poly material which resists wear. Lundell Plastics notes that the rust-free wheel is easily installed on hog gates.

“About 10 years ago, Brad and I started talking about what we could do to make gate-operation easier. A wheel on the bottom of a swing gate is not a new idea,” said Brian Lundell. “However, making a wheel that you can adapt to existing gating is a big idea and a big deal for active hog farmers. It wasn’t until I built my last two barns that I ordered my gate with a steel wheel option. The negative of that decision was that the option was quite expensive, and the manufacturer had to install it when the gate was made. It wasn’t something that they could put on later.”

After that experience, Brian and his brother Brad put their heads together and, after much discussion and testing, came up with the EZ Roll Gate Wheel.

-Submitted photo
EZ ROLL Gate Wheel is the brainchild of Brad and Brian Lundell and Lundell Plastics of Odebolt. The “EZ Roll Gate Wheel” debuted at shows this winter. The wheel is made of a durable, long-lasting poly material that resists wear. Lundell Plastics notes that the rust-free wheel is easily installed on hog gates.

“We worked together with Vance and his engineer to create a wheel with specifications that worked with many different brands of gating,” said Lundell. “There are big players that make a lot of gates, and there are smaller regional guys that make gates — both create good products. We looked hard at meeting the needs of as many different brands of gating as possible.”

The idea of having a gate wheel that can be added to the existing gate is something that sets this product apart.

“We made a number of prototypes and tested them over the course of a year,” said Brian Lundell.

He said that gates are getting larger and heavier to meet the needs of larger animals and sizable producers.

“The EZ Roll Gate Wheel makes operating the gate so much more effortless,” Brian Lundell said.

-Submitted photo
EZ ROLL Gate Wheel is the brainchild of Brad and Brian Lundell and Lundell Plastics of Odebolt. The “EZ Roll Gate Wheel” debuted at shows this winter. The wheel is made of a durable, long-lasting poly material that resists wear. Lundell Plastics notes that the rust-free wheel is easily installed on hog gates.

“Farmers, without our product, have to lift and carry a gate to make it swing; our wheel not only greatly reduces the resistance of the gate, but it removes repetitive lifting from the equation too.”

As the manufacturer, Lundell Plastics is working with dealers to sell the EZ Roll Gate Wheel with the gates that the dealer sells.

“We’re also looking to partner with gate manufacturers to have their wheel sold on their gates,” said Brian Lundell, who has been happy with how the product has been received at shows. “We have always liked being close to our product users — the farmer — so we will, like our other products, offer to sell these online.

“Farmers all say the same thing: Why didn’t someone think of this before? We’re not a stranger to the livestock product line,” said Brian Lundell. “Lundell Plastics had one of the original poly sorting panels on the market. We continue to sell winter kits for livestock trailers. We take enormous pride in what we do for farmers like us.”

Lundell Plastics is perhaps best known for pioneering the auger market, replacing traditional steel flighting with hi-tech plastic flighting that is durable and handles seed more gently. Today, they manufacture and internationally ship innovative poly products — like the EZ Roll Gate Wheel — from their Odebolt facility.