1947 Royal N. Riblet Square Wheel – A Tractor That Never Never Made It

Interestingly, the square wheel was invented after the circular one. Don’t fix something that ain’t broke! However, there is much more intelligence behind the design after first glance. It is one of the pride and joys of the inventor Royal Riblet.

The square wheel is a track-laying wheel made of 16 segments, and three of those segments are always on the ground. It decreases soil erosion while allowing for more traction. It was going to be tested as transportation during WWII, but it ended before Ribley’s design could be tested.