I took my 3 lug front 8" Mits MT372 wheels to Co-op yesterday and when they were breaking the bead down the wheel cracked/broke in several spots around the lug holes and is trash now. It was very rusty where someone had liquid in side it with no tube apparently. My other wheel is semi-ok with severe rust and a couple of hairline cracks.
I need to swap these with another wheel/lug pattern of some kind. Does anyone know of another Mitsu tractor that you can remove the front kingpin and replace mine with another model hub and get the 4 lug wheels? Even if I had to take them to a machine shop and have the spindles turned to a different size to fit the replacement hub. I am just about at wits end with this front wheel issue.
Check on EBay for an outfit called 'small engine warehouse'.
They have lots of small garden tractor wheels (with mounted tires) generally listed.
For sure they will have 8" rims at very affordable prices.
If your Mits is 2x4 then the size is less critical.
If 4 x 4 then you need to have same outer diameter (tire) as origional otherwise you will damage the gearing.
In my case I matched diameter OK and even lug pattern for about $50. / pair of mounted tires and rims!(+shipping)
I was quoted $300-400. for 1 mitsu rim!
PS have been running over 200hrs with no problems, but I did re-enforce the rim just to be on safe side as they seemed a bit on thin.
Was easy. Welded a 'backing plate' and using the hole pattern simply drilled thru the backer making the rims 2X origional thickness.
What I obtained was rear riding mower rim/tires that fit my Mitsu front to perfection.
In my case previous owner had ballasted the tires with calcium that just plain ate away all the steel!
As a 'worst' situation you could weld (or have done) over a 4 or 5 lug rim and re-drill your 3 holes in proper locations.
Even if the holes were not perfect to the inch fraction it is not all that critical as your top speed is 10 mph and for sure you wont have vibration.
JD2555 and a few Allis Chalmers and now one Kubota
Is there a reason you can't just build a spacer to adapt from one lug pattern to the one you have? Seems like a lot easier than trying to modify the tractor. I one inch thick plate with the right bolt patterns for each would probably work fine.
David from jax
I thought about building a spacer to change from the 3 lug to a 4 lug and use regular wheels. If I had a pattern to go on for a 4 lug I could have it cut in steel and weld in wheel studs for 4 lugs. I am kind of up in the air on this one as I cannot believe a 3 lug was used!
I wish I could explain things better as not to confuse anyone.
Is there a STANDARD 4 lug pattern used on MOST compact tractors?
I know most everything is mm measurements. Would it be 4 x 100mm pattern?
JD2555 and a few Allis Chalmers and now one Kubota
I would be more interested in finding tires of the correct height and with an offset that you can live with, then with it having a 4 bolt pattern. Even a six or eight bolt pattern would work if your going to make adapters for it.
Another avenue would be to have rims made for it. There are several places that make rims and put the bolt pattern you want along with the correct offset to make the rim work for you. The rim itself is a standard and sometimes all they have to do is weld a center into it with the proper bolt pattern. A company I got some equipment from had wheels made and then had them hot dipped galvanized to protect them from the constant moisture that they were in. (mounted on pivot sprinklers)
David from jax
Actually, the only other 3 bolt pattern that I can come up with off the top of my head is a Renault LeCar from the early eighties, but it probably won't fit anyway. What you need to do is to get a set of golf cart front spindles, and wheels, they use a 4 bolt 8"rim, and you can get other sized rims to fit most golf carts. Once you have your spindles, then you could see what you would need to do to adapt them. All this is moot, now, as you have ordered your rims. Did you get the pics I sent you yet?
Hopefully you won't have to put tubes in them but if you do it won't be no big deal, I only have one tubeless tire on mine and it is one of the ft. ones with a tube on the shelf waiting just in case.
I assume they will come with gaskets. I will see when they arrive. That is all I need to take to the sandblasting shop before I start paint.
I will do before / after pics when I get this tractor done.
I just got the radiator back today and it was clogged really bad, they had to disassemble it to clean it out and re-solder it back together/ paint it. $60 for that.
