Traction What are the NEGATIVES to widening the rear wheels / rear end?

[fishpick]

Aside from "not fitting between X"... what other negatives would there be to moving rear wheel outward when the rims support "wider" positions?

 

[motownbrowne]

If you're trying to get through deep snow or something, the rear tires don't follow in the front tire tracks anymore. Same applies for fitting down the rows of a garden or something.

I suppose technically it puts more strain on the wheel bearings, but it's a non steer axle and is designed to take that much load, so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[oosik]

If moving the rims/tires to a wider position - as mine is - you could have a portion of the tire outside the rear fender - again, as mine is. If you travel thru muddy situations with great rapidity - as I do not - you could have the rear tires flinging mud.

I have NEVER had an problems created by my rear tires not following in the tracks of the front tires. Max snow depth here has been 26" but my M6040 weighs 10,100# in its "winter form" and drives on thru the 26" as if it were not there. This is what mine is like - about 50% to 60% of the rear tire width is OUTSIDE the rear fender. This is with the rims mounted to the max width which makes the tires 80" - outside to outside.

View attachment 544182

 

[art]

Depending on customer needs it is quite common for us to make them wide for side hill farmers!

 

[FTG-05]

One of the first things I did with my tractor was widen the rear tires to it's widest stance, since I live and work on hills here in TN.

The one downside I see is that I can no longer get as close to things as I bushhog or use my BB. In both cases,I followed the User's Manual for implements and bought 6' attachments, whereas in restrospect I should have bought 7' implements. When I bought my EA rear grader blade last summer, I bought the 8' version for exactly this reason.

 

[bkrgi]

None, other than the minor details already mentioned ....not like your going beyond the manufactures designed capabilities risking a axle break or bearing fail or?

 

[RSKY]

I hadn't really thought about it but why don't you widen the front too. When we farmed with the Ford 641 and later with the Ford 4600 we always widened the front and rear the same so they would fit between the crop rows. Wouldn't widening the front make the tractor that much more stable?

RSKY

 

[Wolfy]

Besides having a giant turning radius, most compact tractor owner manuals directly state to not dish out the front wheels. They can not tolerate the added stress. The large farming tractors of yesteryear were a different story.

 

[ericm979]

Widening the front won't help stability due to the pivot in the center of the front axle. I suppose that it'd help once the tractor leans far enough for the pivot to hit it's limit but that's too far for me.

 

[motownbrowne]

I hadn't really thought about it but why don't you widen the front too. When we farmed with the Ford 641 and later with the Ford 4600 we always widened the front and rear the same so they would fit between the crop rows. Wouldn't widening the front make the tractor that much more stable?

RSKY

Mainly the reason not to do it is because of the front end loader, and the amount of stress it puts on the axle. Move the wheels out and the stress on the bearings increases. Beyond that, no it wouldn't really make the tractor any more stable. Since the front axle pivots, the additional width only comes into play once you hit the stop at the end of the travel. If you hit that stop with any momentum, I don't think how far out your wheel is is gonna make much difference.