Kubota L235DT Wheel/Tire Question

   / Kubota L235DT Wheel/Tire Question #1  

CHenry

New member
Joined
Feb 5, 2005
Messages
2
Location
PA/MD
Tractor
Kubota L235DT
I am a new member and have a Kubota L235DT currently with AG tires. The tractor is fairly narrow and can at times feel a little unstable. I have seen in pictures that many people swap the front tire/wheel from side to side, which essentially puts the opposite side of the wheel against the hub and widens the stance of the tractor considerably (rear tires can also be swapped). My question is, is it OK to swap the front wheel/tire assembly like this or could it harm the tractor axle, front drive units, etc? Any help or input would be appreciated. CTH
 
   / Kubota L235DT Wheel/Tire Question #2  
Set them as wide as you can… you will gain the most stability with the rear width increase…You will not adversely affect anything. KennyV.
PS welcome to TBN.
 
   / Kubota L235DT Wheel/Tire Question #3  
I agree with KennyV - setting them wide will work fine. Steering on a paved surface in 4wd will be a little goofier than normal - but it works. If your front wheels don't have an alternate set of holes beveled for the lugs on the other side, you'lll want to check lug tightness more often.

The center discs in your rear wheels may be the reversible type too - if you look close you'll see they can be assembled several ways - this used to be a common feature so tractors could be adjusted to clear particuler row crop spacing.

You are right that the "stock" setup is pretty narrow. When I got my L345 years ago I set the rears wider and moved the fenders out too so there was more operator room. Much better stability on my hilly place. Filled the tires too (just the rears).

Take care, Dick B
 
   / Kubota L235DT Wheel/Tire Question
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Thank you both for your good information. Any body else out there with a different opinion or who has reversed their front tires as I am thinking of doing to get them spread further apart? Thanks. Clay
 
   / Kubota L235DT Wheel/Tire Question #5  
Couple more points. There will be a bit of "torque steer" with the fronts reversed. Not noticeable with good traction but if only one tire has traction it will pull on the steering linkage because the line of tractive force is now a few inches further away from the centerline of the kingpin. I seem to remember that one of the tractor manufacturers cautions against reversing the front wheels - not sure if it was for torque steer or because of the increased bending moment on the front axle due to it's increased length. I've never heard of anyone actually damaging their tractor though.

With the front axle pivoted in the middle there isn't much stability gained in reversing the front wheels anyway. The rear axle pretty much governs the whole stability show.
 
 
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