sdkubota
Platinum Member
I have a Kubota L3400F and the rear wheels are capable of 4 different spacings depnding on how the inner wheel is mounted to the rim. I adjusted them to their widest setting, ~64", and it made a world of difference.
question about wheel spacers to increase width of tractor
- Thread starter rbtjr
- Start date
sdkubota
Platinum Member
I would not widen the front wheels as you can experience problems with steering etc. from what I have read in previous posts. A 6" width difference in the rear makes a very large difference.
TripleR
Super Star Member
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Same here, front axle is on a pivot, so you really aren't gaining anything and are adding unneeded stress to the axles/hubs. We out the back tires as wide as they will go.
DarkBlack
Veteran Member
It's true. Ideal stearing pivot point is at the centerline of the rim. The further out from this point you move your rims, the more jacking effect you will get from your caster as you turn the wheel. Good for self centering the wheel going straight. Bad in just about every other regard.
vtsnowedin
Elite Member
I have a JD 5045E that I has 4.1 inch spacers on each rear hub and the eight position rims set to position eight which brings it to over eight feet out to out on the rear tires. The rears are also loaded with rim guard and even without any weight on the 3PH it is very stable. It is just a matter of math with the weight of the tire being multiplied by it's distance from the point of rotation. I did set the front tires at one position less then the maximum as that was not recommended for loader work. So I have gone with the max that the company recommends but no further.
Thanks for the feedback. I had heard of problems being caused by widening the front wheels. I asked our local dealer if he had heard of any such problems and he said no, that he did not see a reason not to widen them. But that doesn't mean he is right about it, and it stands to reason that the front wheels are very different from the rear wheels. I think the best step would be to widen the rear wheels, leave the front wheels as they are, and see how that works. vtsnowdin, our last tractor was a Kubota M5400 on which we had both front and rear wheels set out as far as they would go, but no spacers. The rear wheels measured 79" outside to outside. We had liquid in the rear tires and a FEL. It was very stable. Our new L3800 (bought because the M5400 was too big for family members other than me) feels somewhat unstable. The rear wheels, with R4 tires, are 60" outside to outside. I'm thinking that a 3" spacer on each side would make a significant difference on this little tractor. Anyone have any opinion in favor or more or less additional width? Thanks.
DarkBlack
Veteran Member
The front axle assembly is normally mounted to the frame by a free moving pivot point. Any wideing aided tip protection from, say, rolling from running crosswise on a slope, will have zero to little added benifit from widening the front wheels. That would be the case until you hit the pivot limit of the front axle, but if you lifted the machine to that point, you will probably be rolling over anyways.
sdkubota
Platinum Member
There are tradeoffs with everything. Widening the rears 6" will make a considerable difference in stability and will put more strain on the rear axle but probably within design parameters. The other issue to take into consideration is if you have an FEL attached...you don't want the rears much wider than the loader and ideally should be the same. My Kubota L3400 has its rear wheels set at their widest possible factory setting and I am 4" wider in the rear then the loader width. It is much more stable as I nearly tipped the tractor day two of ownership. Bottom line is small tractors are tippy with a narrow width and center of gravity fairly high. The more you operate it the better feel you will have for its limitations.