ametcalf
Silver Member
Need to stabilize BX23.
We started a project to let wood chips rot down into top soil. We live in an area where the soil has a high clay content. One time my wife needed to send a raspberry root sample to the university during a dry spell and I literally had to chisel it out of the ground with a cold chisel. For years now we have dug out the clay from our flower beds with our BX23 and replaced it with rotted wood chips that we have gotten from the power line trimmers. Last year we started getting wood chips dumped in a new location which is very convenient for the trimmers and the tree service companies. The trucks can just back up and dump on the existing pile. We then push the chips over the edge with our BX23. We are dumping at the high end of a 5 acre field that has a 30 or 40 foot drop over 450? When we started we expected maybe 2 to 4 loads a week. When the word got out more and more companies wanted to dump here and now we are getting 2 to 10 loads a day. Needless to say our little BX23 is getting a workout. Because of the unevenness of the pile we had to be very careful that the BX23 didn't end up on its side. It dawned on me that if we wanted our Allis Chalmers to be more stable on hills we widened the wheels. Why not do that with the Kubota? I tried to figure out an inexpensive way to put dualies on the back but I have not figured that out yet so while I am working on that problem I decided to put spacers on for now. I started looking on this website and on line and this is what I came up with. The BX23 is so much more stable with the wider wheels it has taken almost all the pucker factor out of pushing the chips. I feel we do not need the dualies for stability now but I would like them for the extra traction.
Using the following procedure the back wheels are 8 further apart than they were. We are amazed at how much more stabile the tractor is.
Materials for widening the back wheels purchased from Amazon:
Set of four 2" wheel spacers_ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B012SOU5ZK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url] $82.99
Set of 10 1/2-20 x 3" wheel studs_ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CJ37VKS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url] $22.50
I cut the knurled ends off these before I realized I didn't need to. I should have ordered the 2ｽ ones and threaded them in from the back side without cutting them off. It's possible that 1/2x2ｽ-20 grade 8 bolts might work. With THE VIRUS in the area I not going to go shopping to try and find some.
2 sets of 5 ｽ x 20 wheel nuts $3.99 per set $7.98
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AY165/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url]
I took the back wheels off and set the lug bolts aside. It does not work to use these as the holes in the spacers are not big enough to accommodate the bolts even with a thin wall socket.
I screwed the wheel studs into the wheel hubs.
I then put the first spacer on with the nuts that come with the spacers. These nuts take an 11/16 socket. I tightened them to 70 ft lbs using the standard star pattern torque method and then I reset the torque wrench and tightened them to 100 ft lbs. They seem to be holding well. I then mounted a second spacer to the first spacer and repeated the torque method.
Next I remounted the wheel using the wheel nuts I purchase from Amazon using the same torque method. These nuts take a 13/16th socket.
One of the criticisms I read for widening the wheels is the extra stress it puts on the axles, bearing and seals. Even knowing that and agreeing with the theory I wanted to try it to gain the stability I desired. We did have a seal come out the other night and rather than just push it back in I took that axle out and replaced the seal. The bearing seemed real good but while I had it apart I went ahead and changed it and the 2 snap rings. When I put the new seal in I used a little Lock-Tite high flex gasket maker between the seal and the axle housing and let it cure for 24 hrs. Hopefully it will help hold the seal in place. The tractor has 1900 hrs on it and if I have to change the seals and bearings a couple of times a year, the safety factor will be worth it to me.
Here is a link to the video I watched on how to change the seal and the bearing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2RqYMVfG-Y[/url]
The man in the video stressed the importance of using a good pair of snap ring pliers. I whole heartedly agree with him. I used my Harbor Freight ones and eventually ground a shoulder down a little bit to get them to fit right but I plan to buy a good set that will make the job super easy. To get the old bearing off I had to tap it with a punch and hammer. To put the new one on I chilled the axle to -20F in the freezer overnight and heated the bearing to 180F in the oven. The bearing dropped right into place. I did not even have to push on it.
We started a project to let wood chips rot down into top soil. We live in an area where the soil has a high clay content. One time my wife needed to send a raspberry root sample to the university during a dry spell and I literally had to chisel it out of the ground with a cold chisel. For years now we have dug out the clay from our flower beds with our BX23 and replaced it with rotted wood chips that we have gotten from the power line trimmers. Last year we started getting wood chips dumped in a new location which is very convenient for the trimmers and the tree service companies. The trucks can just back up and dump on the existing pile. We then push the chips over the edge with our BX23. We are dumping at the high end of a 5 acre field that has a 30 or 40 foot drop over 450? When we started we expected maybe 2 to 4 loads a week. When the word got out more and more companies wanted to dump here and now we are getting 2 to 10 loads a day. Needless to say our little BX23 is getting a workout. Because of the unevenness of the pile we had to be very careful that the BX23 didn't end up on its side. It dawned on me that if we wanted our Allis Chalmers to be more stable on hills we widened the wheels. Why not do that with the Kubota? I tried to figure out an inexpensive way to put dualies on the back but I have not figured that out yet so while I am working on that problem I decided to put spacers on for now. I started looking on this website and on line and this is what I came up with. The BX23 is so much more stable with the wider wheels it has taken almost all the pucker factor out of pushing the chips. I feel we do not need the dualies for stability now but I would like them for the extra traction.
Using the following procedure the back wheels are 8 further apart than they were. We are amazed at how much more stabile the tractor is.
Materials for widening the back wheels purchased from Amazon:
Set of four 2" wheel spacers_ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B012SOU5ZK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url] $82.99
Set of 10 1/2-20 x 3" wheel studs_ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CJ37VKS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url] $22.50
I cut the knurled ends off these before I realized I didn't need to. I should have ordered the 2ｽ ones and threaded them in from the back side without cutting them off. It's possible that 1/2x2ｽ-20 grade 8 bolts might work. With THE VIRUS in the area I not going to go shopping to try and find some.
2 sets of 5 ｽ x 20 wheel nuts $3.99 per set $7.98
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AY165/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url]
I took the back wheels off and set the lug bolts aside. It does not work to use these as the holes in the spacers are not big enough to accommodate the bolts even with a thin wall socket.
I screwed the wheel studs into the wheel hubs.
I then put the first spacer on with the nuts that come with the spacers. These nuts take an 11/16 socket. I tightened them to 70 ft lbs using the standard star pattern torque method and then I reset the torque wrench and tightened them to 100 ft lbs. They seem to be holding well. I then mounted a second spacer to the first spacer and repeated the torque method.
Next I remounted the wheel using the wheel nuts I purchase from Amazon using the same torque method. These nuts take a 13/16th socket.
One of the criticisms I read for widening the wheels is the extra stress it puts on the axles, bearing and seals. Even knowing that and agreeing with the theory I wanted to try it to gain the stability I desired. We did have a seal come out the other night and rather than just push it back in I took that axle out and replaced the seal. The bearing seemed real good but while I had it apart I went ahead and changed it and the 2 snap rings. When I put the new seal in I used a little Lock-Tite high flex gasket maker between the seal and the axle housing and let it cure for 24 hrs. Hopefully it will help hold the seal in place. The tractor has 1900 hrs on it and if I have to change the seals and bearings a couple of times a year, the safety factor will be worth it to me.
Here is a link to the video I watched on how to change the seal and the bearing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2RqYMVfG-Y[/url]
The man in the video stressed the importance of using a good pair of snap ring pliers. I whole heartedly agree with him. I used my Harbor Freight ones and eventually ground a shoulder down a little bit to get them to fit right but I plan to buy a good set that will make the job super easy. To get the old bearing off I had to tap it with a punch and hammer. To put the new one on I chilled the axle to -20F in the freezer overnight and heated the bearing to 180F in the oven. The bearing dropped right into place. I did not even have to push on it.
