Odd Wear on Front Tire
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5030
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One thing to always keep in mind is the 'Lead-Lag' ratio which is ever present on ANY FWA tractor and it's impact on the tires, especially the front tires as they are usually smaller in OD than the rears and turn more revolutions per a set distance.
As the tires wear (reduce in OD), the lead-lag ratio changes and as the ratio decreases, tire wear will increase. it can be mitigated by refraining from using FWA as much as possible but it will still be there (due to some parasitic drag the FWA components exert on the tires), even with FWA disengaged.
One of the downsides in owning a FWA tractor.
How it plays. You can get that tread wear on hard packed dirt as well as pavement. Really makes little difference. Myself, I don't pay much attention to it. I just renew the shoes when it's time.
As the tires wear (reduce in OD), the lead-lag ratio changes and as the ratio decreases, tire wear will increase. it can be mitigated by refraining from using FWA as much as possible but it will still be there (due to some parasitic drag the FWA components exert on the tires), even with FWA disengaged.
One of the downsides in owning a FWA tractor.
How it plays. You can get that tread wear on hard packed dirt as well as pavement. Really makes little difference. Myself, I don't pay much attention to it. I just renew the shoes when it's time.
5030
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Yep. Kubota tried the 'Bi-Speed Turn' a while back with mixed results.
I was considering a set of R14's this time but went with the R1's anyway.
ptsg
Super Member
Have you tried R1 Radials? It seems to last longer, ride better and provide better traction. A bit pricey though.
5030
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Quite a bit more actually. I might when it's time to shoe the other one. Depends on farm income. This year isn't looking good.
BrokenTrack
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Nothing unusual about that tire. I get that on my front tires because I mow road ditches, and the front tires take a lot of wear because they operate on pavement or gravel roads. Some of it is steering, but it is also due to the crown of the road which is why one tire will cup the inside edge and not the other tire.
A common prevention is to put the front tires on backwards. Even with R4's, a lot of contractors and public works companies do. I am not sure if this is a dealership thing, or a Caterpillar supported practice, but most brand new graders have their front tires put on backwards so that they do not cup the inside of their front tires.
You can see that here...
https://www.equipmentworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Caterpillar-14M3-motor-grader-2.jpeg
A common prevention is to put the front tires on backwards. Even with R4's, a lot of contractors and public works companies do. I am not sure if this is a dealership thing, or a Caterpillar supported practice, but most brand new graders have their front tires put on backwards so that they do not cup the inside of their front tires.
You can see that here...
https://www.equipmentworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Caterpillar-14M3-motor-grader-2.jpeg