3320 Stability Woes

[Willl]

and a big thank you to Rick for the in-depth PM help!

Rick, you holding back tractor secrets ?

 

[WH401]

Rick, you holding back tractor secrets ?

Of course not.

 

[jenkinsph]

Technically Yes, but also keep in mind that the max width with R1's is 68.4 (Very wide, wider than I am now at 66) so I'm not exceeding the designed or factory setup maximum width.

It's the outer edge of the tire (width) that counts. Now if I flipped the wheels with the spacers for 72" I'd be a little over but not by much.

Why they don't offer the 8 position wheels with R4's is beyond me. You only get 1.6" of width gain when flipping them (R4's) and I think they are not very wide in the wide position. The R3's offer 5" of difference narrow to wide. The R1's offer about 16" (52.4 - 68.4) narrow to wide. The big R4's offer only 1.6" (58.1 - 59.7" wide). The smaller R4's only go 57.3 - 58.9. Again, I'm not sure why they don't offer the 8 pos wheels with the R3's and R4's, would make things a lot easier. I don't hear many folks with R1's in the wide position complaining about stability.

One thing about going wide is you'll be wider than the 63" bucket and the 59" blower. I haven't found this to be an issue. The extra width very rarely is an issue and the stability it provides is well worth it.

The dealer put mine on and I didn't void my warranty or anything. Note that We also flipped the front wheels also.

One note also about filling tires. You may find that you like the 'stability' better but in my opinion (I rode with empty/full tires on my 3320 and 3720 - Filled now) filling them does make the ride quality (shock absorption) crappier. It makes sense since due to the reduced air volume (say 90% less) any distortion in the tire raises the pressure x times (10 times in this case) faster. I.E. With a non-loaded tire running 20psi conforming over a rock reducing the volume by 5% only causes a 5% increase in pressure, but if the volume (air, liquid doesn't compress) was reduced by 10 times that now would be a 50% increase in pressure. Translated = It'll ride harder over obstacles and bumps.

In the past I have filled the tires to 3/4 full to allow more room for air for just the reasons you mentioned. Basically I rotate the Schraeder valve until it is level with the inner top rim. I run about 12 psi when filled this way.



Steve

 

[bluemalibu]

6" Unverferth wheel spacers, flipping the wheels, and filled tires... truly an amazing transformation! No mo' woe!!!

 

[DanD78]

I also filled the front tires on my 3320. Filling the rears made operating the loader easier. If I know I will be lifting real heavy items with the forks I will add the box blade. If I had to use it on ditches or steep areas I would add the spacers. The ground is pretty flat in my area

Dan

 

[sunnyside360]

My JD dealer highly recommends liquid/loaded rear tires if you have a font end loader. I've had several tractors during the past 50 years and all have had loaded rear tires, either calcium chloride, anti freeze, or Rimguard. Makes a big difference in traction and stability.

 

[orlo]

I have a 3720 Cab now but I had a 3320 with a 300cx prior to that with large R4's. I also used an 1100# concrete filled ballast block every time I used it for anything heavy and didn't think it was that unstable. With the 3720 cab I put 6" spacers on it due to the high CG of the cab (I run R3's) and the cabs are definitely more tippy feeling than the non cab models.

These tractors have incredible lifting capacity and running them without substantial rear ballast can get you into trouble real quick. Look at the recommendations in the manual. They recommend full rear ballast, loaded tires AND wheel weights typically.
Loading the tires alone is NOT enough - it will help stop you from lifting but does NOTHING to unload the front axle).

 

[Nuru]

Yep, the unit feels much more stable when using the loader if you have rear ballast. I also run with my MMM on all the time to help increase the stability on the slopes on my property. With the Turf specials my width is 66" or so at the rear. Every so often I think about spacers and the turf specials, but as I said before, I have not bit on it yet. With these same tires on my former 4310 OS, the ride was much more stable on the slopes, but much colder in the winter. Now with heat/AC, and Sirius Radio, I will just be more careful (bought a smaller used OS lawn tractor), and that solves pretty much all my stability issues on the specific sloped that scare me a bit.