4 lug tires....why?

rsmith02184 · Oct 13, 2011

I own a jd4100 and I have been having trouble keeping air in my tires. I want to get used rims/tires and there are a lot of them around and economical too BUT my tires are 4 lug, not 5 lug! All the available tires are 5 lug, why do I have 4 lug on my tractor? Is there a reason for this?

Thanks

beenthere · Oct 13, 2011

Question for just the front tires?

Are you saying there are 5 lug tires on JD 4100's ?

kennyd · Oct 13, 2011

Do you mean rims not tires? Not sure I know what a "4 or 5 lug" tire is?

What is leaking? Have you tried new stems, tubes or slime? Either would be a lot cheaper.

Also you must be very careful to properly match the front to rear ratio or serious damage can occur to the drivetrain when in 4wd.

RalphVa · Oct 14, 2011

If its the front tires, I went through using Slime and then put tubes in them. With tubes, the tires are holding air fine. Slime only seemed to work for a year or so.

Ralph

rsmith02184 · Oct 14, 2011

Yes Kenny....5-lug rims...I think you are getting a little punch drunk. Granted I misspoke about tires rather than rim but ...what else could it possibly have been? The leak I have is on the bead at the rim but my question is more about why JD has 4 lug RIMS when most other rims are 5 lug? It makes my job harder when looking for replacements.

The tires i put on a few months ago (the one that is leaking now) matches the ones I replaced except this one is a little wider. Just curious, what is the reason it might mess up the drivetrain if it isn't sized correctly?

Thanks everyone...including Kenny (ha-ha)

JD3520Turbo · Oct 14, 2011

if the tractor is a MFWD (mechanical Front Wheel Drive ), then you have to stay with the same size tire, so you won't mess up your ratio between the front and back. If you have a 2wd, you are fine.

Is your rim, or wheel bent, and that is why it is loosing air, or is the bead of the tire messed up? In either case, you should be able to put a tube in it, and be in good shape. That would be the most economical way to go.

Smallplot · Oct 14, 2011

rsmith02184 said:
Yes Kenny....5-lug rims...I think you are getting a little punch drunk. Granted I misspoke about tires rather than rim but ...what else could it possibly have been? The leak I have is on the bead at the rim but my question is more about why JD has 4 lug RIMS when most other rims are 5 lug? It makes my job harder when looking for replacements.

The tires i put on a few months ago (the one that is leaking now) matches the ones I replaced except this one is a little wider. Just curious, what is the reason it might mess up the drivetrain if it isn't sized correctly?

Thanks everyone...including Kenny (ha-ha)

As long as the diameter of the tire doesn't change you are fine. A wider tire will not effect the balance. The rims have me puzzled... Question were your original tires R1s and you switched to R4s? Also could be some rust on the inside rim lip keeping it from making good contact.

The reason it can mess up a drive train is the same as a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The front and rear tires are geared to turn close to the same rotation. If you mess up that that gearing (with tires too small or large) fronts are pulling and rears are pushing with more force against each other potentially causing problems in drivetrain.

Hope this explains the reason.

How do you know it is leaking at the bead? Soap and water? because if it is a slow leak sounds more like a loose valve stem needle. Usual a leaking bead is a quicker leak.