BX24 Wheel Spacers -- Caution?

[Shmudda]

Just a word of warning. If you happen to do any damage to your rear axles there is no way it will be convered under warrenty. Thats a big spacer for that size tractor, and with the weight of the backhoe its got to be mutiplying the force on the castings and seals right where the axle goes into the transmission. I'd be very, very careful.

Messy.......

You know the tricks by being in the business, you take the spacers off BEFORE you take it in for warranty work, thats all!

I will tell you that the only thing I am disappointed with on my BX24 is how tippy the machine is. Other then that, the thing is a gem.......

Craig

 

[ACHINBAC]

I ordered a rear set and had Richard fabricate a front set also, though not quite as wide. They are aluminum and nicely finished - a note of caution though - I found the studs were not pressed fully in & had to redrive all in with a punch prior to mounting them. Prior to install I would get the creeps at about 15 degrees - now the tractor feels more stable. The rear wheels still track inside the FEL. If you have grades to deal with it's good insurance. You can see the wider stance in the pictures.

 

[whatever1]

I ordered a rear set and had Richard fabricate a front set also, though not quite as wide. They are aluminum and nicely finished - a note of caution though - I found the studs were not pressed fully in & had to redrive all in with a punch prior to mounting them. Prior to install I would get the creeps at about 15 degrees - now the tractor feels more stable. The rear wheels still track inside the FEL. If you have grades to deal with it's good insurance. You can see the wider stance in the pictures.

Did you notice much difference with just the back spacers on ??

 

[ChuckinNH]

Just a word of warning. If you happen to do any damage to your rear axles there is no way it will be convered under warrenty. Thats a big spacer for that size tractor, and with the weight of the backhoe its got to be mutiplying the force on the castings and seals right where the axle goes into the transmission. I'd be very, very careful.

Have to get a JD2305 I guess since they are as wide as the BX with spacers. Perhaps their axles are that much stronger, and tougher Neil? Speaking of spacers, are the bolt patterns for the large B's (B7800, etc) the same as the new B2x20 series...... looks like those spacers might work on both?

 

[ChuckinNH]

Sorry guys, bad day with the chemo, and comments in bad taste........

 

[C6rider]

Did you notice much difference with just the back spacers on ??

I notice a difference with the rear spacers. Seems much more stable, especially when turning around on a hill which scared the crap out of me before. If I have to replace seals or something it's cheaper than a funeral.

 

[BotaBigot]

...its got to be mutiplying the force on the castings and seals right where the axle goes into the transmission...

Increased wheel offset is a bearing/seal issue in the car/truck world, and I would think several factors make it more so for our BXes. Axle housing is aluminum, not steel or cast iron. Load is unsprung, and especially with BH mounted, force would be magnified by rough surfaces we operate on. I'd love to have the increased stability...not to mention the look... ...but I'm concerned about possible damage, especially if I forget to take it slow in the "rough"...

 

[Volfandt]

A couple thoughts,
Due to the limited clearance of the 60" MMM and the left side rear wheel in std OEM form, I HIGHLY doubt there'll be enough clearance w/the rear spacers installed.

Although the following is about running double wheels as opposed to running spacers, they are related due to the added stress' that are probable when altering the drive train.

I know of two folks who went w/double rear wheels to get more stability.
The one that went with both double front & rears has had no issues (at least he hasn't posted any) and has posted a video of the setup in action disc'ing. An impressive looking BX it be.....

The other used his in very hilly terrain (Western PA) and he ended up breaking one of the rear axles right at the bearing and race where the axle is suppored at the housing. The fix wasn't too bad and he decided against the doubles.

So, it appears theres at least a 50 % chance it'll work out fine, as long as you don't plan to run a 60" MMM.

Carry on

 

[hancocks]

Guys,

I bought and added the wheel spacers.

A major-league difference. While I don't get stupid on hillsides, there is much, much less of a tendency for the BX-24 to want to pull a wheel (or wheels) off the ground. Bottom line: I think it's a great thing to do.

As for adding stress to the axels/bearings, my horseback sense is: probably not an issue. Four inches per side, maybe -- I don't have a sense that two inches is going to do it. There are engineering margins built into everything (well, into Kubotas, anyway).

One caveat, that I've seen here: I had to take my 54" MMM into the shop (here in Vermont -- they're just great here), and the machine shop guy (who is so good they just pay him and leave him alone) cut the rear idler wheels completely off the deck, re-welded them about 2" outboard (so that they would now clear the rear wheels", ground and painted the whole thing...

...and it looks like it came out of the factory like that. Oh, and it was less than $100. Wow. Double-wow.

Buy the spacers. They're the most important thing you'll add to your BX.

- Stu

 

[KKPop]

I installed a set of 2 inch spacers on the rear of my BX25, and I am able to use a 60" MMM with no further modifications. The added stability is incredible.

I purchased them from this site Wheel Spacers Kubota B Series Tractors, Kubota BX Series Tractors, Kubota RTV, John Deere XUV Gator HPX, Polaris Ranger 6x6 Tracks .

They are very well made, and to date have not caused any adverse issues regarding bearing or seal damage.