Can 3038e rear tires be flipped or a widening kit added?

[Ed in Maine]

Looking at a 3038e and the tires look very tall for how narrow it is. Tires already appear to be heavily offset so I guess flipping is out of question? Has anyone tried a spacer or widening kit? or would that be too much stress on axle shaft/seals?

 

[Sysop]

The fronts are two position, the rears are single position, and no options are shown for a multi-position rim for that unit (that is not to say a set that would work couldn't be found). Spacers would be the easiest option. I'm sure they're available. According to the JD site, the whole tractor weighs 2087 and the rear axle alone is rated at 2640 (the front an additional 1760), I would say it should be stout enough to withstand the extra forces of spacers/extensions as well as any other tractor.

 

[RoyJackson]

Although I won't disagree with Sysop since I don't have a 3038, I do suggest two things:
First, read your manual!
Secondly, measure the offset of your rear wheel hubs (offset being the distance from the lip of the wheel's rim to the face of the hub). Measure both inside and outside. If the outside dimension is less then the inside dimension, you'll gain some width by swapping side to side (R-1 Ag and R-4 Industrial) or reversing (R-3 Turfs) the wheels. Just make sure it's worthwhile. In my case on my Deere 4400, the offset was about 2.5" which resulted in about 5" increase in the rear track...helped a lot with stability. BTW, my reason for reversing the wheels was to add clearance for tire chains...added stability was an added benefit.

Good luck!

 

[Sysop]

I don't have one either, I was just going by the site

I guess I should have linked it for OP... :mur:

John Deere 3038E Compact Tractor 3000 Series Compact Utility Tractors JohnDeere.com

 

[RoyJackson]

I don't have one either, I was just going by the site

I guess I should have linked it for OP... :mur:

John*Deere 3038E Compact Tractor 3000 Series Compact Utility Tractors JohnDeere.com

Yeah, it's in there:
Changing Wheel Spacing and Tread Width

In special cases, front tires can be set to the wide position; however, the wide position cannot be used for loader operation. Using the wide position during loader operation will reduce front axle life.

Rear tires can be mounted in one position only.

c CAUTION: Avoid injury! Remove wheels safely.

• Use a safe lifting device and support machine securely on jack stands.

• Block front and rear of wheel not raised to prevent machine movement.

• Wheel can be heavy or difficult to handle when removing.

IMPORTANT: Avoid damage! Always make sure tires rotate in proper direction. Arrows on sidewall should point in direction of forward rotation.

Mounting Guidelines

• To keep tire rotation in the proper direction, move each rim to opposite side of machine, rather than turning the rims around.

• Dished wheels can be reversed.

• Tighten all bolts to specifications.
Rear Tire Tread Width Dimensions


As far as:

Rear tires can be mounted in one position only

The wheels used for R-1 Ag tires on many Deere tractors have 8 positions on the rims. The center section of the wheel can be moved to any of the 8 positions. Apparently, the 3038e have welded rims, rather then the bolted type.

 

[Sysop]

Yea, you lose such functionality with the smaller units. I still think with enough shopping, spacers or multi-position rims that would fit that unit could likely be purchased someplace or another... I also think with the axle ratings what they are, the rear axle should withstand the additional stresses of a slight addition to the track-width.

I find it comical the most common thing widening the front would help with (loader operations) is what they advise against doing with the fronts installed at their widest... Although personally I don't think the front axle of any of the units in this class should be subjected to the increased stresses of widening the stance at the rims. I don't see why they would include two-position front wheels and single-position rears, it makes no sense to me... Just skimming through TBN daily it's easy to see most issues (when looking all brands) are mostly random, but also easy to see all brands have their fair share of front axle issues. That in my mind says "don't do anything to make the front axle's life any harder than it has to be"...

 

[RoyJackson]

Yea, you lose such functionality with the smaller units. I still think with enough shopping, spacers or multi-position rims that would fit that unit could likely be purchased someplace or another... I also think with the axle ratings what they are, the rear axle should withstand the additional stresses of a slight addition to the track-width.

I find it comical the most common thing widening the front would help with (loader operations) is what they advise against doing with the fronts installed at their widest... Although personally I don't think the front axle of any of the units in this class should be subjected to the increased stresses of widening the stance at the rims. I don't see why they would include two-position front wheels and single-position rears, it makes no sense to me... Just skimming through TBN daily it's easy to see most issues (when looking all brands) are mostly random, but also easy to see all brands have their fair share of front axle issues. That in my mind says "don't do anything to make the front axle's life any harder than it has to be"...

I swapped the front wheels on my 790 (gone now...great little tractor though) because I thought it would help with stability on a slope. It seemed to, but that was probably more psychological then anything else.
A lot of 2WD tractors have multiple positions for the front axle. Those axles don't pivot like they do on a 4WD machine, so I guess they do help with stability.

 

[DKCDKC]

I noted the manual warning about FEL work with wider front tire settings and won't try it. But I will be adding some minor spacers to my rear tires. They seem to be available from a number of sources and my pretty solid JD dealer indicated there would be no problem. I am primarily looking for more stability. I have to bush hog and clear slopes and sometimes cannot get a good up-down approach. I just want to lessen the pucker factor a bit.

 

[Ed in Maine]

Great feedback, thanks to all. I do feel that if the tractor is light enough, you will slide some before tipping. You of course need to make the proper counter maneuvers to avoid lifting a tire when the tires do "catch" though. The 3038e is fairly light so it may be a good match for the slightly narrow base. The front end being narrow does not effect me too much. If my loader is going 7' in the air, I am going to be on pretty darn flat ground! The spacer kit would help on the rear though, even if only 2" on each side.

The 3038e is back on the list of upgrade tractors from my cub cadet 7205. I am looking at a 2009 model with 200 hrs and bush hog for 13.5k$.

 

[greg_g]

If you're going strictly by the spec sheet, the standard tires are
Front
7.00-14 4PR (R1) Agricultural
Rear
11.2-24 4PR (R1) Agricultural
Whereas the fronts are still 2 position, the rears will be 8 position. It's spelled out in the owner manual.
It's only when you purchase the optional R3 or R4 tires/rims are you stuck with 2 position rears.

//greg//