catastrophic rim failor

[sd455dan]

My 2010 JD 2720 had a new twist yesterday that I have never seen the likes of.
I was working a small pile of dirt from one spot to another when I notices a wobble
on my left front wheel. Stopped and set the load down to inspect, and could not
believe what I was looking at. The rim had split in several places fronm the lug nuts
outwards, and around the outer edges if the inner rim plate. Has anyone seen this before ?
And, what could be the cause of such a failure???

Has anyone seen this before ?


Yes
a few posts concerning a chinese built Luzhong tractor some time ago in the chinese tractor forum.

 

[paulfun9]

Yup these are factory fittings, Not studs with nuts!! this is what I found strange that they would do that.
7/8's bolts with lock washers is what John Deerwe used on these builds

Are you sure about lock washers being on them? I haven't had any lock washers on any of my JD units. I never liked those bolts and on my last JD I threw them away and replaced them with real lugs because one wheel kept coming loose.

 

[Toddao]

A wheel failure chart

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[SPYDERLK]

Okay, I checked Deere parts. A lock washer is factory supplied on the front wheels of a 2027. Likely the wheels are not able to stand the stress of
a FEL. I would use a regular washer instead of the lock washer when you replace the wheels.

Yes. ... Use Grade 8 flat washers to spread out the bolting clamp force over more of the wheel metal. This will strengthen the assembly.

 

[SPYDERLK]

A wheel failure chart

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

Some of this is specific for chamfered bolt holes. The use of washers on OPs wheels indicates his wheels do not have chamfered holes.

 

[wooden]

Here is what I learned, Never, take tight turns with a heavy load in the FEL, while in 4 wheel drive!! This is what I believe was the culprit in my wheel failure. My land is really steep and 4x4 is a must have, along with the fact that I push this little cut pretty hard. I believe if you must make a tight turn, taking it out of 4wheel is key to saving the turque that that 31 HP Yanmay can deliver. On the fix, I am thinking that if I were to computer cut a full disc in 1/4 inch steel that covers the entire bolt up section , I would be spreading out the load across the entire rim face rather than using lock washers. But , That may be another debate! Thanks for all the advice and brain food on this issue!

 

[SPYDERLK]

Yes. ... Use Grade 8 flat washers to spread out the bolting clamp force over more of the wheel metal. This will strengthen the assembly.

Strengthen your assembly in this way. Its easy and effective. ... Flange head bolts would also be a good investment.

Here is what I learned, Never, take tight turns with a heavy load in the FEL, while in 4 wheel drive!! This is what I believe was the culprit in my wheel failure. My land is really steep and 4x4 is a must have, along with the fact that I push this little cut pretty hard. I believe if you must make a tight turn, taking it out of 4wheel is key to saving the turque that that 31 HP Yanmay can deliver. On the fix, I am thinking that if I were to computer cut a full disc in 1/4 inch steel that covers the entire bolt up section , I would be spreading out the load across the entire rim face rather than using lock washers. But , That may be another debate! Thanks for all the advice and brain food on this issue!

Taking out of 4wd will present dangerous possibilities some unforeseen.

 

[Gary Fowler]

From your second picture which shows the circular break at the junction of the pressed bend to offset the rim, I think the design/fabrication of the rim is also at fault. The sharp bend creates a stress riser in the metal that fatigues more easily than a rounded bend area.
If you have the inclination, take those rims, cut out the inner circle and replace with much thicker metal that you would then weld back to the outer rim. If you have a machine shop that could press a dish pattern into the thicker metal to match the required offset that would be great.

 

[Soundguy]

Even with the lugs tight, that rim broke due to flexing, which fatigued the rim to failure over time.

Maybe the rim just wasnt built heavy enough for this application.

Good thing is no one hurt and it sounds like no property damage.

Agreed, junk rim was flexing under load, work hardened and cracked. You can see some rusty spots of prior cracking/older damage. More it cracked the weaker it got till it cascade failed.

 

[GManBart]

The things you're looking at are wheels, not rims. The rim is the lip/edge that keeps the tire in place.

This sort of oddball stuff is part of why I say it's crazy for folks to run around with their ROPS folded for no reason. Often the answer is "I'm on flat ground".....yeah, a wheel failure can cause a rollover on flat ground in a heartbeat.

 

[ovrszd]

First time for me to see this on a CUT.

I've saw it dozens of times on larger tractors and mostly on the drive wheels of Combines.

Usually caused by the machine operating under stresses exceeding the design specs.

If the historic usage of this CUT continues, the other wheel will fail also.

Not saying the operator is doing anything wrong. Just saying the wheels can't stand the stresses he's putting on them. I use the snot out of my M9540 with FEL and Grapple. I would not consider it a weakness if one of my wheels failed. Lost track of how many loads I've carried quite a distance with one or both rear wheels off the ground. :ashamed:

 

[Soundguy]

The things you're looking at are wheels, not rims. The rim is the lip/edge that keeps the tire in place.

This sort of oddball stuff is part of why I say it's crazy for folks to run around with their ROPS folded for no reason. Often the answer is "I'm on flat ground".....yeah, a wheel failure can cause a rollover on flat ground in a heartbeat.

I think your are trying to nitpick an item that is indivisible.

Some tractors have centers and separate rims that comprise a wheel, is bolt together parts.. This unit is one piece. Wheel /rim is common nomenclature here when generically referring to the part that allows a tire to be attached to the tractor.. Its obvious what failed.. Not sure why the disection.

 

[ovrszd]

I think your are trying to nitpick an item that is indivisible.

Some tractors have centers and separate rims that comprise a wheel, is bolt together parts.. This unit is one piece. Wheel /rim is common nomenclature here when generically referring to the part that allows a tire to be attached to the tractor.. Its obvious what failed.. Not sure why the disection.

Yep.

A one piece can commonly be called "wheel" or "rim".

 

[GManBart]

Yep.

A one piece can commonly be called "wheel" or "rim".

And be wrong half of the time.

 

[CurlyDave]

...And, what could be the cause of such a failure???

There is a sure clue that something is going wrong in your pictures.

There is a witness mark in white paint on the heads of the lug bolts. This was placed when the lugs were originally torqued.

Now look at the wheel. The white paint is carried over onto the wheel, but the witness marks do not line up. This means that the lugs have rotated out.

If you know to look for this, you can determine whether the lugs are tight just from a casual inspection -- no tools required.

My 110 TLB has these witness marks on many of the bolt heads all over the machine.

 

[Soundguy]

And be wrong half of the time.

Remember, regional differences in dialect mean more than wrote dictionary entries.

Its a common naming convention in many places. You may choose to acknowledge that or chose not to. Those of us that have heard this, know it for what it is.

 

[orezok]

Back when I was a metallurgy major in college (60's), I interned summers at Kaiser Steel in the met lab. One summer while I was there we were investigting GM wheels made with Kaiser steel that were cracking at one of the forming bends. Long story short, every steel manufactured has a set of specifications for how tight a radius the steel can be formed. GM exceeded that spec and ended up replacing a lot of wheels.

That was probably before recalls, so I imagine they only replaced the ones that cracked.

 

[GManBart]

Remember, regional differences in dialect mean more than wrote dictionary entries.

Its a common naming convention in many places. You may choose to acknowledge that or chose not to. Those of us that have heard this, know it for what it is.

Common or not, I acknowledge that it's wrong everywhere. The rim is part of the wheel, not the wheel. Wheels have rims, so they can't be rims.

 

[ovrszd]

Common or not, I acknowledge that it's wrong everywhere. The rim is part of the wheel, not the wheel. Wheels have rims, so they can't be rims.

Why do you frequently do this?

 

[SPYDERLK]

Good points Kthompson, and all worth looking back at
However , these wheels were off a year ago for new tires and well inspected before re installing them. Now I did have a load in the loader when it failed, but I can see that this took some time to happen. maybe it was just bad steel?? WTC steel back from China?? who knows, but I am seeing what looks like hair line cracks on the right side and those lug bolts are tight. I will take them off and inspect the inside of the wheel tomorrow just to be sure!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

There is a sure clue that something is going wrong in your pictures.

There is a witness mark in white paint on the heads of the lug bolts. This was placed when the lugs were originally torqued.

Now look at the wheel. The white paint is carried over onto the wheel, but the witness marks do not line up. This means that the lugs have rotated out.

If you know to look for this, you can determine whether the lugs are tight just from a casual inspection -- no tools required.

My 110 TLB has these witness marks on many of the bolt heads all over the machine.