Chain Clearance on 34DA

[RickB]

Aluminum spacer plates or mild steel washers are too soft to work in this application. They will crush, leaving the lugs loose, which will damage your rims and probably your fenders when the wheels fall off. It is as simple as that. Use full diameter wheel spacers made from steel. They will have sufficient surface area to do the job, and provide a pilot diameter for the wheel to center on.

 

[DCJL]

Never would have thought that an aluminum spacer would crush. Dang. Guess I'll have to go to my machine shop and have them make up some steel spacers. thanks.

 

[Doloe]

Wow! Snow already.
You probably know this but.........
Be aware that even if your tires aren't filled, the wheel/tire is going to be heavy. Much heavier than you might think.

 

[390GT]

My F250 has aluminum wheels, no crushing, no loose lugs, tires have not fallen off yet. Most all drag racing wheels including the ones on my tubbed out 67' mustang are aluminum, I've no problems with them either. Grade 8 steel washers are hardware store items. You will not crush the washers. I torque my lugs to about 95 lbs. I don't know the amount of force per sq. inch required to crush aluminum, however I'm sure its way up there. Greg

 

[RickB]

Hey, it's not my tractor. knock yourself out. There is simply no advantage to aluminum in this application.

 

[Compact1]

I have chains for my 34DA with turf tires. The 3pt hitch side arms rub the chains. The chains are on good and tight and I've put them on 2x already to make sure it was not me. How would I go about getting the tires further out. I probably could get by with 1/2 inch on both sides.

I have another approach...change the dish on your rear tires. Put your left rear tire on the right side and vica versa. Make sure the tread continues to face the proper direction.

I also had a clearance problem on a TC24DA with turf tires and I changed the rear tires as described above. It completely solved the problem without adding spacers. The only negative result will be your valve stems on the inside which makes them less convenient to access.

 

[DCJL]

Thanks, I thought about this, but not sure if the wheels are equal on both sides, I'll have to measure as eyeballing it is inconclusive.

My tires are loaded so I know I have to be VERY cautious, such as not letting the tire lay down and jacking the tractor as far out on the axle as possible.

I may have to take a tire off just to measure the distance.

 

[Compact1]

Thanks, I thought about this, but not sure if the wheels are equal on both sides, I'll have to measure as eyeballing it is inconclusive.

My tires are loaded so I know I have to be VERY cautious, such as not letting the tire lay down and jacking the tractor as far out on the axle as possible.

I may have to take a tire off just to measure the distance.

Trust me when I tell you there is a difference. Your owners manual should describe the difference in tractor width depending on "dish out" or "dish in". You will need to remove your chains when you swap rear tires otherwise the fastener will be on the inside. You will be surprised at the difference, even visually, once you do this.

Also, don't forget to pin the 3-pt. arms to their most narrow adjustment to maximize space between tires and 3-pt. arms.

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Compact1]

Look in Section 2 of your Owners Manual under Wheel Tread Settings for the difference between Dish Out and Dish In measurements.

 

[DCJL]

Thanks guys, MUCH appreciated. I, uh can't find my owners manual. It is here somewhere, but have been TOOOOO busy to even get my paperwork in order. It is buried under mounds of paper. Good and bad to be sure.

If I pin the arms then I can run chains, but can't use any attachments, so I need to get more clearance, so I'll swap the tires. The chains are already off, so no problem. I am actually surprised at how easy it is to put the chains on and off. So far the easiest way seems to be to jack up the tractor, but running over them is not too bad either, but not as fast getting a snug fit.

I'll let you know how it goes.