DK45 Widen the stance ?

[k0ua]

My rear tires have water in them but not the front,should I put water in the front also!

generally it is not recommended to put fluid in the fronts.

 

[4bama1]

It's wide enough now with just swapping the wheels from one side to the other.

 

[ovrszd]

It's been discussed before, but doesn't widening the front help stabilize the tractor more ONLY IF you're in a situation where you've maxed out the pivot capacity of the front axle? Otherwise it doesn't do much?

That is correct. The stability of a tractor is primarily determined by the rear tires.

Wider fronts will spread the contact patch on the ground and make dropping a front tire in a shallow hole less noticeable.

But as to keeping the tractor from tipping over sideways, by the time a rear tire lifts to the point the front axle oscillation has hit the stop you will already be heading toward disaster. Been there many times, not pretty, makes you drop your FEL load very quickly!!!

Spend your time and energy stabilizing the rear wheels and let the front do it's job of oscillation.

 

[ritcheyvs]

That is correct. The stability of a tractor is primarily determined by the rear tires.

Wider fronts will spread the contact patch on the ground and make dropping a front tire in a shallow hole less noticeable.

But as to keeping the tractor from tipping over sideways, by the time a rear tire lifts to the point the front axle oscillation has hit the stop you will already be heading toward disaster. Been there many times, not pretty, makes you drop your FEL load very quickly!!!

Spend your time and energy stabilizing the rear wheels and let the front do it's job of oscillation.

+1 You won't get ANY stability from a wider front wheel span until a rear wheel is already off the ground, when it's almost too late.

 

[4bama1]

Yes when it's almost to late,but that gives me another second to work with..**** look what Auburn did to us with one second left..:shocked:

I agree with the points ya'll are making and it may just be in my head but as I was traversing all the different types of terrain on my land yesterday it sure felt more stable.The rear tires are at their widest point unless I put spacers on it,I think I will leave that for later.

 

[MotorSeven]

+1 You won't get ANY stability from a wider front wheel span until a rear wheel is already off the ground, when it's almost too late.

I understand what y'all are saying, but a wider front stance physically has to contribute to more stability. It may not be much, but the angle to tip number would be greater(inmho). Here is more food for thought, wider will also put more stress on the front axle and it's gear box.....I don't know if it's something to lose sleep over though.

 

[ovrszd]

I understand what y'all are saying, but a wider front stance physically has to contribute to more stability. It may not be much, but the angle to tip number would be greater(inmho). Here is more food for thought, wider will also put more stress on the front axle and it's gear box.....I don't know if it's something to lose sleep over though.

It only contributes to more stability when the front axle has oscillated to the stopper.

As to stress on the front axle assembly. My M9540 shows the widest recommended setting with the cupped center still turned in. Any setting wider than that is warned against as having too much stress on the axle assembly. I've attached a pic with mine set to the widest recommended setting.

 

[MotorSeven]

It only contributes to more stability when the front axle has oscillated to the stopper.

Well, I have to disagree. So if you have two identical tractors, one set up like Bama with his wide stance, the other with tricycle gear on the front. On flat level ground I agree, same amount of force would be required to flip each, but the trike gear would flip sooner. Now, put them on an incline facing down at an angle and I would have to bet the trike gear flips first with less force. Just thinking out loud here, not trying to be a erk with a "J"

 

[ovrszd]

Well, I have to disagree. So if you have two identical tractors, one set up like Bama with his wide stance, the other with tricycle gear on the front. On flat level ground I agree, same amount of force would be required to flip each, but the trike gear would flip sooner. Now, put them on an incline facing down at an angle and I would have to bet the trike gear flips first with less force. Just thinking out loud here, not trying to be a erk with a "J"

No offense taken.

Again, the trike tractor versus wide front tractor, everything else equal, have the same tipping tendancies until the wide front oscillates to the stopper. Then the equation changes favoring the wide front. Before that it doesn't matter if the wide front tractor has it's front tires twenty feet apart. The weight of the tractor is balancing on the axle pivot.

Actually,,,, when I think about it,,,,, the trike tractor actually has an initial advantage because it's never pivoting on a small axle bushing. It's at a minimum pivoting on the two front tires which are 18" or so apart. But that advantage might be lost by the pivoting point being at the ground versus 18" high (depending on tractor size).

Makes my head hurt. Too much math....

 

[ritcheyvs]

Stability arguments aside, moving the tire contact patch outboard increases the forces on the axle and bearings.