Flipped Beaver

[SouthamptonBeaver]

Looking for suggestions/advise on flipping my front wheels on my 370D.

I saw in another post that one member thought flipping the fronts would put to much strees on the front axels.

I have alot of hills on my property and many of them are canted and could use all the stability I can get.

I am usually slow moving and want to have have my cake as long as it doesn't wind up on my lap in the form of repair/replacement cost:licking:

Thanks!

 

[PILOON]

Well I have a Mitsu, (basically a beaver) and my fronts have been flipped ever since I have owned it.
Now at about 1300 hours with no problems.
Rears are also flipped and loaded.

 

[bullbreaker]

Just trying to help.Got my Kubota out and flipped up-rite for you.

Boone

 

[284 International]

Every manual I've read or heard about for compact tractors, across all makes and models, says not to reverse the front wheels. They DO recommend adjusting the rears as necessary. Certainly it will work, as there are many people who have done it.

But, especially with a loader, I wouldn't. It WILL make steering more difficult, by moving the contact patch of the tire out of alignment from the steering axis. That can only put more strain on the steering box and gear. Loaders are notorious for eating front axles and steering gear on small tractors anyway.

Having said that, the small machines DO get tippy, very easily, on negligible slopes (Like a tract home driveway!). Setting the tires wider won't make it less stable. I don't know of any way to assess the added risk of an axle or wheel failure from the additional stress. Certainly breaking a front end piece would have a real potential for catastrophe. To me, it seems like one would be asking for trouble to do that on a loader equipped tractor, especially without something very heavy out back to counterbalance the loader.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have had mine on my Yanmar to the widest since I owned it (3 years) and carried a lot of dirt with the FEL and not a problem. It does make the steering a bit harder but as for axle load, I cant see it being any difference. Flipped in the strain is pushing down on the outside of the axle and flipped out the strain is equal just pushing up on the outside of the axle. Seems to me that it would be no different if you were trying to bend a bar by pushing down on a lever at the end or pulling up. It would take the same force to move it. Since the tire rim is not centered, but offset, no matter which way you run it, the force on the axle and front end is equal, just in opposite directions. Now if you put in a spacer to move the wheels out like some folks are doing, I could see that putting more strain on the axles.

 

[rambler]

I'm not the tractor police, so everyone do what they want on this.

Since you asked for opinions, here is mine.

Look in the tractor manual. If, like my New Holland compact and most every other compact tractor - and every ag tractor with a loader attached -, they advise not to do this, I would _not_ do this.

There is a thread somewhere on this site showing a tractor with the front axle busted. Not a pretty sight, and sounding expensive to fix.

If one looks at the photo, one sees that the tire is now a full tire widh wider with the tire like this. That is a lot of extension, a lot more stress on the knuckle, which is in a ways on the axle. You didn't trade the stress from inner to outer - you about doubled it. With a loader on the tractor, there is already a lot of stress on those knuckles. You are about doubling the stress they are getting.

Not a good thing.

Then, what are you gaining? a front axle pivots on the centerline of the tractor. Widening the front axle like this offers _very_ little gain to stability. The tractor will still pivot up near the radiator, don't see where you gained anything in stability.

The rear axle - now that is where you gain a lot of sability by widening it, and most compact tractors allow you to widen them out in various configurations. Go ahead and widen the rears.

Then, what helps stability even more than wider axles, is weight on the rear tires. Fill those rears with fluid, and you will have a very stable tractor. Can do wheel weights, but fluid is lower center of gravity & helps stability more.

The front axle, you added a whole lot of stress to the mechanism, while gaining practically nothing in stability because it pivots anyhow. The axle might last fine with it wider, but - why take the chance? Didn't gain anything for the risk involved.

That is my opinion.

--->Paul

 

[duwem]

These tractors are VERY narrow and tall, not the safest for loader or sidehill work for sure.

Guys at Valley Power told me that they see cracked front rims with guys filp them around.

 

[oliver28472]

My Buck 4wd has had both front rims reinforced due to cracks, and it does not have a loader. Edit: They have never been reversed.

 

[lens12]

Rambler has the best explanation . Not recommended by manufacture. Not recommended by insurance companies. It is good for wheel rim supplier since they crack even when not reversed.