front tires leaning out

crash325 · Apr 19, 2011

General Lee said:
Normal. Its called camber or "toe in" I haven't seen a 4wd tractor where the front tires didn't toe in. My L4400 is VERY noticeable.

There are 3 settings for the front wheels on almost every vehicle. Caster is what you see on shopping cart wheels. That is what centers the wheels if you let go of the steering wheel. Camber is the leaning of the tire & wheel. Almost always top leaning out. Under load the wheels tend to stand up straight. Toe in means that the front of the wheels is closer together than the back side. Moving forward the wheels push back to a straight ahead position.

That is all done because you have to have some play in the steering in order to move it and take care of Mfg. tolerances. Also without toe in, wheels go to toe out and if you have ever driven a vehicle with toe out chances are the steering wheel shook back and forth real bad.

Many old timers as things got worn and the steering wheel wobbled, just added a little more toe in. Of course I personally have never done that.

:laughing:

sandman2234 · Apr 19, 2011

Good explanation Crash!
I am glad you pointed out that camber and toe in aren't the same thing.
David from jax

deepNdirt · Apr 19, 2011

I'm certainly no expert on this subject

although I do have my point of view as to why the tires/wheels are designed to lean out, perhaps it has something to do with the axle center pivot point,

our Tractors are 99% used on uneven terrain, maybe the wheels are design this way to help compensate for axle pivot and tire steering traction

I use my tractor in deep plowed dirt all the time, and see the tires response to steering in dirt, If they stood straight or plumb then I would think the tires would slide into the dirt while trying to steer,

Mace Canute · Apr 19, 2011

Positive camber has the effect of placing the inner wheel bearing closer to or directly over the center of the tire contact point on the ground. This results in less load on the outer (and usually smaller) bearing and less load on the spindle as well. Kingpin angle is often designed to intersect the same ground contact spot to help eliminate steering scrub.

Gary Sweat · Apr 19, 2011

Never understood the need for the angles of tractor tires but here is what the service manual states:

Camber angle - serves to provide stability in steering and straight line performance.

Kingpin inclination - provided to reduce steering effort.

Caster angle - serves to improve directional stability.

Trail - distance between point at which an imaginary line extending from the axis of the kingpin intersects the ground and the point at which an imaginary line extending perpendicularly from the axis of the wheel intersects the ground :confused2:

Toe-in - Serves to improve directional stability. Because of the camber angle, the left and right front tires try to roll forward outwardly. This is prevented by the tie rods and so a certain amount of slippage is created at the ground surface and directional stability tends to be impaired. To remedy this, the toe-in is adjusted.