L2250 Broken Spindle
- Thread starter bjorn773
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rbargeron
Elite Member
On most machines below 50-70 hp front wheel width spacing is generally not designed to be adjustable. (Older row-crop 2wd have adjustment)
The rear wheels on most tractors, are intended to have adjustable width. In your picture the rears do appear the be at their max width - center dish and rim ring assembled at widest. Widening the rear stance can be good for stability on slopes, loader work, etc. but widening the front has little effect because the axle pivots in the center anyway.
This is great info... I really appreciate it. I'll reverse the front wheels... looks like side to side to keep the tread heading the correct direction. Is there any disadvantage to the wide stance in back? I have a 60" brush mower and it doesn't quite cover the rear wheels. Does it really matter?
JWR
Elite Member
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- MF 2660 LP, 3 Kubota B2150, Kubota BX2200, MH Pacer, Gravely 5660, etc.
Agree. I like the Rbargeron approach. Cut the 1/2" plate to fit rough and then be sure it clears everything. Then trim the plate as needed and drill the holes. You did not say what exactly broke. From the picture all I could see broken was the ear for the steering knuckle. True? If that is the case there was one heck of a large force on the steering gear to break that casting. I'd be inclined to think that the muck you were down in was such that your trying to move the tractor back and forth broke off the ear rather than "normal" steering forces. I'd look around to see what else was overstressed. By the way, when you go for the longer bolts, take along one of the originals and make sure they both screw easily into a matching nut. I have found Kubota frame, mower mount, and other bolts to sometimes be "non-standard finer threads" besides being metric. Impossible to tell just looking at them.
I got the tractor back to the shop yesterday with the help of a winch and lots of different trees. The steering actually broke first... I was mowing thru the woods, hitting small fallen saplings occasionally. I've been out there many times in the last few days trying to find the missing piece. Nothing in the vicinity appears big enough that I would think would stress it. Obviously, I'm wrong... the extra stress from the wheels being reversed could not have helped. It is only the ear for the tie rod end that broke off. I'll try today with a metal detector, otherwise I'll cut a plate and fab one up. I ended up in the mud trying to limp it back several acres to my shop.