Probably minor problems...

Bob_Trevithick · Dec 13, 2001

Hi Redsmoke,

Yes, I admit it.. I'm incredibly "****" about my new toy. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I'll get out the measuring tape when I get home and see what I can figure out. Probably I can adjust things so the arms are even. If I can't, will this be a serious problem? I'll be using a spreader, a 72" finish mower, a tiller, and a scoop.. if this matters.

Thanks.

Bob Trevithick

Bob_Trevithick · Dec 13, 2001

...If you have the R-4s on your 4300 the wheels are actually wider if the valve stems are toward the inside. The overall difference is only about 1.5". If you dont have R-4s then disregard this post.

Oddly enough, I do have the R4 tires. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Would 1.5" do anything significant for stability? Naively, I would think not.. but what do I know? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Thanks,
Bob

Bob Trevithick

MJB · Dec 13, 2001

It certainly will not hurt your stability. I turned mine around mainly in order to make more room between the tires and the fenders for the possible addition on tire chains. With the wheels reversed I have 2" between the tire sidewall and the closest part of the fender. This should be just enough room for chains if the links are not too big. I also flipped the brake rods around from the outside of the brackets to the inside to gain a little more tire clearance. As an added bonus I think the rear rims look better in the wide position./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

72% of all statistics are made up./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

beenthere · Dec 13, 2001

This is not a serious problem. Relax and enjoy that 4300.
Are you going to be working in brush? Sometimes the brush can hook the ring retainers and latch retainers holding pins in place, causing them to drop out. If the 3pt arms get loose, while having an attachment on the 3pt, there can be serious damage to the castings. I changed my pins to bolts with lock nuts, as I could not see any need to be able to 'quickly' remove the 3pt arms. I also changed the pins to bolts in the lift arms (that come off the rock shaft) where they attach to the 3pt arms. Lost one once when brush hooked onto the ring retainer and the pin dropped out.

Bob_Trevithick · Dec 13, 2001

Great point about brush snagging those pins! I don't anticipate being in much brush, but it's something to mull over. I like your solution. Maybe just keeping the pins but changing the retainers to something else.. even little padlocks might work.

This is the beauty of a board like this. I never would have thought of this as a potential problem!

Thanks, Beenthere!

Bob Trevithick

Bob_Trevithick · Dec 13, 2001

It certainly will not hurt your stability. I turned mine around mainly in order to make more room between the tires and the fenders for the possible addition on tire chains.

Did you mean a gain in width of 1.5" per tire, or total?

Is this a one-person job? Those wheels and tires sure look heavy! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I have the jack and jack stands to do this, if I can somehow wrestle the wheels into position long enough to get the bolts in. I would guess maybe a couple of buddys would be handy for this?

Thanks,
Bob

Bob Trevithick

MJB · Dec 13, 2001

That is about 1.5" total. I switched mine around by myself. I just used a floor jack to lift the rear end just barely enough to take the weight off of the tires. The wheels are heavy (mine are not loaded) but they are not very unstable because of their width. They will roll around on a cement floor quite easily. In order to keep the direction of rotation correct you will have to switch the tires from side to side. When you put the tires back on you just have to adjust the height of the tractor with the jack in order to line up the lugs without lifting the tire. I was able to switch mine in less than half an hour, and that included putting loctite on the lugs and re-torqueing to spec.

72% of all statistics are made up./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bob_Trevithick · Dec 13, 2001

... They will roll around on a cement floor quite easily.

Our new pole barn garage won't get its cement floor until next year.. I'm working on gravel. Still, I can imagine jacking it up, putting a jackstand under each side, then moving the jack to the side in question to adjust the height to line up the wheel bolts.

I guess some people prefer the narrow position, perhaps because then their implements, such as tillers, cover their tracks? I guess that could be important, but the ability to put chains on seems important too. My dealer told me there was no way I would ever need chains. In fact he said he sold one set to a guy who was insistent on having them, and ever since the guy has been trying to sell them. Of course this same dealer also told me there was no need for engine and hydraulic heaters in this climate (near Rochester NY.) All of this advice goes counter to what I've heard from virtually everybody else. I guess I'll just learn by the old trial and error method. I may not have long to wait; they are saying that between this coming Tuesday and the following one, we could get up to three feet of lake-effect snow. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bob

p.s. I didn't get the chains, but I did insist on the heaters!

Bob Trevithick

TerryinMD · Dec 13, 2001

Guys,

About being "****" and the sway bar adjustments. I too had to go throught the agony of figuring out how to adjust and make sure things were even. I have a 4100 and played around with mine for a couple of weeks before I got the silly things figured out. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

One would think that Deere would engineer the things to be "even" or symetrical. It's just not the case. I just played around with the adjustment until I got my implements to not interfere with my R4 tires. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

So don't worry about being too **** about your tractor. Sometimes it's better so that you avoid some small disaster or big repair bill. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Terry

Bob_Trevithick · Dec 13, 2001

Hi Terry,

...So don't worry about being too **** about your tractor. Sometimes it's better so that you avoid some small disaster or big repair bill. 

Okay, here's **** for you. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I can't get the fuse box door closed. I mean it simply will not close! It must have been closed at one point, because it didn't flap open on every bump.

I feel like an idiot.. it should be obvious, mechanically, how this silly thing works, but it isn't. /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

Any suggestions?

Oh, I did get the 3pt hitch stuff adjusted right, after I gave up my notion that the pins should be in the same holes on each side. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Thanks,
Bob

Bob Trevithick