Rear wheel spacers

[kenmbz]

I push a 7' angled blade through snow without any chains, got a few feet last year. Was more a worry of where to put the snow.
Chains would make the job faster, but with R4 I get reasonable traction and the driveway is not too steep.
I need to watch where it does have a slope across the driveway to make sure I don't go a bit sideways while pushing.

 

[hube2]

hube2 : Who recommends against front chains? Why ? Unless there is a clearance problem I cannot think of any valid reason not to use them.

My dealer, who's opinion I trust, and others as well. The front wheels when in 4WD are designed to turn faster than the rears and they are supposed to be able to slip a bit. This is why you're not supposed to be in 4WD on hard surfaces. Chains on the front will prevent the wheels from slipping just like when driving on pavement. This puts excessive stress on the front axle and can lead to failure.

As I said, some people use chains on the front, they are comfortable taking the risk. I am not.

 

[hube2]

Going back to the spacers, my dealer did not really recommend I use those either. But the service manager knows where I live and agreed that I really needed to have chains. There is a very small chance that the wheel spacers could reduce the life of my rear wheel bearings by a couple of years. But between the added stability on my hills and needing the chains this is a risk that I'm willing to take, especially since I have never read anything that leads me to believe that wheel spacers significantly reduce bearing life, only speculation that it could.

 

[JWR]

I do not buy "excessive stress on the front axle" due to chains nor the wheel bearing life reduction due to spacers either one. Kubota dealers sell spacers and approves them for use. There are thousands in use. I doubt that you can find a single case of premature front axle failure due to chains, esp. chains used in snow and ice. It is a judgement call and your pocketbook, not mine.

 

[LostMy65]

I ended up buying these.
SCITOO 2X 2 inch 5x114.3mm 5 Lug Wheel Spacers Adapters 5x4.5 to 5x4.5 1/2"x20 82.5mm CB fit for Ranger Mustang Explorer for Je-ep Grand for Cherokee https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGDW4LQ/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_FYTS947ST8DZ1E6NSYWZ

 

[LostMy65]

Got them installed.

 

[PILOON]

I've tried in vain to obtain spacers for my narrow CUT.

From my parts manual I know my rims are W8X18 rims but so far all those that I've contacted claim to not have the specs. Is there not standard spec documents out there like SAE that exists for most vehicles?
While I can measure, I'd not trust my accuracy enough to do so, nor do I wish to ship a rim 1/2 way across the country. Heck that would cost as much as spacers would.

 

[Dmacleo]

Got them installed.
View attachment 716928

any issues with massey using lug bolts instead of lug nuts?

 

[truenorth]

I'm in Canada and we get a lot of snow. Look at the picture and you'll get the idea. I now use chains on all four wheels and I have 4 inch spacers. Works well for me.

 

[truenorth]

Dave M., I ended up drilling out the wheel flange bolt holes and used bolts and nuts to hold the spacers on. The spacers loosened up and tore the threads out, so that was the best solution. Worked for years now.