Tires The last word on flipping tires.

[dcyrilc]

I have to agree with you on the Foam filled tires. The ground is supporting the tires, the weight of the tires is a non issue. The only concern I have heard was that the tires have a lot less give in them, so you get a rougher ride. I am willing to risk it.

To some degree this is true, however it also is affected by which foam is used and how fast you drive. I have 8 forward speeds and almost never have any reason to go above third gear (8-10 MPH if even that fast).

 

[davygp38]

As some one pointed out, you need to adjust your wheels to fit the rows so the fronts match the back. If they dont allow you to move the fronts, then I guess the tractor was only meant for FEL work or mowing and you need another tractor for gardening. Better hang on to the old D17 or 8N. I have been running my Yanmar 4220D with the wheels turned out for nearly 3 years and no problems. It does steer differently with them turned out, but I challenge anyone including manufacturer to prove that it causes more stress on the axle. The force on the axle acts like a simple lever, pushing one way and pulling the other. It cant put any more force on the axle than the amount of dish in the rim. If you added spacers to the axles like some folks have to do with the SCUTs for chain clearance etc. then you would put more stresses on the axle. A tractor with no adjustment to wheel base has very limited uses as a tractor. Just my H.O.

I sold the D17 two years ago. I was always fixing something on it. The power steering on it was starting to go, and that was far beyond my skill. As far as another tractor for planting Who knows, you can't have too many.

 

[crazyal]

Doesn't the front axle pivot in the center? I'm not sure you'll get much out of making it wider.

 

[Reg]

There are several threads of thought going through here...

For use as a field tractor, row spacing matters.
For use as a loader you might want R4s on the front.
Some manuals warn that the front hubs/axles warn against the outside position.
(whatever we may think about the manufacturer's stress analysis)

I'm thinking Swiss Army Knife again (-:
CUTS are compromises, SAKs have limitations; when using any tool, fold all other tools away.

When cultivating row crops remove the loader, use R1s and either set the spacing to match your rows - or your rows to match your tires (NOT generally recommended).

Yes, the front axle typically pivots - at some point it runs out and the wider the stance the better chance you have of returning to the upright position.
Whether or not a couple of inches makes a critical difference in a particular case is debatable.

 

[davygp38]

Doesn't the front axle pivot in the center? I'm not sure you'll get much out of making it wider.

My thinking on the front Axel pivot, is that it is all relative. For example,if the distance between the outside of the tires was 72 inches before flipping, and it is 76 inches after flipping, that increase is still going to add stability regardless of the Axel pivot. The front Axel does not pivot all that much, and at some point it stops. It is at that point that you get the benefit of the wider stance. Your point about "not getting much out of making it wider," is the problem. Is the benefits of a wider stance worth the chance of damaging the machine, and costing me money. If I were following my normal practice of getting a new machine every five years, I would do it. In the case of this tractor, I was going to keep it for a long while. I am thinking I will put the tires on dish in, and see how it goes.

 

[slowzuki]

Not opinion but fact, increasing the offset increases the load on the wheel bearings. So dishing out is harder on wheel bearings. I won't teach you static load analysis but as an example, take a 5 lb weight in each hand, and hold them by your chest, then stretch your arms out as wide as you can.

Which one stresses your muscles more? The wider one.

OK, I am going to toss out a speculative theory that by flipping the tire on a dished rim that you dont put any extra stress on the axle.

 

[V1Rotate]

Rearding stabilty
Just to make a point, let's suppose that you could widen your front end to make it 10 feet wider on each side. If the left front wheel dropped into a deep hole the axle would pivot until it reached its limit of travel. If the other tire were located directly under the centerline of the tractor (which it wouldn't be) there would be little or no force to make the tractor want to roll over. But because the front axle is now so long, the leverage from the right front tire will exert a large amount of force that would try to roll the tractor over.
So widening the front end may not increase stability if a tire drops into a hole. However, if a rear tire drops into a hole, a wider front end would definitely offer more lateral support and help keep the machine upright.

 

[davygp38]

Regarding stability
Just to make a point, let's suppose that you could widen your front end to make it 10 feet wider on each side. If the left front wheel dropped into a deep hole the axle would pivot until it reached its limit of travel. If the other tire were located directly under the centerline of the tractor (which it wouldn't be) there would be little or no force to make the tractor want to roll over. But because the front axle is now so long, the leverage from the right front tire will exert a large amount of force that would try to roll the tractor over.
So widening the front end may not increase stability if a tire drops into a hole. However, if a rear tire drops into a hole, a wider front end would definitely offer more lateral support and help keep the machine upright.

I disagree. A longer axle will not cause the tractor to flip, if it is centered on the pivot point. Using your theory, any size Axel would cause a flip, if the other side went into a hole. as far as balance goes, it is all relative. If you have a ten foot Axel, or a 100 foot Axel, as long as you are located at dead center, you are balanced. In point of fact, if your tire was located under the direct centerline of the tractor,as you stated it would make it much more likely to flip over.

 

[Soundguy]

not to mention that the longer the axle is from center, thathe less drop seen at center when the tire falls into a hole. that parallel line thing vs hypotenuse.. etc.

soundguy

 

[slowzuki]

Wider front axle increases stability when you use your tractor on very steep side hills, and going over bumps at speed, but its not nearly as important as the rear. If you start to roll, the oscillation stop on the front axle will only catch you if you were barely going to roll. It won't stop a good bump induced roll or if the hill is just too steep for the rear tire spacing.