tricycle front end and safety

[blackie65]

I have been around wide front tractors and have a L3410 Kubota that I use quite often. My FIL recently passed away and we now have a IH Super M. I have read (and learned) quite a bit about safety from this forum. I was wondering what I need to be aware of with the tricycle front end. This M runs and I am wanting to get her back to work. Probably just pulling trailers and wagons. FIL used it mainly for running an elevator during harvest and pulling the occasional hopper wagon. Also, What is the shifting pattern ie: where is reverse?

 

[MikeInEburg]

As always, let common sense prevail. These tractors were made for row cropping in relatively flat terrain, not pulling firewood off of the hillside. That said, they are work horses built for endurance.

Where is reverse? On my old machine it was between 2nd & 4th - essentially straight back toward operator seat. Often the shift pattern was molded into the top of transmission housing.

Good luck!
Mike

 

[jlsmith]

I ran a trik for years and they are great tractors but be carefull on the hills, alittle unstable and tricky loading on trailers. Good luck:thumbsup:

 

[blackie65]

I ran a trik for years and they are great tractors but be carefull on the hills, alittle unstable and tricky loading on trailers. Good luck:thumbsup:

Are you talking about running parallel with a hill or going up and down at 90 degrees?

 

[flyingcow]

hold steering wheel with your thumbs out.:thumbsup: trust me.

 

[jlsmith]

Are you talking about running parallel with a hill or going up and down at 90 degrees?

Actully both. If your not use to the tractor i would even try running parallel on a hillside, one little hole and you could possible flip.

 

[jlsmith]

And like flyingcow said dont have your thumbs tucked in the steering wheel. I found out the hard way. (Twice) :laughing:

 

[flyingcow]

As a kid, I've yarded tree length wood with a narrow front end Farmall. Some of the stuff we did as kids.......... Yard wood... thumbs out, look back in case you hooked a stump or something, keep foot ready to throw clutch when you did. What to he!! were we thinking! :confused2:

 

[sweettractors]

Most of those were on 38 inch rear tires and like has been said are a pretty high center of gravity tractor. We always widen our back tires out to 8 ft for added stability. Ken Sweet

 

[Eagleview]

Would I be correct in saying that they would be as stable as a wide front tractor UNTIL one rear wheel came off the ground ? A wide front tractor pivots in the center of the front axle the same as the other would pivot on it's narrow tyres . The difference being that the wide front tractor would eventually come against the stops on the chassis and possibly stabilise at that point .

 

[sweettractors]

Would I be correct in saying that they would be as stable as a wide front tractor UNTIL one rear wheel came off the ground ? A wide front tractor pivots in the center of the front axle the same as the other would pivot on it's narrow tyres . The difference being that the wide front tractor would eventually come against the stops on the chassis and possibly stabilise at that point .

I think if both tractors were on 38 inch rear rubber, there would not be a lot of difference. The higher center of gravity is what gets you. I have turned 2 over and both were narrow fronts. One on 34 inch and the other on 28 inch. Ken Sweet

 

[grnspot110]

I grew up on two-cylinder JD's, all were narrow front. As Mike said "let common sense prevail". To me, stability of narrow front tractors has been blown out of proportion! They'll all turn over if put it the right circumstance! I really don't feel that the narrow fronts are any worse than wide, when used properly!

I've only come close to turning one over once. Just being a "dumb" teenager, I was driving a "B" JD through a brushy pasture (in road gear), when I hit a hidden stump with a back tire! Didn't roll, but close. A wide front would probably broken the front wheel off when it hit the stump & thrown me off the tractor & under it! Either way, it wasn't the fault of the tractor!!! ~~ grnspot110

 

[Soundguy]

hold steering wheel with your thumbs out.:thumbsup: trust me.

that's one thing I like about ford rc steering gears. has a worm driving a gear directly. power xmit from front tire to steering wheel is hard.

I love my rc's. I have a 740 950 and a 951 all NF.. one with a single tire. have a couple wide front and offset rc's as well. I like them better than an ag chassie. better stering by 100%

almost forgot the JB-B

soundguy

 

[tessiers]

grnspot110 is right on the money, if you have tipped to the point of the front end stops you are going all the way wide front or not. The steering issue is a valid one, a gofer hole in the wrong spot could force you to turn in an undesirable direction but take it easy and pay attention. I have a 41 farmall H and reverse is far left and up, shifting patter I think is the same for H or M. I love my H, every year we make 1000 or so bales of hay and I climb on the H while my 05' JD sits in the yard, for loader work the 4x4 power steering rules but for farming I like the Farmall.

Good Luck!!!

 

[willfick]

H and M both have five forward, one reverse:
R 2 4
- N -
1 3 5

All the decals are still available, including the one with the shift pattern. My favorite has always been the one that warns you to lock the brake petals together before running in high gear. Every time I see it I think about riding down a dirt road wide open throttle and stomping the left hand brake petal. Gives me a little shiver.
Wm

 

[DonWorrell]

I never owned a wide front end until 2006. I have almost flipped on over backwards but never came near tipped on over on its side. Just use common sense!

Don

 

[Soundguy]

an increasingly uncommon commodity these days it seems some times!

soundguy

 

[Eagleview]

grnspot110 is right on the money, if you have tipped to the point of the front end stops you are going all the way wide front or not.

I often have my tractor on the stops , carrying awkward lengths of trees to burn piles will see me on 3 wheels many times a day . A narrow front tractor would only do this once before having an unscheduled oil change .

 

[slowzuki]

They are actually more tippy even before a wide front hits the stops. Whenever a nfe leans over on a side hill or bump/uneven ground, the engine (the rough centre of mass in front) is further offset from the pivot (the tire at the ground) than a wfe (at the axle pivot).

So on a tilt table, the same tractor model with a nfe will lift a back tire before the wfe.

 

[wolc123]

Narrow front tractors are very handy. An experienced operator can do many jobs better on a narrow front. The ability to turn on a dime at the end of the field is a huge advantage when cultivating. This is done by applying light pressure to the inside brake while turning the wheel. I love my narrow front tractor in the woods where forward visibility is much better without the front tires and axle blocking the view of stumps, etc. and added manuverability is a big plus. Better weight distribution also reduces soil damage and ruts while dragging logs. They are also a lot better for operating pull-type discs (I hate 3-points) and other equipment in tight quarters due to much smaller turning radius (0"). Without question they are far more dangerous on hills or around ditches especially where gopher homes may be a problem. Drop a rear into one of them with a narrow-front and nothing stops you from laying her over. A wide front tractor will harmlessly drop a front in before the rear ever gets to it. I wouldnt have one if my farm were hilly or had lots of gopher holes. Luckily I have niether and therefore will run narrow fronts as long as I can find an old one that runs. You can also fit more of them into a barn than wide-fronts by alternating directions. The bottom line is, they are not as safe for an inexperienced operator but are ok for someone who knows what they are doing. The learning curve for safe operation is a lot steeper than for a wide front. You dont throw your kid the keys one day and put him to work on one with no training, as you can probably get away with on most modern tractors. If the kid survives the training though, there may come a day when he can do many jobs better than he could on a wide-front.