TX1300 / 1500 wheel and tyre combinations

dantnz · Feb 6, 2015

I have a bit of a conundrum here with my wheels and tyres with my TX1300F and TX1500.

I want to convert one of these to turf tyres and I have a pair of galaxy turf 12ll_16 tyres lying around that I would like to use on the rear of either the 1300f or 1500.

If I put them on the 1500 there is no problem as 2wd and the galaxy 's at 32.8 inch od are slightly smaller than the 8-18 rice paddy tyres currently on it.

However if the galaxies go on the 1300f, is that going to wreck the 4wd transfer system if it still has the standard turf size on the front?

Also, if the galaxies go on the 1500 then the obvious thing for me to do is stick the 8-18 rice paddy tyres on the 1300f. Will that cause problems? According to the spec sheet the tx1500f comes equipped so standard with 8-18 on the rear but the same rubber as the 1300f on the front. Is there any difference in transfer/diff ratios between the 1300f and 1500f?

dantnz · Feb 6, 2015

Should have mentioned that the 1300f tyres are currently ag tyres, but need replacing anyway.

Ilikeurtractor · Feb 6, 2015

The transmissions are identical in the 1300 and 1500. It is not uncommon to have the rear and front axles out of synchronization since, as you pointed out, it depends on tire circumference. Tire wear (and pressure) alone can cause measurable differences in the circumference of the tires especially when they are not the same size to begin with (rear tires will not wear as fast as fronts because they don't perform the same amount of revolutions the fronts need to when driving - other factors play into overall wear though of course). The main thing is to try to limit 4wd use to soft/slippery conditions to minimize the amount of wear and tear on the drive train and tires. When the 4wd is not engaged it won't affect the transmission even if the sizes are not sync'd. Now, I'm sure there is a point where the tires are so far off the sync'd value that it begins to cause practicality issues in use, but I'm guessing you're probably not near that.

dantnz · Feb 6, 2015

Thanks, that's pretty much my thinking too.

I'll just do it and see what happens.

Now the only decision is which one to make the turf tractor, the 4wd or 2wd?

At the moment I'm thinking the 2wd, although it does get used for a lot of rough paddock work- more worried about flats than getting stuck though.

NHmitch · Feb 13, 2015

Hi Dan!
It has been too long since I have posted on here. My one year old daughter has been in and out of Children's Hospital here in Boston for the better part of the last year so I unfortunately have not had a lot of extra time, however we are home, and she is doing well, so hopefully I can get back on here more often, and on my tractor! I just received a complete service manual for the TX1300/1500 that I ironically bought from the UK yesterday. The manual lists all of the specifications, and I looked at all of the sections, and I did not see any difference in the differential/gearing ratio between the two machines. There is a bit of tire difference, listed in detail in the two photos from my manual, however I am not sure that this will make that much of a difference for the swap that you are considering. I have seen the TX1300, TX1500, and even the TX1000 all for sale with the original R2 rice paddy tires, and all the same size. I know that this does not speak to the condition of the gears in the tractor, however there is not a significant difference in weight, and the RPM that the tires are rotating at will change based on the speed that the tractor is traveling at regardless of the tire size, noting there will be a difference in RPM between tire sizes, but I wouldn't image it would create enough stress to be an issue. I have looked at other Japanese tractors from the same period, and it looks like Kubota's, and possibly other brands use the exact same front differentials, they all have different tire dimensions. I may be off on this, but I think you should be fine.

I hope all is well across the pond!! It has been bitterly cold here with temperatures near -40f with the wind (-40c). We have about 32 inches of snow on the ground with drifts close to 5 feet tall. I have had to use the tractor to move snow banks this week, being very careful not to get stuck. Thank god for 4wd! I hope this helps a bit, and please let me know if there are any other parts of the manual you need!

Kind Regards,
Mitch

dantnz said:
I have a bit of a conundrum here with my wheels and tyres with my TX1300F and TX1500.

I want to convert one of these to turf tyres and I have a pair of galaxy turf 12ll_16 tyres lying around that I would like to use on the rear of either the 1300f or 1500.

If I put them on the 1500 there is no problem as 2wd and the galaxy 's at 32.8 inch od are slightly smaller than the 8-18 rice paddy tyres currently on it.

However if the galaxies go on the 1300f, is that going to wreck the 4wd transfer system if it still has the standard turf size on the front?

Also, if the galaxies go on the 1500 then the obvious thing for me to do is stick the 8-18 rice paddy tyres on the 1300f. Will that cause problems? According to the spec sheet the tx1500f comes equipped so standard with 8-18 on the rear but the same rubber as the 1300f on the front. Is there any difference in transfer/diff ratios between the 1300f and 1500f?

dantnz · Feb 14, 2015

Mitch, good to hear from you and glad to hear your daughter is doing well. Nothing worse than your children being ill, especially seriously.

I've pretty much settled on converting my 2wd TX1500 into a grass tractor by putting these Galaxy turf 12ll-16 tyres on the back, but I have my doubts that they will fit the Iseki 16 inch rims. The current tyres have an 8 inch section width and the Galaxys have a 12 inch width.

The rims the galaxys are on now are off a bigger tractor, so I guess the alternative would be to make up (or get made) some pcd adapters to mate up the iseki centres to the bigger rim. Don't have the tools to work with plate steel so it could cost a bit to some machined up.

Rod in Forfar · Feb 28, 2015

If it's any help, my Bolens G174 (TX1500) equipped with turf tires needs 4WD quite a lot while running a 48" Woods finishing mover on its 3 pt hitch and even more 4WD use when trying to turn a 48" rotary cutter. For 2WD use I would go with a more aggressive tread pattern. Of course front weights and overrunning clutch are critical to its safe operation on the rotary cutter, as well.