Wheel spacing

[Laminarman]

I have had my TC40A for about ten years now and the entire time I've had it, I have used it with the rear wheels "dished out" and with wheel weights (I think 250 per wheel. I also have industrial, not ag, tires since I mow with it. When I first got the machine I feared I would roll it on the slopes on my property, and surely I have some dangerous areas I stay off of. Particularly mowing the crown of the field going parallel to the hill I could get into trouble. So after a week with it I called the dealer and had them dish out the wheels.

Fast forward now ten years to today, and I'm JUST starting to realize what a PIA this is. It wreaks havoc with plowing, planter spacing and tilling not to mention it just looks goofy. I think if I went back to the factory setting it would help my plowing and I could use implements in the garden (ie garden bedder) and not have that issue. I guess I'm still worried about a roll over, and for the simple reason of weight I was even thinking of a second tractor that was much heavier (as in 6,000 pounds) for plowing/planting/tilling and leaving this as my mowing tractor.

I'm not sure what I'm expecting for an answer because I haven't asked a question! But I guess maybe is anyone else worried about roll overs or does everyone live on pancake flat land? Would having my tires filled help instead of wheel weights? Thanks in advance.

 

[corey9212]

I will be getting my new tractor soon and my pasture as two hills that are quite steep (one of them has a creek at the bottom) and both give pucker factors on my older smaller tractor, I have the wheels set factory position as well and am wandering the same thing (keep them factory and be able to do other things or make them wider for mowing and stability in the hill.) I mean besides going up and down (cause the way my hills are up and down won't work) what else can we do for stability. I will be watching this thread closely to see the replies.

 

[Laminarman]

So far you're the only response and you haven't helped me at all! Just joking. I have the same thing. One hillside slopes towards a hill that is tough to walk up even hanging onto trees. Rolling ten yards and hitting that edge, even strapped in, would be very bad indeed.

 

[DT86]

There should be al least 3 different ways to space the rear wheels. It sounds like you went from the narrowest setting to the absolute widest. I could be wrong, I have been before! Can you include a picture of what they look like now?

 

[CliffordK]

You should be able to rearrange the tires yourself. It would depend somewhat on whether you are on flat land or hilly land. I just flipped my front tires "wide" a few days ago, and will probably do the rears as soon as I'm done tilling the garden.

To get the right V tread pattern, you can swap the tires side to side if necessary.

 

[Laminarman]

There should be al least 3 different ways to space the rear wheels. It sounds like you went from the narrowest setting to the absolute widest. I could be wrong, I have been before! Can you include a picture of what they look like now?

I can post a photo hopefully in a few days, working sunup to sundown tomorrow. I don't think I have a photo from the angles you'd need. Thank you.

 

[Laminarman]

You should be able to rearrange the tires yourself. It would depend somewhat on whether you are on flat land or hilly land. I just flipped my front tires "wide" a few days ago, and will probably do the rears as soon as I'm done tilling the garden.

To get the right V tread pattern, you can swap the tires side to side if necessary.

Interesting...I'll have to look at the fronts.

 

[Harold_J]

Interesting...I'll have to look at the fronts.

I'm assuming your TC40A is 4WD although I know it was also available 2WD. If it is 4WD I don't think you can do much with the front wheels. 2WD might have some adjustment.

Are you saying you've been running it with the rears set wider than the fronts? Well we know that won't work in the garden or with a plow. If the front doesn't track with the back it would also seem to be a PIA in snow and mud. Can you set up the rears so that the inside edge of the rear tires lines up with the inside of the fronts? If you can do that and the center-to-center of the rears ends up around 52-56 inches plus or minus you should be able to run a plow and work in the garden.

If you can't adjust the front as wide as you need for plowing you can do what my neighbor did. He had some spacers made up out of well casing pipe and steel plate drilled for the bolt patterns to widen his Kubota L 4WD. Painted Kubota orange it looks good and works good.

For some reason the manufacturers don't like to make the front thread adjustable on 4WD CUTs, but they give you adjustment on the rears. Yet like with NH if you buy a Workmaster or TN 4WD the front has all kind of adjustment because the front wheels have loops just like the rear. I wonder if they do this because the front axle is weak and they don't want it widened, or maybe they just figure that buyers of CUTs don't care about the wheel spacing and will never want to change it.

Do you have liquid ballast in the tires? That would help to lower the center of gravity and make less tippy.

 

[Laminarman]

I'm assuming your TC40A is 4WD although I know it was also available 2WD. If it is 4WD I don't think you can do much with the front wheels. 2WD might have some adjustment.

Are you saying you've been running it with the rears set wider than the fronts? Well we know that won't work in the garden or with a plow. If the front doesn't track with the back it would also seem to be a PIA in snow and mud. Can you set up the rears so that the inside edge of the rear tires lines up with the inside of the fronts? If you can do that and the center-to-center of the rears ends up around 52-56 inches plus or minus you should be able to run a plow and work in the garden.

If you can't adjust the front as wide as you need for plowing you can do what my neighbor did. He had some spacers made up out of well casing pipe and steel plate drilled for the bolt patterns to widen his Kubota L 4WD. Painted Kubota orange it looks good and works good.

For some reason the manufacturers don't like to make the front thread adjustable on 4WD CUTs, but they give you adjustment on the rears. Yet like with NH if you buy a Workmaster or TN 4WD the front has all kind of adjustment because the front wheels have loops just like the rear. I wonder if they do this because the front axle is weak and they don't want it widened, or maybe they just figure that buyers of CUTs don't care about the wheel spacing and will never want to change it.

Do you have liquid ballast in the tires? That would help to lower the center of gravity and make less tippy.

Harold, this is the kind of response I've been waiting for. Thank you. No, the front doesn't go any wider, and yes it stinks in snow and mud even though it's 4WD. I might have the dealer change the rears so they track and see if that helps, and go slow with the mowing and not the tip the thing. I have wheel weights on the rear is all now, I think 250 lbs per tire. Thank you so much.

 

[Harold_J]

Harold, this is the kind of response I've been waiting for. Thank you. No, the front doesn't go any wider, and yes it stinks in snow and mud even though it's 4WD. I might have the dealer change the rears so they track and see if that helps, and go slow with the mowing and not the tip the thing. I have wheel weights on the rear is all now, I think 250 lbs per tire. Thank you so much.

Wheel weights are good but liquid in the tires, besides the additional weight for traction also places the weight mass closer to the ground, hence lower CG; you might want to consider that.

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't see you had already mentioned about the wheel weights in your original post.