Tire Selection Zetor 4340 rear tires

[CaptainBillUSMC]

Hello! New to the forum. I知 considering buying a Zetor 4340 MFWD. One of the things I noticed was that the rear tires are different. The left tire is a 16 9 28. The right is an 18 4 28. Should I be concerned about that? Is this a safety issue? Will I be able to buy another 16 9 28 without having to buy a new rim? Any insight you all have would be greatly appreciated. Should say I don稚 have any plans at the moment to drive on the roads. Manly just rolling pastures. On occasion might drive down my gravel driveway with a box blade.

Thanks in advance!

 

[rScotty]

I like Zetors. Not the most sophisticated design - and they do screwy things like square brake cylinders & seals ...but what I like is that they at least try to make a tractor designed to be owner maintained. They should have gotten their spare parts availability working smoothly by now. But check that.

Well, that's weird about the wheels and tires. Don't know as I've run across that one.... What bothers me when I do come up against something done like is wondering what other ignorant maintenace or abuse has it had? You might be able to tell a lot by looking at his other equipment.

Did he have to put that odd wheel on just until a flat got fixed? If so, it means nothing....anyone might do that.
Or did he actually use put it on and plan on using it that way? Which one would tell me a lot about how he looks at machinery.

Of course there is always the off chance that even though the sizes are different, those two tires will cover the same amount of ground per revolution and that is what counts....and maybe they do. If you want to, it's easy enough to check by putting a blob of white paint on each tire and driving down a straight road. See if the paint marks you leave on the pavement are roughly even for both wheels. They won't be exact unless you steer perfectly, but they should more or less average out.

If the paint marks show consistently different distances traveled by one tire, it means one tire & axle is traveling farther than the other and that means that the differential is making up the difference in revolutions. Of course making up the difference is what a differential does, but how many hours has it been doing that extra work? It could mean some wear or very little. On the plus side, a tractor rear differential is real rugged and made to work lopsided like that while doing jobs like plowing, so it it isn't necessarily bad, just something to think about. Like I said, oddball wheels may say more about the owner than the tractor. At the least I'd listen carefully to the differential, try the brakes independently, and see if the diff lock works well.

And if it was my tractor I'd plan on a couple of new tires and at least one rim to fit if needed..
And I'd look at the wiring. Is it original factory wiring or have repairs been done well? I say that because it's been my experience that looking at wiring repairs tells me a whole lot about the mechanical craftsmanship of the owner.
good luck,
rScotty

 

[CaptainBillUSMC]

Thanks for the reply. In the next 2 yrs or so I will need new tires. I don稚 necessarily want to buy a new rim. But from what you are saying there is little chance that the rims are the same? They look to be the same width or similar just not the same height. If that痴 the case I might pass on the tractor.

Unfortunately, I don稚 much about the previous owner. He traded in this tractor to a dealer. The dealer is now selling it and I知 considering it. The dealer knows nothing about Zetors. The only electrical issue I致e seen is the turn signals don稚 work.

Thanks again for your input. I値l have to look further into the differential thing.

 

[rScotty]

Thanks for the reply. In the next 2 yrs or so I will need new tires. I don稚 necessarily want to buy a new rim. But from what you are saying there is little chance that the rims are the same? They look to be the same width or similar just not the same height. If that痴 the case I might pass on the tractor.

Unfortunately, I don稚 much about the previous owner. He traded in this tractor to a dealer. The dealer is now selling it and I知 considering it. The dealer knows nothing about Zetors. The only electrical issue I致e seen is the turn signals don稚 work.

Thanks again for your input. I値l have to look further into the differential thing.

Most rims have their rim size info stamped into the rim ...usually by the outer edge. See if these say the same.

Here is what I wonder...Are you a person who enjoys doing his own mechanical work? Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Do you have tools? Are you comfortable with shop manuals? Do you like to read about mechanical things? Some do; some don't.... and some have a buddy with these talents. That works too. Or a tractor like that can also work well if you are a person who wants to learn these skills.

I'm one of those do-it-yourself guys who does a bit of everything and I prefer working on old simple machinery like some people like crossword puzzles....but that's me. And what I'm saying reflects that bias. You have to be honest with yourself. Don't get an off-brand if you aren't interested in those skills.

There are a lot of good tractors out there that don't have a handy dealer and mechanical guys can pick them up for very, very good prices just because they don't have much dealer backing. That doesn't mean they aren't good tractors....but it does mean you will end up doing your own work and the price should reflect that. As should your own expectations..
rScotty

 

[CaptainBillUSMC]

Thanks again for the reply. I enjoy tinkering. I致e worked on my boat and vehicles before. When I was in the Marine Corps I was in charge of maintenance on almost a Billion dollars worth of fighter planes. I知 intrigued by the thought of doing my own maintenance. I知 not intrigued at all with spending tons of money, but I知 happy to do the work.

The rims are the same I found out. The tires are just different so the tractor isn稚 level. I知 concerned about safety of operating a tractor that isn稚 level and of course I知 concerned about the differential. Repacking a diff means tearing into the rear end and that痴 beyond my capabilities.

Thanks again!

Most rims have their rim size info stamped into the rim ...usually by the outer edge. See if these say the same.

Here is what I wonder...Are you a person who enjoys doing his own mechanical work? Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Do you have tools? Are you comfortable with shop manuals? Do you like to read about mechanical things? Some do; some don't.... and some have a buddy with these talents. That works too. Or a tractor like that can also work well if you are a person who wants to learn these skills.

I'm one of those do-it-yourself guys who does a bit of everything and I prefer working on old simple machinery like some people like crossword puzzles....but that's me. And what I'm saying reflects that bias. You have to be honest with yourself. Don't get an off-brand if you aren't interested in those skills.

There are a lot of good tractors out there that don't have a handy dealer and mechanical guys can pick them up for very, very good prices just because they don't have much dealer backing. That doesn't mean they aren't good tractors....but it does mean you will end up doing your own work and the price should reflect that. As should your own expectations..
rScotty

 

[rScotty]

Thanks again for the reply. I enjoy tinkering. I致e worked on my boat and vehicles before. When I was in the Marine Corps I was in charge of maintenance on almost a Billion dollars worth of fighter planes. I知 intrigued by the thought of doing my own maintenance. I知 not intrigued at all with spending tons of money, but I知 happy to do the work.

The rims are the same I found out. The tires are just different so the tractor isn稚 level. I知 concerned about safety of operating a tractor that isn稚 level and of course I知 concerned about the differential. Repacking a diff means tearing into the rear end and that痴 beyond my capabilities.

Thanks again!

I don't want to give the wrong idea. Differential wear is what is possible with different size tires, but that doesn't mean it has happened. I still think that the odd tires say more about the previous owner than the tractor. And then there's this: I can't think of the last ime I've ever heard of a tractor having a problem with the rear end - regardless of abuse. If it drives around in a tight circle without clanking noises and you can use the wheel brakes without it complaining too much I don't think I'd worry about the rear end. I'd check it with those tests, but expect it to pass.

On used tractors, the first thing that comes up for maintenance is filters and fluids, followed by starter and battery - maybe alternator. After that come hoses for both hydraulic and water. Clean out the fuel tank of course or put on an extra filter in line there. For 4wd, the first mechanical maintenance item is likely to be the front drive shaft U joints followed by the front axle seals. Power brake cylinder seals leaking used to be a weakness of Zetor; I wonder if they fixed that? As you can see from the list, none of this is fatal.... just normal routine upkeep for a tractor that is basically designed with a motor and running gear that will last a lifetime. Motors, transmission, and clutch.... if they operate without bad noises, they will probably operate just the same for a long time.

And check the PTO. People do tend to beat up PTOs.... So check that out for sure. The best tractors have an independent engagement and a PTO clutch back by the PTO shaft. Both are operator activated & entirely separated from the main transmission clutch. That's for taking up the the load gradually instead of just slamming into it.
PTO's also have either an external or internal over-running one-way automatic clutch. In some Ag tractors, the entire PTO - including both PTO clutches - is accessible at the rear of the tractor in case it needs service. European tractors traditionally use the PTO a lot, so their tendency has been to make it easily serviceable but check that out. Of course best news would be that the PTO works normally. Most do. They tend to last as long as the rest of the tractor.

I was surprised when Zetors didn't become more popular in the US. They certainly are popular in a lot of the rest of the world.
Back when Zetor was on the short list of tractors I was looking at, what impressed me was how rugged they were. That in addition to their simplicity. And the ones with the cab were really nice. I'm not a cab guy, but they do have a very nice cab. Shows a lot of thought. In fact, their whole basic design shows thought.
rScotty

 

[CaptainBillUSMC]

Thanks again.

So either today or tomorrow I知 going to go for another look at it. I知 going to check the diff fluid and see if it has metal parts in it. I知 also going to do what you suggested and mark the tires.

PTo is fine. It has a 540/1000 PTo. Clutch doesn稚 work though. There is the engagement handle under the seat. Then there Is the clutch handle which is broken next to the driver on the left. Clutch does not work, but according to the tractor, it痴 just a clutch to temporarily disengage the PTO for a few mins, I guess while you get off the seat or something.

Replacing tires this early was not a part of the plan. If he will come down off the price I値l buy it. But these back tires are expensive. And if he starts messing with the size of the tires it could throw off the entire 4wd because all both sets of tires must be the correct match.

Thanks again!

I don't want to give the wrong idea. Differential wear is what is possible with different size tires, but that doesn't mean it has happened. I still think that the odd tires say more about the previous owner than the tractor. And then there's this: I can't think of the last ime I've ever heard of a tractor having a problem with the rear end - regardless of abuse. If it drives around in a tight circle without clanking noises and you can use the wheel brakes without it complaining too much I don't think I'd worry about the rear end. I'd check it with those tests, but expect it to pass.

On used tractors, the first thing that comes up for maintenance is filters and fluids, followed by starter and battery - maybe alternator. After that come hoses for both hydraulic and water. Clean out the fuel tank of course or put on an extra filter in line there. For 4wd, the first mechanical maintenance item is likely to be the front drive shaft U joints followed by the front axle seals. Power brake cylinder seals leaking used to be a weakness of Zetor; I wonder if they fixed that? As you can see from the list, none of this is fatal.... just normal routine upkeep for a tractor that is basically designed with a motor and running gear that will last a lifetime. Motors, transmission, and clutch.... if they operate without bad noises, they will probably operate just the same for a long time.

And check the PTO. People do tend to beat up PTOs.... So check that out for sure. The best tractors have an independent engagement and a PTO clutch back by the PTO shaft. Both are operator activated & entirely separated from the main transmission clutch. That's for taking up the the load gradually instead of just slamming into it.
PTO's also have either an external or internal over-running one-way automatic clutch. In some Ag tractors, the entire PTO - including both PTO clutches - is accessible at the rear of the tractor in case it needs service. European tractors traditionally use the PTO a lot, so their tendency has been to make it easily serviceable but check that out. Of course best news would be that the PTO works normally. Most do. They tend to last as long as the rest of the tractor.

I was surprised when Zetors didn't become more popular in the US. They certainly are popular in a lot of the rest of the world.
Back when Zetor was on the short list of tractors I was looking at, what impressed me was how rugged they were. That in addition to their simplicity. And the ones with the cab were really nice. I'm not a cab guy, but they do have a very nice cab. Shows a lot of thought. In fact, their whole basic design shows thought.
rScotty