Driving tractor on the highway

[econometrics]

Thanks for the tips there, Gary.

I will have to take some video to show you all next time I'm on the road. Probably this weekend.

 

[foreman Etexas]

I run the highways/FM roads a lot up to 16mph to my lease place around 10miles,it rides smooth,my rears are loaded also...

 

[bigbull338]

check the air pressure in your tires.an if they are low air them up to your book specs for your tractor.

 

[econometrics]

check the air pressure in your tires.an if they are low air them up to your book specs for your tractor.

On that note... here's a question I have wondered... do you fill your tires with air even if they are already filled with water / antifreeze?

 

[Midniteoyl]

Yes..

 

[econometrics]

Yes..

Good to know! Thanks!

 

[RoyJackson]

On that note... here's a question I have wondered... do you fill your tires with air even if they are already filled with water / antifreeze?

Filled rear tires aren't 100% liquid...it's normally between 50% and 75%. That air volume has to be regulated as well...just jack the rear of your tractor (draw bar bracket is a good place) so the bottom of the tires are about 1/4 inch off the ground. Then rotate the tire so the valve is at 12:00 O'Clock and check the pressure. It's better to use an air-liquid tire gage for this.

 

[econometrics]

Filled rear tires aren't 100% liquid...it's normally between 50% and 75%. That air volume has to be regulated as well...just jack the rear of your tractor (draw bar bracket is a good place) so the bottom of the tires are about 1/4 inch off the ground. Then rotate the tire so the valve is at 12:00 O'Clock and check the pressure. It's better to use an air-liquid tire gage for this.

Tell you what... buying a bigger, heavier tractor last month sure has led to me having to buy bigger and heavier shop tools! :laughing:

Not sure my Craftsman floor jack is gonna get the rear end up off the ground with all the weight back there!

...and I need a bigger socket set, too!

Now an air-liquid tire gauge, ha!

 

[Midniteoyl]

You prolly dont need to jack it.. just get the valve to the 12 o'clock position and see if liquid comes pouring out.

 

[MHarryE]

We have 6 tractors and 2 combines that are frequently on the road and wheel hop is present on all of them. Our largest combine with 30.5 x 32 bias ply tires is the worst for flat spotting. After making the turn onto the highway starting out on a cold day it feels like a clown car with off center rims, but it improves as I drive; however, it is never perfect. We have 2 John Deeres, one New Holland, and one Kubota with radials and they all have out of round tires to some degree. The tolerance is surprisingly large. I no longer have access to the Tire and Rim Association standards - they give the allowance tire makers must adhere to so people designing the equipment have limits to work with. Tractor tires are no where close to truck and car tires.

 

[Zebrafive]

By wobble do you mean side to side? Or up and down?
Liquid should not cause an unbalance.
For shipping tires are aired up for stability. Since yours were fluid filled they should have also set the air pressure correctly.
IIRC rear bolts (center to axle) are 30mm 370 lb ft. Wheel to center 24mm 230 lb ft. These are socket sizes NOT bolt sizes.
I too would use a 6pt socket, no need for an impact socket, although heavier wall, they are made softer than regular sockets for impact use.
I also need to get a bigger torque wrench. My current one only goes to 300 lb ft.
My 6415 has filled rears and all are radials. It goes very smooth down the road at top speed.
My 2030 has 16.9 - 28" rears, filled and bias. It's front bell crank is so worn it has very loose steering and will go into a death wobble at speed if it hits a dip or bump in the road. Slowing is the only way to stop the wobble. I no longer "road" it at full speed.

If you have a loader also check it's mounting bolts.

 

[econometrics]

By wobble do you mean side to side? Or up and down?
Liquid should not cause an unbalance.
For shipping tires are aired up for stability. Since yours were fluid filled they should have also set the air pressure correctly.
IIRC rear bolts (center to axle) are 30mm 370 lb ft. Wheel to center 24mm 230 lb ft. These are socket sizes NOT bolt sizes.
I too would use a 6pt socket, no need for an impact socket, although heavier wall, they are made softer than regular sockets for impact use.
I also need to get a bigger torque wrench. My current one only goes to 300 lb ft.
My 6415 has filled rears and all are radials. It goes very smooth down the road at top speed.
My 2030 has 16.9 - 28" rears, filled and bias. It's front bell crank is so worn it has very loose steering and will go into a death wobble at speed if it hits a dip or bump in the road. Slowing is the only way to stop the wobble. I no longer "road" it at full speed.

If you have a loader also check it's mounting bolts.

Honestly, the tractor is not really wobbling down the road in any real concerning fashion. It's just a little "limp" feeling at times. Does that make sense? Kind of like it limps down just a bit back and forth as the wheels go around. And when I look down at the wheels as they are turning (this time around 12mph), I can just see a little out of balance. But I think it's all "within spec" for a tractor tire like this after reading most everyone else's experiences.

I did call yesterday to confirm that the rear bolt is 30mm socket, but thank you for chiming in on that! I bought one at Sear's yesterday, and I am just going to check all the rear bolts "German style" until I can get a bigger torque wrench - just to make sure they are all safe.

Like I said, I will be back on the road a bit this weekend driving... I'll get some video and post it up here! :thumbsup:

 

[RoyJackson]

Honestly, the tractor is not really wobbling down the road in any real concerning fashion. It's just a little "limp" feeling at times. Does that make sense? Kind of like it limps down just a bit back and forth as the wheels go around. And when I look down at the wheels as they are turning (this time around 12mph), I can just see a little out of balance. But I think it's all "within spec" for a tractor tire like this after reading most everyone else's experiences.

I'll wager what you're experiencing is more of a bobbing or seesaw motion. I've had three Deere tractors and all three have been on roads. My first tractor, an old 670 compact, went on a 10 mile (one way) drive and it did "seesaw". My 790 did as well, especially if the FEL was mounted. My current 4400 isn't too bad, and I attribute that to it having turf tires.

 

[econometrics]

I'll wager what you're experiencing is more of a bobbing or seesaw motion. I've had three Deere tractors and all three have been on roads. My first tractor, an old 670 compact, went on a 10 mile (one way) drive and it did "seesaw". My 790 did as well, especially if the FEL was mounted. My current 4400 isn't too bad, and I attribute that to it having turf tires.

Bobbing is a great description. That's pretty much exactly what it did. Thanks for pinpointing that for me!

 

[john_bud]

Was the tractor in 4wd by any chance? that will make it feel funny as the different ground speed of the front tires and the back tires cause a jump every 3-5 rotations. Should always run in 2wd on hard surfaces for that reason. Not a huge deal, but it will wear tires and drive line faster if you forget (like I have !).

 

[pat32rf]

Was the tractor in 4wd by any chance? that will make it feel funny as the different ground speed of the front tires and the back tires cause a jump every 3-5 rotations. Should always run in 2wd on hard surfaces for that reason. Not a huge deal, but it will wear tires and drive line faster if you forget (like I have !).

My thoughts as well.....
Can't imagine any bolt on a tractor that requires over 400ftlbs. I know I wouldn't want to be involved with it.....

 

[econometrics]

Was the tractor in 4wd by any chance? that will make it feel funny as the different ground speed of the front tires and the back tires cause a jump every 3-5 rotations. Should always run in 2wd on hard surfaces for that reason. Not a huge deal, but it will wear tires and drive line faster if you forget (like I have !).

Negative. I have an idiot light on my dash that lets me know when I'm in MFWD.

My thoughts as well.....
Can't imagine any bolt on a tractor that requires over 400ftlbs. I know I wouldn't want to be involved with it.....

The rear wheel-to-axle bolts on the 16.9x28's on my JD require 406ftlb of torque per the owner's manual.

 

[econometrics]

Also, I drove probably 15 miles on the tractor last night.

It either rode a lot better than last time, OR I just wasn't as picky about the ride quality after reading a lot of the comments here. I will side with the latter.

I did put a few more pounds of air in each of my rear tires... not sure that would have made any big difference.

 

[scrappy isb67]

Was the tractor in 4wd by any chance? that will make it feel funny as the different ground speed of the front tires and the back tires cause a jump every 3-5 rotations. Should always run in 2wd on hard surfaces for that reason. Not a huge deal, but it will wear tires and drive line faster if you forget (like I have !).

we had a 4wd tractor that could not run radials because of "power hop" (what we called this phenomenon). basically we were told that even though the front to rear sizes were the same, the front axle "turned just a little faster(lead) and would distort the lugs of the front tire and make the tractor "jump" when the lugs returned to normal shape.
With bias plys it would "hop" enough the you could not put you back into the seatback on the road or you would have a sore neck QUICK! with radials it could bounce the tractor off the road!

 

[john_bud]

Also, I drove probably 15 miles on the tractor last night.

It either rode a lot better than last time, OR I just wasn't as picky about the ride quality after reading a lot of the comments here. I will side with the latter.

I did put a few more pounds of air in each of my rear tires... not sure that would have made any big difference.

Is it possible it's just a case of "new tractor paranoia"? Dunno if this is a new one for you or what, but I've erred on the side of caution and convinced myself that doom was impending when a new machine was making unusual (to me) sounds. So far, knock on wood, there has been no doom for me!

By the way, loose lug nuts can make it wiggle too. But there is often a squeek from the steel rims wiggling on the hubs. For me, every time there has been a squeek, it's been loose lugs. Small sample size, but you may want to keep it in mind.