Widen Stance by Swapping Tires

[bsekf]

I would like to widen my tractor stance. I can swap the rear tires and increase the width by 6 inches or so. But if I do the same to the fronts my tires will be running outside of my FEL bucket. Is that a no-no and will it affect my operation in 4WD or steering having the front narrowing than the rear? I have a Mahindra 5155 and I find nothing in the owner's manual about swapping the tires to gain width. But there is a lot that is not in the manual! The tractor is heavy and doesn't feel unstable. But I would rather be safe than sorry. We work a lot of sidehills. The rears are not loaded so they would be easy and safe to swap.

 

[RjCorazza]

Widening the fronts won't add a whole lot of slope stability, so I wouldn't bother changing them. Widening the rear will have a significant effect on slope stability.

 

[kneedeep]

Leave the fronts behind loader, widen rear. 6 inches ain’t that much.

 

[dieselscout80]

What does your owner manual say about it?

On my TC45 it says you can if it has Ag R1 tires, it says NO if you have R4 tires which I have (IFRC it says no for R3 tires too).

I not sure what each tractor’s instructions say so consult your owner’s manual.

 

[EddieWalker]

I swapped the front and rear tires on my tractor to make the tires as wide as possible. I wondered about the tires being wider then the bucket, but couldn't think of a reason it would matter. It's been over a year now and I still don't know why it would matter. So far, I've never had an issue with the tires being wider than the tires. The bucket fills up with dirt before the tires get to the dirt pile.

 

[neilpaku]

You can do it but like all things, you need to see how it works for what you're doing. Changing the wheel width does affect steering geometry but for all practical purposes, you might not notice any difference other than slightly increased wheel scrubbing when in full lock in 4wd. Same thing for whether the front wheels are outside the bucket width - try and see how much it affects what you're doing vs. what you're gaining. If it was me, I probably wouldn't bother with the front wheels

 

[RayIN]

Leave the fronts behind loader, widen rear. 6 inches ain’t that much.

That's what I did; tractor seems more stable, yet using the FEL is usual.

 

[scootr]

Widened the rear 6" front 5". Tractor is more stable. People say widening the front won't help. I say it won't hurt having the big heavy tires further out...They are still harder to lift the further from center they are. Widening front stance is pretty much to each their own.

 

[CobyRupert]

Depending on where the actual widening occurs, a wider front and a loader can put more force and wear on the front axle and/or bearings.

 

[EddieWalker]

Depending on where the actual widening occurs, a wider front and a loader can put more force and wear on the front axle and/or bearings.

If the manufacturer of that tractor provides wheels that are designed to be widened, then doing so should not cause any issues with the tractor.