Can you drive a tractor on three wheels?

[rfc143]

Well, it finally happened. I was blowing my 1500' drive (steep, curvy) with the K5240, when I noticed the right front tire was going flat. Haven't figured out why yet (the tire is still at the shop; I suspect low tire pressure), but proceeded about 50' to one of the only turnarounds on the drive. After turning around, I lowered the bucket to the ground and "bucket-backed" until the cutting edge could ski down the drive to the shed...about 1000'. Going straight it worked fine, taking all the load off the front end. The tractor does not have individual rear wheel differential brakes, so that wasn't an option for steering.

When I needed to change direction slightly, I'd raise the bucket until the left wheel engaged the ground, then turned, and lowered the bucket again. I'm cautiously optimistic I did no damage to the tire bead. Stay tuned.

But it raises the question should this (flat tire in a difficult location to access) ever happen:

If one lowers the bucket, pushes the axle down as far as it will go on the good side, and put a block of steel between the axle and the tractor frame (there's already a little "flat" on the axle to land on at end of travel), can one drive on three wheels at low speed short distances safely? Might be a dumb question but don't want to try it without some experienced input.

 

[George2615]

No personal experience but it has been done before.

 

[4570Man]

I’ve drove my tractor with no front wheel on it doing that but I had the backhoe on the back and no loader on it so it wasn’t very heavy to start with.

 

[Jstpssng]

History tends to repeat itself. This 15 YO discussion turned up as a suggestion while reading your post.
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/47165-ever-drive-your-tractor-3-a.html

 

[rfc143]

History tends to repeat itself. This 15 YO discussion turned up as a suggestion while reading your post.
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/47165-ever-drive-your-tractor-3-a.html

Wow. Forgive me for not searching first, but really?? Driving on three wheels? Should have known someone's gone before.

As it turns out, I failed to save the tire (probably in the first 50', without the bucket down), and cut the bead. Lesson learned. When I get the wheel back on, I'm going to try blocking one side and seeing how it feels; got plenty of weight on the back (Pronovost RP-INV-80...about 1000 lbs), to help take the load off the front.

 

[4570Man]

History tends to repeat itself. This 15 YO discussion turned up as a suggestion while reading your post.
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/47165-ever-drive-your-tractor-3-a.html

Then you’d flame him for reviving a zombie thread. Why don’t you stop and think what would happen if nobody ever started a thread that’s already been discussed. Might as well close the whole forum because until electric tractors come out there isn’t much left to talk about.

 

[joeyd]

Then you’d flame him for reviving a zombie thread. Why don’t you stop and think what would happen if nobody ever started a thread that’s already been discussed. Might as well close the whole forum because until electric tractors come out there isn’t much left to talk about.

I agree, a lot of things change in 15 years. Searching old threads is a good way to get some background before you ask your question.

 

[Jstpssng]

Then you’d flame him for reviving a zombie thread. Why don’t you stop and think what would happen if nobody ever started a thread that’s already been discussed. Might as well close the whole forum because until electric tractors come out there isn’t much left to talk about.

I did not flame him, I merely pointed the older thread out as additional reading. I wouldn't even have known about it if the OP hadn't started this one.

 

[Jstpssng]

Wow. Forgive me for not searching first, but really?? Driving on three wheels? Should have known someone's gone before.

As it turns out, I failed to save the tire (probably in the first 50', without the bucket down), and cut the bead. Lesson learned. When I get the wheel back on, I'm going to try blocking one side and seeing how it feels; got plenty of weight on the back (Pronovost RP-INV-80...about 1000 lbs), to help take the load off the front.

If we only posted things which had never been covered sometime in the last 18 years or so these pages would be pretty sparse. I included that link to fit in with your thread, not detract from it.

The only reason I knew about it is because your post brought up the older one.
I have never had a tire fail that way, but did come out of the woods once with a flat front tire on my ATV. I was able to keep it off the ground by shifting my weight to the rear, but that's a much lighter machine.
It's unfortunate that you ended up ruining the tire.

 

[rfc143]

And I didn't take it as a flame. As a matter of fact I was going to ask him what he meant by "This 15 YO discussion turned up as a suggestion". Is a "Suggestion" just a search result?
I'm always interested in learning how to search better.