DIY steel wheels for Troy bilt super bronco

[EthanD]

Don't see any reason this shouldn't work. It's made to pretty much the same dimensions as the original tires. I've already got one welded up, gonna do the other one next and try it out after I get some new tines on it.
I've seen countless videos of small hand tractors and tillers from india and pakistan that have steel wheels, and never understood why in the USA they fell out of favor for these small machines. Upkeep on pneumatic rubber tires just isn't worth it for these small machines that only get used a few hours per year. Every spring you gotta air them up and keep fix a flat in them repeatedly or tube them. It's more maintenance and expense for no perceivable reward since they don't carry any load. Steel wheels can be repaired by anybody with a welder and some scrap metal. Plus probably have better traction. So I decided rather than drop 50 bucks per tire it was time to modify some old cast dolly wheels with angle iron and make some wheels that should outlast the engine. May wind up having to add more pieces of angle iron in between depending on how much they sink into the ground but I think it's gonna work well.

 

[tomplum]

Welcome. Why not? Let us know how it works out. I wouldn't want my feet to have a tangle with one though...

 

[kwbobwi]

I might be wrong but I'm thinking your going to want more lugs for better traction and less bounce going from 1 lug to the next, many old steel wheeled tractors had the lugs staggered for that reason albeit this is only a tiller.
Is the dolly wheel the same diameter as the original tire?

 

[EthanD]

Got it booger welded together with some old rod and it works. Still have to get new tines to test it further but it rolls and I took it down a row in the garden with the old tines to test it and nothing broke. I did add more lugs/grousers to it because it was very jerky going up the driveway to the garden with just 8, so each wheel now has 16 and it runs smoother.
Old cast wheels didn't like holding a weld very much but It wasn't too bad. I think it'll run for a while before anything comes loose.
If it winds up not working I can always cut it off and put regular tires on.
The original rim was around 7-8 inches and the total tire was around 12 inches. The dolly wheels were 8 inch diameter and with the angle iron grousers it makes a 12 inch diameter.
It's uglier than a turd but works.

 

[EthanD]

Had to crop and compress the photo a lot to finally get it to upload but here it is in all it's hideousness

 

[kwbobwi]

Cool, I was wondering how it worked out considering lugs vs tires
Was thinking of doing Amish/Menenite type wheels for my Montgomery Wards dinosaur tiller
Was thinking 1"x1"x4" linch grouser bars