m7040 steering issues

[grsp]

I have read several threads on here about tire choices, but i wanted to mention my exact situation. brand new m7040 with the ag tires on it, rears loaded. currently use it for commercial snow removal. it has a ten foot snow pusher on the FEL. it will absolutely push down a house. what it won't do is steer at all with the pusher on the ground. i have tried having the FEL in the floating position, scraps real clean, but doesn't steer. lift the pusher up slightly, and it doesn't clean as good as i want.

first question is will industrial or turf tires improve the steering. more tire surface touching the ground.

second question is do you think the ten footer is too big of a snow pusher for the m7040.

finally, if i should switch tires (which have less than 10 hours on them), should my dealer take my ag tires in on trade for the ones i want.

don't get me wrong, i absolutely love this tractor. it is going to be perfect when i get this steering problem fixed.

 

[john_bud]

Why won't it steer? Do the tires just spin? If so, you may want to get some ice chains.

jb

 

[PSDStu]

what it won't do is steer at all with the pusher on the ground. i have tried having the FEL in the floating position, scraps real clean, but doesn't steer. lift the pusher up slightly, and it doesn't clean as good as i want.

Sounds to me like the front tires are coming off the ground when pushing........ if this is so......... then it's not going to make any difference what type of tires you have on the front.......it's a balancing act to keep the loader down.......and not lift the front tires.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

Try using differential braking to make minor directional changes. Adding suitcase weights would help put weight on the front tires when the heavy pusher blade is down and in "float". Sounds contrary to normal logic, but the weight of the loader w/ 10 ft pusher plus all the snow you are trying to push is working against you in this situation. I've never actually used a pusher blade, but I can imagine all that weight of snow out front is going to want to only go in a straight line. Your back end may be over-ballasted too, shifting more weight off the front tires.

Something else to try, if you are plowing flat, level areas like parking lots, put the boom in float to initially "set" the height. When you begin pushing snow, bump your joystick out of float, so the blade maintains the same position, but won't articulate the tractor's front-end upwards as rear traction and weight at the front tries to rotate the tractor about the boom pivot pins. I think the R1s are the best choice nonetheless.

 

[lawn_king]

I think a 10 foot pusher is just too much blade for that machine. I have operated a cat 416 with a 10 footer and she was not easy to turn with that pusher full of wet snow.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I'd probably try a set of weights and/or chains up front before you do anything else.

 

[talltale]

I have a 5040 with an 8' blade. I use filled tires front and rear with ice chains all around for snow removal. Even with all the extra traction, it still requires a fine touch on on blade position (angle and height). I rarely use the float position as the weight of the blade gives me the extra traction I need to push snow.

 

[razor]

I have a 5030 with industrial tires and 6 ft pusher. It does the same thing. If you lift the pusher up slightly in turn you are able to steer. You just have to learn to play with the loader control in turns. I don't see any point in trading in your ag tires.