kneedeep
Veteran Member
Just got the new shoes for the old mule!
27" Surefoots with a 2" Lift-
Gonna try em on this weekend!!
27" Surefoots with a 2" Lift-
Gonna try em on this weekend!!
New Tires For Old Mule
- Thread starter kneedeep
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Green Power
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Those tires look pretty aggressive. Post some pictures of them on the mule.
OP
kneedeep
Veteran Member
I will post the lift and the tires. Where I hunt has mud so sticky that it will pull the black off tires!! seriously, big chunks of tire mud will be blue on the tire side!!
The surefoots have a similar tread pattern as the tractor tires used for rice farming.
The surefoots have a similar tread pattern as the tractor tires used for rice farming.
OP
kneedeep
Veteran Member
Installed the Essex Lift Kit on the Mule this weekend. After doing the left front, I figured it out and the right side only took about 30 min. A few pics and explanation to make it easy for anyone lifting a Kawasaki Mule.
The Struts are easy to get to with the tire, front hood and pan removed:
The Struts are easy to get to with the tire, front hood and pan removed:
OP
kneedeep
Veteran Member
The new springs are thicker and stiffer than the OEM. A inexpensive Strut Compressor tool is invaluable in installing the new spring. Be sure and install the top cupped washer upside down from original mounting.
PS- The strut rod will retract when extended, I put a zip tie around the base of the rod. It held long enough to get the nut on!
PS- The strut rod will retract when extended, I put a zip tie around the base of the rod. It held long enough to get the nut on!
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OP
kneedeep
Veteran Member
Keep the springs compressed and install the Lift Block on the top of the strut. Line the Lift Block up with the original mounting holes and release until they can be removed while guiding the Lift Block into place. Tighten nuts under pan, install tires, hood and pan-
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OP
kneedeep
Veteran Member
The rear is simple, jack under the front spring hanger to lift and remove the tire. Remove the OEM shackles and place hydraulic jack between the axle and frame to spread enough to install new longer shackles. Also a good time to stiffen the shocks by rotating the shock base with large channel lock pliers. Use OEM nuts to tighten new shackles. Install new tires.
DONE!! :drink:
DONE!! :drink:
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Green Power
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You have quite a bit of ground clearance now.:thumbsup:
Paul N
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I put 27" Shurefoot tires and the lift kit on my Mule last year. It made a big difference. Up here, we have to deal with snow. The OEM tires cuoldn't handle any more than about 6". The Shurefoots can handle almost twice that. I'm sure you'll be happy with them.
Tkblacktail
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OP
kneedeep
Veteran Member
Sticky mud in the deep South? Who ever heard of such a thing.........
No Kidding!!
Has been known to swallow tractors, ATV's and pretty girls whole!!!
:cool2:
Tkblacktail
Gold Member
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No Kidding!!
View attachment 352346
View attachment 352345
View attachment 352344
:cool2:
I love all three....
Industrial Toys
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Just did the same thing yesterday. Only with the 26" surefoot.
Did it just to extend the usefull season of the Mule in snow.
First impression is that the snow performance is improved, but I don't recognise that vastly improved ride that Essex speaks of. Just backing the machine out of the garage has my head bobbling side to side as the lugs engage the hard surface.
Did it just to extend the usefull season of the Mule in snow.
First impression is that the snow performance is improved, but I don't recognise that vastly improved ride that Essex speaks of. Just backing the machine out of the garage has my head bobbling side to side as the lugs engage the hard surface.
OP
kneedeep
Veteran Member
HMMM-:scratchchin:
Come to think of it, old tires rode good on hard surface but really let me down in the mud!
I'll trade head bobbin on hard ground and gettin' thru the mud over a smooth ride any day! :thumbsup:
Come to think of it, old tires rode good on hard surface but really let me down in the mud!
I'll trade head bobbin on hard ground and gettin' thru the mud over a smooth ride any day! :thumbsup:
Industrial Toys
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If I get any older, I might have to install one of those electric running boards on the side. Never thought getting in would be such a different experience. I'm used to driving around, leaving it in drive, jumping in and out picking up some small piece of debris or whatever. Sometimes I don't even wait for it to stop (hoping it will) or putting the e-brake on very lightly. That's not going to be so easy any more.
Industrial Toys
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I'M SO DISAPPOINTED!
First let me say that I think Essex is a wonderful company. Good people and good quality!
Yesterday I went out for run in the mule. Hit a six inch drift (not six feet) and stopped the machine dead in it's tracks! I had to look at the wheels because I thought maybe the front wheels wern't being driven. Or I thought the brakes were on! These tires are utterly useless in the snow. Possibly worse then OEM! I really thought that I might be stuck and had to get a loader to pull it out, but I managed to back out eventually!
I feel like I have thrown away fifteen hundred bucks plus a bunch of time and travel. I drove down to Niagara Falls to pick these up. I had spent a lot of time pondering this decision. It's money I really don't have to throw away and the OEM tires still looked like new after twelve years. Mud has never been an issue around here, so I can't even get use from these tires in that regard.
Not only that, but the directional stability of the Mule is terrible. It was never great with the OEM wheels but it's a hundred times worse now! And, if I do hit snow, the machine pulls heavily into the deepest part, something it never did before. I let half the air out of the tires, thinking that they were awfully hard, but this made no difference.
First let me say that I think Essex is a wonderful company. Good people and good quality!
Yesterday I went out for run in the mule. Hit a six inch drift (not six feet) and stopped the machine dead in it's tracks! I had to look at the wheels because I thought maybe the front wheels wern't being driven. Or I thought the brakes were on! These tires are utterly useless in the snow. Possibly worse then OEM! I really thought that I might be stuck and had to get a loader to pull it out, but I managed to back out eventually!
I feel like I have thrown away fifteen hundred bucks plus a bunch of time and travel. I drove down to Niagara Falls to pick these up. I had spent a lot of time pondering this decision. It's money I really don't have to throw away and the OEM tires still looked like new after twelve years. Mud has never been an issue around here, so I can't even get use from these tires in that regard.
Not only that, but the directional stability of the Mule is terrible. It was never great with the OEM wheels but it's a hundred times worse now! And, if I do hit snow, the machine pulls heavily into the deepest part, something it never did before. I let half the air out of the tires, thinking that they were awfully hard, but this made no difference.
OP
kneedeep
Veteran Member
Paul N
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I got stuck in a drift yesterday too. Had to shovel my way out. This drift was so hard, I could walk on it and barely leave a footprint. Of course the Mule broke through, and got hung up. But with regular undrifted snow, I found the Shurefoots are much better than OEM's. I can go through 6" in 2 wheel drive.
Industrial Toys
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I didn't have a shovel. One always seems to get blindsided. I had plowed that road of the ice and snow layers so I could get up to a small shack for New Years Eve with my newly equiped Mule. That worked, even though my driver complained that she didn't like the way the Mule was practically uncontrollable on the hard and icy surfaces. Yesterday, there was only freshly drifted snow, no ice! If it had been tough going, that's one thing, but I might as well have driven the thing into a lake for any hope that I might have had to get where I was going.
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