Saga of the uneven 2210 FEL.....solved!

fgross335_2210 · Apr 26, 2004

Some of you might remember me ranting a year ago as my 2210 was delivered with an FEL/bucket that was approximately 3/4-1" higher on one side than the other when sitting on level ground. Dealer looked it over and said "no problem found". Messing around with tire pressure didn't seem to make much of a difference.

This spring I purchased a set of bar tires and wheels from fellow TBNer Big Pete. After installing them I immediately noticed the FEL now sits absolutely level! Hmmmmm.....

This weekend curiousity got the best of me and I got out my tape measure. Close examination of the rear turf tires shows one of the them to have a diameter amost an inch larger than the other. Guess that explains the unevenness. And yes measured with the same PSI in both tires.

I called my dealer today, they want to see both tires, I'm taking them there tonight. I just want two matched tires, otherwise I'm going to have to keep re-leveling the mower deck whenever I switch tires....not gonna do it!

Hey, does anyone else have a set mis-matched 26X12X12 turfs with diameters of 81 and 82" respectively? Maybe we can swap an 81 for an 82?

I'll let you all know how I make out with JD.......

cadblaster · Apr 27, 2004

Just for grins, how about checking the circumference of the tires as well. You didn't say how you measured the diameter, but I know it can be difficult to get an accurate measurement. The calculated circ. for an 82" dia. = 257.6, 81" dia. = 254.5 or a difference of 3.1"
I don't doubt your measurements, I think this would be just extra ammunition for you, and it removes any out of roundness errors.

JerryG · Apr 27, 2004

The 81 and 82 were his circumference. Anyway that sounds about right.

cadblaster · Apr 27, 2004

Yes, they must be curcumference measurements, otherwise that would be one heck of a tall tire for a 2210. I think I left my brain behind on that one.
But hey, I'm not the only one. Fred's post clearly states that he was taking diameter measurements. Plus a 1" difference in circumference would only equate to about 1/3" in height. Which IMO would be inperceptable relating to his problem. Clearly not a problem solved.

fgross335_2210 · Apr 27, 2004

My mistake! The circumferences are indeed roughly 81" and 82". I did the math and a "true" 26" tire should be 81.64. I didn't think to measure the cross-section but this is a great suggestion.

I think the actual difference is greater than my impromptu measurements would suggest. When placed side by side the size difference is very obvious. The service manager could not believe it, must have stared at the tires for 5 minutes or more. He said he would call the tire mgfr today and I am waiting on his call.

As far as the impact on the tractor - to re-level my 62C deck I had to lengthen one turnbuckle by about 5 full turns, when you extend this adjustment to the edge of the deck it looked to be a difference of 3/4-1".

bigpete · Apr 27, 2004

Keep us posted, Fred. We have all heard of quality issues on auto tires but this one was a first for me. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to leveling my mower deck and I swear I've never had it set the way I want it. Close enough, though...

My loaders(s) have always been pretty true so I've never been compelled to measure the circumference of my tires. I would hope Deere would provide you with a properly measured set of "skins."

fgross335_2210 · Apr 28, 2004

Great news! The dealer called today and they and JD gave me an almost-new, and more importantly, same-sized set of rear turfs from a demo 2210 that they were getting ready to send back to Deere. Dealer said they called Deere and they really weren't sure what to do, but obviously one tire was undersized and there really wasn't any way to fix it w/o replacing it.

Wow. A level tractor. What a concept! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif