Widen rear wheels, easy or hard?

qstott · Dec 9, 2011

I thought I'd ask this here, since it's not really brand specific. I just bought a 2007 JD 4720 with R4s. I'd like to widen the rear wheels. The wheels have weights and the tires are loaded. It appears I will have to flip the center plate around to increase the width. I have what I need to jack up the rear of the tractor, but I'm wondering is it likely I might mash myself between a falling wheel and the shop floor. Is this I job I can do without any help? The weights are 100 lbs I think. Has anyone done this recently by themselves? And if you did, would you do it again? Thanks

flusher · Dec 9, 2011

qstott said:
I thought I'd ask this here, since it's not really brand specific. I just bought a 2007 JD 4720 with R4s. I'd like to widen the rear wheels. The wheels have weights and the tires are loaded. It appears I will have to flip the center plate around to increase the width. I have what I need to jack up the rear of the tractor, but I'm wondering is it likely I might mash myself between a falling wheel and the shop floor. Is this I job I can do without any help? The weights are 100 lbs I think. Has anyone done this recently by themselves? And if you did, would you do it again? Thanks

Those rears are probably 13.6 x 28s which are pretty heavy.
I removed and replaced the rears on my 1951 Minneapolis Moline BF by myself. I removed the wheel weights (about 150 lb each)

and used my roll around bridge crane to handle the wheel.

Good luck and be careful:thumbsup:

hosspuller · Dec 9, 2011

Switching the wheel centers is like handling a motorcycle... Keep it centered and under control. Loosen bolts with the wheels on the ground. Then proceed carefully. A hydraulic jack helps line up the wheel studs for remounting the wheel.

Elcid76 · Dec 10, 2011

I had to flip and reverse my tires to keep the tread in the right direction. Not a job to be tackled alone (unless you have a gantry crane and shop). With the help of my son and son-in-law, we got it done in less than half an hour. It was quite easy (WITH HELP)!
Since I had to flip and reverse the tires I had to have both wheels off at the same time. I felt a lot more comfortable with the extra hands around.

qstott · Dec 10, 2011

That's kinda what I thought. My tires are R4s 17.5LX24. I'm soon going to have it at the dealership for some work. I may just ask them about swaping wheels around. The only problem with doing it by myself, is that I could really see the need to say "hey, could you hold this up for just a second?"

Glen Watkins · Dec 10, 2011

I have the same setup and have yet to do this myself. The weights I have is a single on each side that weigh #110 each I think and the loaded 17.5L-24 8PR R4 weigh between #550 to #600! Kind of thinking it is a lot to do alone.

Furu · Dec 10, 2011

I have a JD 4720 with loaded R4's.
I do not have weights but wheels are loaded. IT IS NOT a one person job. Get help. Don't lose control of the wheel because if it goes down you won't get it vertical without a crane. Prop/brace the tire near vertical then (assuming you have the adjustable rims) remove the center and reposition for the stance/width you want and tighten the bolts in that position. After that move the wheel assembly to the side you need to keep the tread correct. I posted something on this a while back and received an outstanding suggestion (while violating the safety manual) and that is to take it out of gear and the parking brake off so you can spin the axle to align the lug bolts. Just be careful and block the front wheels on both sides front and back.

kco · Dec 10, 2011

qstott said:
That's kinda what I thought. My tires are R4s 17.5LX24. I'm soon going to have it at the dealership for some work. I may just ask them about swaping wheels around. The only problem with doing it by myself, is that I could really see the need to say "hey, could you hold this up for just a second?"

Sounds like a good plan. Otherwise, you definitely need help. I had to widen the loaded tires on an Kubota L275 DT several years ago. It involved changing the wheels from concave-in to concave-out AND setting the two piece rims to the widest position. I didn't have the tools, jacks, help, or expertise, so it wasn't hard to make the decision.

The local tire store sent a service truck to do it onsite (10 miles away) for about 85$ I believe. For me, it was money well-spent from a safety aspect.

TripleR · Dec 10, 2011

I have done that sort of thing many years ago and it really helps to have some help. Now I just pay to have someone do it.

Ford tractor · Dec 11, 2011

I've done it a couple dozen times -- alone. No big deal. 16.9x24 R4 filled.

A couple points. Don't let it lean much at all from vertical. Easy to keep it up when it's vertical but would be a PITA to get back up. Most important point, unless your T shirt has a large "S" in a diamond, let it fall if it's going over. Far better to cuss about the trouble to get it up than to cuss in pain.

I take one off, lean it against a wall and chock it so it won't roll away. Then take the other off and roll it to the other side (if having to swap side to side to keep the tread correct). Then flip the center and rebolt it. Getting the wheel back on the axle is pretty easy on modern machines. They have usually 2 studs and the rest bolts. Lean the tire toward you a little bit and wiggle it to get it to go in to the axle. Line up the studs and go vertical. Put on the nuts so it won't fall off. Then ALL the bolts and slowly tighten them a little at a time to ensure it's on straight and all the way. Repeat for the other side.

Typically about 60 minutes to do a major change with a center hub flip and moving the tires side to side. If you can just change the center from dish in to dish out and / or the attach side of the loops, it's even easier.