Widen Them Wheels

[keg99]

Call me a fool. I had my TC40 New Holland for almost ten years and FINALLY got around to widening the back wheels. What was I thinking. Years of living with a pucker factor every time is hit a slight slope. Made the whole experience, let's say, less than optimum?

I know, the wheels/tires are fluid filled. They are heavy. And I wasn't really sure I could handle them. But I did. And although it was a challenge, the end result was so worth it. Get a friend to help.

I suspect many others accept the wheel width as set by the factory. FORGET IT. That is just to ship them. Takes up less space.

A tractor needs to wide and needs to be sure footed. Factory settings suck. Wide is where it is at.

So, yes, I was a fool. But no more. I widened the wheels by flipping the inner dish. And I can now tackle that back field and don't have to worry about flipping it over.

Yes, I still need to careful. But to have waited so long. Sheesh.

So to all who haven't widened their wheels and are still living with those factory settings . . . stop it! Widen them out and begin to really enjoy your great tractor. It made me a believer.


But I'll reserve whether I'm still an idiot, because waiting almost 10 years doesn't make me look very smart!

Do it!

 

[brown40]

I encourage friends to do the same, but some have tight spacing to work around. Wider feels better and is safer for slopes. Application may limit some from doing it--or fear or handling a huge massive object without a tractor available to get it picked up if it tips.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

An engine hoist would be a wonderful helping hand if you don't have a buddy.

 

[FTG-05]

An engine hoist would be a wonderful helping hand if you don't have a buddy.

I spent $150 having my rear tires widen to their widest point several years. A little thought beforehand would have led me to conclude that that $150 could have been spent on a engine hoist for about the same $ and I'd still have the hoist today.......

Oh well, live and learn.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I hear that the wheels should be within the width of the bucket. ... I see the reasoning, but dont go by it. In almost every case I find everything is gained and nothing lost by widening at the rear while keeping the fronts w/i the bucket width. I sometimes go with an even narrower bucket and get by fine with the fronts sticking out a little.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

The only major down side I could see to the wheels being wider than the bucket would be if you are digging or pushing snow. Also, it's a good indicator if the tractor will fit somewhere if the bucket fits.

 

[gwstang]

Just wondering, does widening out the rears affect the 4wd function at all? Pardon my ignorance.

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

Just wondering, does widening out the rears affect the 4wd function at all? Pardon my ignorance.

It's not about 4WD traction, its all about stability. Wider stance = more stability going across hills.

 

[gwstang]

OK, Thanks. I have read about not driving on pavement with 4wd engaged. I just want to be sure that modifying the wheel stance won't screw something up. Something I am already an "expert" at doing without really trying too hard.

 

[CalG]

Call me a fool. I had my TC40 New Holland for almost ten years and FINALLY got around to widening the back wheels. What was I thinking. Years of living with a pucker factor every time is hit a slight slope. Made the whole experience, let's say, less than optimum?
I know, the wheels/tires are fluid filled. They are heavy. And I wasn't really sure I could handle them. But I did. And although it was a challenge, the end result was so worth it. Get a friend to help.
I suspect many others accept the wheel width as set by the factory. FORGET IT. That is just to ship them. Takes up less space.
A tractor needs to wide and needs to be sure footed. Factory settings suck. Wide is where it is at.
So, yes, I was a fool. But no more. I widened the wheels by flipping the inner dish. And I can now tackle that back field and don't have to worry about flipping it over.
Yes, I still need to careful. But to have waited so long. Sheesh.
So to all who haven't widened their wheels and are still living with those factory settings . . . stop it! Widen them out and begin to really enjoy your great tractor. It made me a believer.
But I'll reserve whether I'm still an idiot, because waiting almost 10 years doesn't make me look very smart!

Do it!

Sometimes a tractor needs to fit between the rows. Set the track width to the need.

It's not that hard.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Sometimes a tractor needs to fit between the rows. Set the track width to the need.

It's not that hard.

I agee... I had the dealer set my wheels as wide as possible and fluid fill all of them before I picked it up. Still wasnt wide enough so I made spacers to gain another 4.5" per side. Sidehill work feels much safer now.

 

[SPYDERLK]

It's not about 4WD traction, its all about stability. Wider stance = more stability going across hills.

Also makes the split brakes more effective.

 

[Diesel123]

When you widen the rears, is it necessary to widen the fronts? I have loaded tires but need extra stability on slopes

 

[FTG-05]

When you widen the rears, is it necessary to widen the fronts? I have loaded tires but need extra stability on slopes

There's no point in widening the front since the front axle pivots. I've widened my rear tires to the max since I use my L4330 on my hill, but I haven't done anything to the front tires/axle except fill the front tires with water/RV antifreeze mixture.

 

[TerryR]

When you widen the rears, is it necessary to widen the fronts? I have loaded tires but need extra stability on slopes

My fronts are widened as far as they go, which isn't as wide as the rears, but it sets their track close to the rears. Makes it easier to judge the right path when mowing, but not a lot of other value. Doesn't help with stability until you tip far enough that the front axle hits the stops, by which point it's likely too late to stop a turnover.

Terry

 

[Mysfyt]

Was thinking of making up my own set of spacers out of 4140. What is a good practical spacer width?

 

[4570Man]

Just wondering, does widening out the rears affect the 4wd function at all? Pardon my ignorance.

Changing the diameter of the front or rear wheels would screw up the 4wd, but widening them makes no difference.

 

[bdog]

Widening is much more stable. On my 4440 it has duals and the rear is ten feet wide and the front is probably eight. It is as stable as can be. On my backhoe I keep them the same width as the bucket. It gets a little scary at times but I like knowing if my bucket fits my tractor will also. We are currently digging a pond and we make cuts across it the width of a bucket maybe 2-3 feet deep at a time. If the tires were wider than the bucket it wouldn't work.

You also have to think about implements. My 7' shredder was about useless with my 4440 because the tractor was ten foot wide and I couldn't get close enough to fences. Same thing with plows or blades they need to be wider than your implements.

 

[Loadstar]

Mine are set to the max and I like it. Well until it's trailer time.

 

[bdog]

Mine are set to the max and I like it. Well until it's trailer time.

What about that unmowed strip by fences?