widening wheel stance on compact 4wd for steep land

[NWELS]

I use a 2220D on some hilly land. I hear advice to switch left and right wheels and flip both (so treads stay same orientation) so that the left-right wheelbase is a few inches wider, for the sake of decreasing (slightly) the rollover risk. The back wheels would spread a bit further if treated the same, but the drain plugs (i think) for both sides of the differential case are currently more protected (from rocks?) in the current position & would be more exposed if wheel stance were widened. It makes sense to me that this would be a decent precaution, particularly since i need to remove front wheels to replace a seal. Open to any advice and reality checks, please...

 

[normde2001]

Do not reverse the fronts, only the rear. As the front axle swivels, widening is no help but puts undue strain on the front spindles. Don't worry about the drain plugs.

 

[clemsonfor]

You must be talking about drains on the front as the rear is so tall that I dont think you will be running over rocks that big.

And norm is right dont swap the fronts. The rears are fine. I think your total width increases by like 6"s

 

[Wagtail]

Do not reverse the fronts, only the rear. As the front axle swivels, widening is no help but puts undue strain on the front spindles. Don't worry about the drain plugs.

A mate of mine, with far more tractor experience & expertise than I, has switched/mounted his front tyres only on his largest tractor (McCormick) so that the tread points backwards... he said it gave better grip/braking when descending. His tyres are loaded too. This is for haying on very steep paddocks, and the rear tyres have also been extended from the axle using a factory kit.

 

[California]

Take a look at this 2004 thread.

YM 2220D too narrow

A couple of mechanical engineers concluded that extending the rear axles by adding solid wheel spacers was safe but might increase wear of the outer wheel bearings.


In my own opinion - adding water (or antifreeze if needed in your climate) to the rear tires is the simplest thing you can do to resist rollover. I filled my YM240 to maximum practical (top edge of the rim submerged) as soon as I brought it home because it felt spooky on side slopes (photo) even though some prior owner had put oversize tires on it with greater offset. Then when ROPS became available for these I bought one, and reduced the tire fill to 50%.

 

[NWELS]

Take a look at this 2004 thread.

Thanks, folks, for the much-needed advice. Sometimes I question the overall value of the internet, but THIS is actually practical use of tech, I.M.H.O.

 

[Xfaxman]

A mate of mine, with far more tractor experience & expertise than I, has switched/mounted his front tyres only on his largest tractor (McCormick) so that the tread points backwards... he said it gave better grip/braking when descending. His tyres are loaded too. This is for haying on very steep paddocks, and the rear tyres have also been extended from the axle using a factory kit.

I turned the front tires around on the V518 to get more grip when backing uphill during my silt removal project.

It made a noticeable difference. :thumbsup:

 

[kenmac]

What were u doing, digging out a pond ? Looks like a messy job

 

[Xfaxman]

What were u doing, digging out a pond ? Looks like a messy job

​Yep, the silt was 5' deep.

 

[Bluest]

I operate mine almost exclusively on very steep slopes. So steep that it will slide straight down hill if I forget to engage the front wheels. I switched the rears over very early on and it makes a noticeable difference, more than you think just to look at it. I've still had it up on two wheels once, with only the weight of the mower keeping it from going over! Not fun.

I know my land well, and avoid crossing slopes wherever possible and I now have a good feel for the machine. Rolling over isn't the only danger to be avoided. With a heavy implement out back, even travelling straight down can be tricky. I can sometimes feel the back trying to overtake the front, especially if there is a slight side slope too. A bit like if you tried to throw a dart feathers first. I end up have to counter steer to compensate. It's like super slo mo drifting.

When all is said and done, these machines are not designed for working on substantial slopes, so do what you can to increase stability, take care and then get annoyed by the prices of Alpine tractors on EBAy, just like me!