Tire chains and wheel spacers

I recently ordered a pair of wheel spacers from The Tracks Company. I had them made to 3" and they came with all the hardware necessary for an easy installation. They looked to be well engineered and excellent quality. I believe they'll serve me well for years to come.
I was a little shy of trying to install the filled wheels myself but came up with a new use for my mechanics creeper. Although the tires are just a little heavier than me the creeper made remounting the tires a breeze with just one person.
I went from a 57" outside width and 1" of fender clearance to 63" with 4" clearance. This should make the tractor more stable on side hill mowing and when working with the FEL.
This now allows plenty of space for winter chains.
Speaking of chains, I purchased a pair a few years ago for my smaller B1700
They were 72" long and 23" across. The Tirechains.com company said my new chains for the L3700SU were the same width but I'd have to lengthen them some 28" to 100" long. I purchase the additional length side chains, tightener kit and installation tool and also the heavy duty chain repair tool recommended on here on OT last spring.
The HD chain tool was a work saver and the entire job turned out great with one slight exception. I only had to lengthen the chains to 85" total to fit the 15 x 19.5 Tires .

When I had the rear work complete, I swap the front wheels side to side and this gave me an addition 3" width there with no interference problems.

Now I'm ready for snow. Speaking of which, it's snowing now. Bring it on!

cabu said:

How much have you paid for the spacers?

carl

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$356 shipped USPS priority
Took about 4 weeks from order to delivery. Custom build each order

cabu said:

Wow, that's a lot. I have built some to get other rims on the traktor. It took me some time to make them, but $356 is a lot to buy...

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carl

That's all relative Carl. My time may be more valuable making the money that allowed me to buy these. Glad you had access to the equipment, materials and the time to make your own. Maybe when I retire, that time will be available to me. You did a fine job with yours BTW. I'm happy with mine.

ipz2222 said:

Make sure you retighten them after use. Getting loose could cause some serious damage.

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Thanks for the advice. I did tighten several times before mounting the wheels and even triple checked the wheel bolts with a torque wrench but I'll go over them again after I use it a little while.

millerized said:

May I ask as to why the mounting bolt installation isn't all the same? Meaning, why aren't all the bolts facing the same way, with the nuts on the outside, and the bolt heads on the inside?

"In, back or down" for bolt and fastener installation was what we were taught in 'plane fixin' school'. I see in and out.

No big deal, but just wondering.

(and I'll probably be building mine myself, to include powdercoating. But those sure do look nice and heavy and worth the cost for those who can't make them themselves.)

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This Kubota came that way, I beleive, to use the two studs to help align the wheel when installing.

I wish these were powdercoated. I scratched a little paint installing.

millerized said:

Oh. Gotcha. Just didn't make sense why there were nuts there if the flange was threaded, and the adapter plate was just another 'rim' so to speak.

I happen to know this guy in WV with a 3'x4'x7' powder oven, several pounds of Kubota orange and gray, and a bit of leave time coming between now and the end of the year. Just shipping heavy Kubota items would kill that thought, tho.

Customer: Can you do my bucket?
Me: Sure can, if it fits in the oven, I can do it.
Customer: How much for the bucket?
Me: $50 in sandblasting/degreasing, $30 for the coating, $2750 for shipping.
Customer: Yeah.....I'll get back to you.
Me: I'll be holding my breath

(You get it up on blocks later in the year, pull them and give me a shout. You pay shipping both ways, I'll blast and coat them orange/gray for $25. The extenders....not the buckets Buckets will be a bit more. I DO see, however, you're only about 50mi from me. Just sayin'....

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Thanks for the offer, I'll keep you in mind. Yeah, We're practically neighbors.

gpreuss said:

I also bought spacers from the Tracks Co, and am very happy with them. When I was thinking of building my own, it was going to cost $170 just for the all-thread! Add in the steel, machining, cutting, and time, and they seemed a good deal.
Please keep us posted on how swapping the front wheels around works out. With the old 185DT, doing so beat me to death. I tried it twice, and it only lasted about two days each try. Every clump of grass in the field would jerk the steering wheel around with awesome force.
Now, with power steering, I'm afraid it would beat the tractor to death....

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Honestly I haven't noticed any difference in roughness in steering or ride. I actually feel the tractor is more stable than original. I know the power steering does filter any bumping/jerking but I could still sense it if it was happening. Sounds like you may have some ball joint or steering gear problems to address. I had an old lawn tractor with a loose front end and I can imagine how widening the front tires would enhance the problem. While trying to drive straight the steering wheel had a quarter turn of play.

It's been two and a half years since I installed the spacers and flipped the front wheels to widen the stance. Very satisfied and have had no troubles. My tractor is now 3-1/2 years old and have just under 250 hours on it. No problems and buying it is a decision I'm not regretting. I could have spent less on another brand but both neighbors who bought non-orange, both have had problems.