Front wheels

[Citro-nut]

Hi all. I'm operating a B4200 with the rear wheels on their wide position, I was wondering if it is ok to reverse the front wheels on the hubs placing the of offset outside thus widening the track. ( obviously swop over to keep the tyre direction right).
I wonder if this will improve stability or not due to the front axle pivot.

 

[Shawn T. W]

I'm not familiar with that tractor, or the style of wheel it has, but a wider front wheel track with the pivoting front axle will increase stability on uneven ground, but not just a steep slope ...

 

[mikester]

Widening your stance will improve stability. It will also put more load on your front axel components.

Will the added stability benefits outweigh added potential wear and tear and maintenance issues? Roll the dice, that will be your decision and your pocket book is the answer.

 

[Shawn T. W]

It will also put more load on your front axel components

Technically correct, but ... No more stress than widening the rears ... Which is a very common practice ... Which manufacturers obviously account for with reversible wheels and wheel spacers ...

I have over 550 hours on my less than three year old SCUT with wheel spacers on all four wheels ... No problems noticed.

Widening the front could cause a problem with bucket use, if your bucket is close to the width of the current tire track ...

 

[GreensvilleJay]

old skool tractors were designed and built WITH adjustable 'tracks', front andreark. The Ford 8N could go from 4' to just over 6' . Normally you adjust BOTH axle tracks to be the same( 1 set of tire tracks in dirt...),no crop damage, etc.

 

[Dustball]

I don't see how changing the track width of the front changes stability at all simply because the front axle is on a center pivot without any suspension springs. The only time the front axle comes into play is after it runs out of vertical travel.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Hi all. I'm operating a B4200 with the rear wheels on their wide position, I was wondering if it is ok to reverse the front wheels on the hubs placing the of offset outside thus widening the track. ( obviously swop over to keep the tyre direction right).
I wonder if this will improve stability or not due to the front axle pivot.

Do not widen the front end, reversing the rims and or adding spacers is a real quick way to rack up a seriously expensive repair bill.
The only models that you can change the front wheel spacing are 2wd's and M's that are designed to run wider.

The manuals will all tell you this, and any mechanic worth his salt will tell you this.
You gain almost nothing is stability.
The rear axle can be widened because it's designed to do so, the stress is displaced across a much wider surface and much greater sized parts.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

old skool tractors were designed and built WITH adjustable 'tracks', front andreark. The Ford 8N could go from 4' to just over 6' . Normally you adjust BOTH axle tracks to be the same( 1 set of tire tracks in dirt...),no crop damage, etc.

Yes Old 2WD tractors, not newer 4wd tractors.

 

[JRHill]

I reversed the front wheels on my B7100 a bazillion years ago. And yes, reversed the tires. Keep in mind the front axle has it's pivot point so you don't gain stability to speak of.... The best stability is conscious driving and rear ballast. For me the backhoe attachment is sufficient rear weight. And filled rears.

 

[mikester]

Technically correct, but ... No more stress than widening the rears ... Which is a very common practice ... Which manufacturers obviously account for with reversible wheels and wheel spacers ...

I have over 550 hours on my less than three year old SCUT with wheel spacers on all four wheels ... No problems noticed.

Widening the front could cause a problem with bucket use, if your bucket is close to the width of the current tire track ...

My observation is that K is frugal and makes all of their equipment on the lighter side of factors of safety. Do a search on these forums for broken axel/wheel if you want pics of broken SCUT/CUT parts

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/f69b929f-af12-4ecf-93e7-0274501736f8-jpeg.705951/