Thinking about switching my rear wheels around so I have a wider stance for more stability. Is this possible, and if so are there any negatives?:beatsme
We did on our jd 955 (small utility tractor). Definetly helps. What model are you talking about?
Thanks for the reply jd955sc, it's a 1986 CASE 580 Super E 2wd
By turning your wheels around, you are increasing the leverage the wheel obtains on the rear axle housing, when heavy load is placed on the rear axle. This could result in busted housings or snapped bolts.
I would definitely worry about this, especially on a larger machine. Our tractor is fairly small, the tires aren't huge, and the method was approved by the manufacturer.
If the bolt holes are tapered there would be a problem getting the bolts or lug nuts to seat properly. That could have disastrous results. Also most rear tire treads are direction specific. You could end up with tires mounted backwards.
Ok, so just went out and did some measurements. Although the outside of the wheel appears deeper then the inside, the "hub" is actually offset back to the center. So this would do nothing for me. Thanks for the replies though!
On our 580b, Dad increased the rear wheel spacing a little bit by machining some spacers to fit over the original hub (as well as some special washers so we could just use regular grade 8 NF bolts, as lug bolts that length don't exist) The spacers gave an extra 3 inches to the end of each axle, but it was a pretty decent improvement to its stability.