Yup, turf tires ride nicer

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,120]

I found a pair of 23x9.50-12 Turf Saver tires for $30 with rims, so I bought them. I needed to replace the tube in one of them. Man was it hard to break the bead on that tire. Not wanting to damage the tire or the rim, I took a scissor jack, put the tire under the Jeep, and jacked down on the tire to break the bead loose. Had to work it around several times for the bead to finally break, even had to pound on it with a piece of wood and a hammer, but finally got it broken down. I put in a new tube, and put it all together again.

Was thinking of mounting them on the C-120, but I decided to replace the AG's on the 414-8, which I use to mow quite often now. The Turf tires sure give a smoother ride, but they don't have near the traction as the AG's did. There were a couple of places where it just lost traction and wouldn't continue to go. What's odd is the 416 with Turfs doesn't have the same problem. I guess the Turf Trac R/S which is on the 416 plus the added hydro weight helps out.

Does anyone mow with rear weights on the tractor? Thinking of putting on the rear weights, that would probably help....

It's been quite here lately.......

[Curmudgeon 28]

For about $40-$50 you can get a mini tire changer. Harbor Freight has them among other places. Be one of your most loved tools. Get a couple of real tire irons too. Nothing beats the right tools for the job.

I wouldn't mow without wheel weights. I fun from 50-70 pounds per side. VASTLY improves stability, helps with the traction as well.

Dale, in Michigan

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

Yes, turf tires ride better, but I like the traction, as well as the looks, of the ags.

[Rollerman 290]

I have always removed them in the spring for mowing.

I guess I think they will create ruts or tire impressions.

But keep in mind I have no hills or wet areas in my yard & it's the size of 2 postage stamps.

So another issue I think I would have is inertia....ie I mow a small yard so a lots of stop & go.

I beleive that would be harder on the hydro's I mow with.

Think I'm nuts yet?...LOL

Stephen in northern IN...being difficult

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,532]

When tires get older I think they get stiffer and that could part of your traction problem. Are they older tires? I have mowed with my C125 auto with the weights on and it never looses traction. I think since it has the wider 23 x 10.5 x 12 tires on it that it doesnt leave a tire print or "rut" as I mow.

Mike...back from camping with NO KIDS...talk about relaxing!!

[Curmudgeon 28]

Wider tires definitely rule!!

I love my 24x12x12's!!!!!!!

Dale, in Michigan

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,532]

What are you running 24 x12 x12's on? A standard "C" series? Is there any clearance issues or did ya have to raise the fender pan? Also, is there any rubbing of the under the fender gas tank?

Mike...way to many questions...

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,120]

Yeah, thems are some bigem tires there.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

I would like to run ags on the rear and tri-ribs on the front of one of my WHs, either the 314-8 or the C141 automatic. Right now I'm leaning towards the 314-8 as it's newer, but the C141 has the oldest tires, so I guess it would be the next to get tires.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,120]

My 414 and 416 are based on almost exactly the same parts. The 416 has Turf Trac R/S tires on it and the 414 *now* has turf saver tires, both the same size front and rear. Since putting the turf saver tires on the 414 it rides much better BUT not anywhere close to the 416 which rides so nice.

From the looks of it, your 314-8 has 2-ply TurfTrac R/S tires. If it were me, I would keep those on that tractor and use it as a "luxury" tractor and change the tires on the older C-141. Just my $.02 worth.

[kj4kicks 151]

I asked about this earlier, but haven't found an answer yet. Where can I get wider steel wheels to mount the 23x10.5x12 Ag tires on the back of the C160 FEL? It has the 8.5's on it now. Is there another model of WH that I can get the wheels from? Or maybe an aftermarket place?

Thanks,

Eldon.... in rainy SE PA... and I want to go out and play!

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,120]

Eldon, I don't know about the older models, but the 520 (at least in 1994) came standard with 23x10.50-12 tires in the rear. I have seen these on eBay every now and again. There are probably other makes which have the larger tires like Cub or Deere, but I don't know anything about them.

Your current rims should be 7" wide to hold the 8.50 or 9.50. The 10.50 needs an 8.5" rim. There is a set of these on eBay now but the seller wants $90 just for the rims.

For a little extra width, you could go with 9.50's on the rear, although it would be tough to find them in AG's. I have even looked for 9.50's in TurfTrac R/S (which is what I have on my 416) and Carlisle doesn't make them any longer in that size.

I'll keep my eye out for 520 parts for ya in this neck of the woods which covers lower NY state, Northern NJ and Western CT (West of Hartford as Mike has a monopoly on all horses east of Hartford) and see what I can find for ya.

[kj4kicks 151]

Hi Karl, That sounds like what I need. Man, I need to find a 520 parts tractor !

But the rear wheels are most important right now. If anybody knows of a set, please let me know.

Thanks,

Eldon.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,120]

eBay item # 300140407467 is what you are looking for. They are new AG's on new rims. I don't know what new rims cost so how good a deal it is...... no idea.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

eBay item # 300140407467 is what you are looking for. They are new AG's on new rims. I don't know what new rims cost so how good a deal it is...... no idea.

I'm not sure what rims go for either, but if this is for a pair of rims and tires, then I say it's a good deal.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,120]

Oh, one more to check out...

http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=47134

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,532]

Not only do we need 8.5" width rims but the offset needs to be the deep style. I had a set of 8.5" rims but the center( where the lug holes are) was just that...in the center. The deeper the offset the better especially for Wheel Horses with the under-the-fender fuel tank.

Mike...been there done that

[kj4kicks 151]

I saw the wheel/tire combo on ebay, too. Since they didn't specify, I'm thinking they are just 2-ply tires. I'm going with the 4 ply Carlisle Ag tires (about $70 each). I also checked with Joe's, who seems to have many WH parts on ebay, but he has no wheels. Just for kicks, I'll call the WH dealer tomorrow to get a price on wheels.

...and the beat goes on......

Eldon.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,120]

Eldon, the eBay add states that they are 4-ply, and the offset "looks" to be what a Wheel Horse uses.

[Curmudgeon 28]

Been working a lot of hours lately, so I haven't logged in for a few days. So I'll try to answer everything all at once.

I've run 24x12x12's, both lug and turf, on different tractors, including a 520H and 416-8. No clearance problems what-so-ever. Since there is only 1/2" radius difference, fender clearance isn't an issue. If you have room for chains, you have room for 24x12x12's. Whether you have room for chains on the larger tire may be questionable. But then, you can always put chains on the smaller tires and swap wheels instead of putting chains on and off.

Originally, I mounted the wider tires on a wider wheel, about 10" - 10.5", can't remember for sure now. But went back to an 8", maybe even 7.5" wheel to bow the tire and add flex for the ride. This of course moved the tire closer to the gas tank, etc., but no clearance problems. Mower decks, tiller, etc. all fit, no problem.

This of course is all with the correct offset wheels as mentioned in an earlier post. If you see an ad where the wheels fit Wheel Horse, John Deere, Cub, Sears, etc., they are lying, or don't know what they are talking about. The bolt holes will in line up, but that's all. The offsets are different. ALL Wheel Horse wheels have the same inside offset, any additional width to the wheel ALL goes to the outside.

The widest wheels for Wheel Horse I've seen are on the 520. I've bought a pair new, and a pair used. I think the new ones went for about $45 a piece, though it's been a few years.

I've also widened at least 3 pairs of wheels. There are different ways to do this, and any reputable welding shop should be able to do it. You can either cut the wheel in two, bend a piece of flat stock to match the wheel and weld it in, or as I've done with all mine. I cut 4 wheels apart, in such a way to increase the center section width when I weld them back together. Once I only cut apart three wheels, the third wheel I cut square in the center of the center section. Only gained about an inch and a half on that set, but that's all I wanted.

Before you ask how I cut them apart, well, I've done it differently but finally hit upon a method that works great for me. Jack up one side of tractor, remove wheel and mount the wheel you want to cut. Position 14" chop saw in front of wheel so it'll contact wheel where you want it cut. Start tractor, put in gear, let idle. As wheel rotates, slowly advance the chop saw blade into it, making sure everything is square. Won't take long and it'll make a perfect cut. Repeat 3 more times, twice along the inside edge, twice along the outside edge. I use whatever works to remove the center from two of the pieces. Only need one set of bolt holes per wheel. LOL Usually a die grinder.

Position two halves together, clamp, weld a couple inches. Rotate 180 degrees, weld a couple inches. Keep working your way around from opposite sides, before long, you'll have a nice, wide wheel. Will it hold air? Course NOT, not with my welding. I grind it down some, reweld any blatant holes, grind some more. Paint, cover the weld with a couple layers of duct tape, mount tire with tube. I always use tubes anyway.

Now for anyone who read all of this, congratulations! And I hope I answered all your questions.

Dale

[kj4kicks 151]

Hi Dale, Thanks for the detailed explanation. I've had car wheels widened for drag slicks (had to be "stock appearing"), but I figured it would be easy to find 8.5" wide tractor wheels. Not so. My C160 FEL does not have the under seat tool box, or gas tank, so no problems there. Then it occurred to me that I do have another C160 with a set of wheels, so maybe I'll just do duals instead.

BTW guys, I did take a quick look at the C160 parts tractor, and it DOES have the underseat tool box. So I guess that makes it an older model. I'll remember to get the serial number one of these times LOL.

While I was in the trailer, I took a look at the original (with one bent) spindles that came with the FEL. Low and behold, there's a new set of 4 ply Carlisle turf tires for the front. So I did the old switcheroo, and wow what a difference it made on the FEL.

So back to the original problem.... Maybe I'll run dual (stock width) wheels in the summer for dirt and such. The wider stance should make it more stable. Go back to singles when I'm moving snow. Wouldn't want the tires to be wider than the bucket when dealing with snow, that's just asking for trouble. Anybody got a diagram for a nice build-your-own set of duals kit? Or maybe a brand name for a set that you prefer?

Thanks again.....

Eldon.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337]

Dale,

An interesting and informative post. Right now, almost anything is informative to me on WH's, but I'm getting there.

[Curmudgeon 28]

Thought you guys might like to see what 24x12x12's look like on a tractor, and yes, it's the full size image because I've already cropped and compressed the image so the file size isn't out of hand.

Enjoy.

I'll search around, see if I can't come up with some pictures of wheels I've worked on.

Dale

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,120]

Holy Smokes, those tires make it look like a dragster. but you know, I like em. Nice tires!

[Curmudgeon 28]

Okay, a couple more images, both fairly small, so full sized right here.

Here are the four halves before I welded:

Here is a completed wheel: And no, I don't think this wheel came from the above parts, but you get the jist of it.

Dale

And YES, I'm a chicken scratch welder using a simple stick welder. But they HOLD! IF they don't, well, I do it again! LOL