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dgjks6

wider tires

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dgjks6

can I put wider tires on my 312-8? I have a craftsman with wider rear tires and it is a little more stable when mowing sideways on my hill in the back. Was wondering if there were wider rims I could get.

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HorseFixer

Yes they make wider rims and tires to go on your tractor! Go to your local farm and fleet type store. :whistle:

Duke

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baerpath

Sure you can go wider, my rims on my pullers are 14 inchs wide :whistle:

You can go to a 23x10.50 with no problem for mowing The craftsman rims would work on the horse.

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DMESS

23 X 10.50 will catch the right gauge wheel on your 37" deck, but 23 X 9.50 should clear it.

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dgjks6

I have 22 x 9 x 12 on the rear now. I think the sears has 10.5. I just looked at the tractor (I really have no life when I check out my tractor at midnight) and I think I should have no problem with the deck wheels if I go wider. Maybe the deck is not on right. How wide are the rims I have? What diameter rims do I need for 10.5 tires?

Thanks for all the help.

Greg

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dgjks6

Oh sorry, saw you guys went up to 23 inch tires. Those may hit the deck wheels. :whistle:

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TT

can I put wider tires on my 312-8? I have a craftsman with wider rear tires and it is a little more stable when mowing sideways on my hill in the back. Was wondering if there were wider rims I could get.

Wider tires won't help you as much as a wider track width if you're after increased sidehill stability. If you plan on keeping your 37" deck, you're limited as to how wide you can go.

Wheel offset (the distance from the center of the wheel where it bolts to the hub to the inside bead of the tire) is actually more critical than actual tire width.

I'm pretty sure the wheels used on the 312's of this era are 7 inches wide, but they have a little less offset than the earlier wheels - meaning the tires are tucked under the rear fenders a little more. I'm guessing this was done in conjunction with the introduction of the 37" deck - because of gauge wheel issues. :whistle:

I had a 37" deck on a 1986 312A (and also on a GT-1100 WorkHorse) and used 23 X 8.50 - 12 tires on 7 inch wide wheels on both tractors with no clearance issues.

No matter what you decide, I will still push the installation of wheel weights, and maybe even the fluid-filling of the tires.

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dgjks6

Actually I discovered something this morning even better than wider tires. Low gear :whistle: - never gets stuck. I think I finally got the traction thing figured out. No idea why it took me so long to figure that out. I guess I was scared to try low gear because of all the wheel horses I see on ebay with the caption - transmission works great but stuck in low gear

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TT

Just make sure your tractor is COMPLETELY STOPPED before moving the range selector lever. Otherwise it WILL be one of the "stuck in low (or high) range" tractors you have read about. :whistle:

A bent shift fork requires transaxle removal and disassembly to repair, and I really don't think you want to do that. (Don't let this scare you in to not moving the range selector though - It will be fine.)

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Kelly

Just a note to remember, try not to mow on a angle very long, as you can starve the engine of oil, they are splash lubed.

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Sparky

I think some weights would really help out any future traction issues. I keep 50# weights on 3 of my horses all year round.

Mike.........

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dgjks6

Part of it is a traction issue, the other issue is a roll over. I mow a steep hill sideways. There is no other choice. The Craftsman seems more stable. It may be that it is lower to the ground and has a lower center of gravity, or I thought it may be the wider tires.

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Sparky

I think wheel weights will actually lower your center of gravity. You could put both front and rear weights on it.

Mike..............

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dgjks6

That makes sense - wonder why I didn't think of that :whistle:

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dgjks6

So how do I add the weight? I still don't know if these tires have tubes. Due to a freak accident with swingset (don't ask) - I had to replace one of the front tires. Did not know you guys then so I went to the store and bought the same size tire on a different rim, took it off, and put it on the wheel horse rim. There were not a tube in the front. Do I add weight to these also?

Greg

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Teddy da Bear

If it is not a sin.......John Deere rims will fit on wheel horse also.

I have them on my B-80 and wheelhorse rims and tires on the outside.

No spacers or special parts needed for these duals.

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Curmudgeon

Ummm, are we sure the Craftsman rims would work? Last time I looked, the Craftsman offset was way different than a Wheel Horse. While they will technically bolt on, it would actually wind up narrower.

As has been mentioned, wheel weights are what you seek. Sporting goods stores have them, they are called 25 pound barbell weights. Get the smooth flat ones with the 1" holes. They'll lay right on the outer rim. Drill a couple holes, a couple long bolts, and you're good to go. Stack up a couple for even more weight.

Or you can get Wheel Horse weights, cement filled plastic now a days.

I've seen guys use those big, heavy industrial piping caps, or whatever the heck they are called.

Anything you can bolt to the wheel will do, and if you're careful about it, will look decent as well.

Here's a pic of a 416 with barbell weights front and rear:

6.074168.jpg

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KyBlue

Hey Those dont look to terribly bad. You have to drill holes in the front rims? I dont recall seeing holes in mine :whistle:

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Curmudgeon

They look like they belong there if you ask me. I'll admit that I might be prejudiced, so I let the pictures talk. Kind of like a black hubcap you might say.

The front wheels have the two holes in them already, but there is a tad more work involved in putting those on. If anyone is interested, I'll describe in detail, or better yet, sell you some already done! LOL

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doomjr

I don't trust crafstman because one time my dad ordered weigts for the R12 because it wasn't doing well plowing snow and we first got them and they were the wrong size. Then we got the right size but 1 only came so we finally got the other one. It took 1 week for each delivery and we had to travel 50 miles to get them at sears.

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Raider12

I do have a different model of tractor than you, but I did go one (1) size wider on he rear tires and they would just rub the rear wheels on the mower deck. When I overhauled the deck a couple of years later I altered the deck wheel mounting so they no longer touch.

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