8 inch front Tire and Spindle Upgrade

[Rollerman 290]

Banjo you will know by tommorrow evening...I'll have pics up then. :D

[kpinnc 10,827]

No Not Stupid at all. It's the kind of feedback I'm looking for.

I was only joking with ya Banjo. Didn't bother me one bit. Glad you're here with us!

Kevin

[Rollerman 290]

Well I said I'd add a pic of the 310-8 speed I got my dad a few years back.

Added the 8" front rims & tires cause the original 6" kept going flat & I had these.

My father commented right after I put them on that it was much easier to steer!

The rears are 23x8.50's with several gallons of windsheild washer fluid in them....seems to be working good & has not froze at are temps here.

The pic is bad...sorry about that

[Banjo 0]

Well I said I'd add a pic of the 310-8 speed I got my dad a few years back.

Added the 8" front rims & tires cause the original 6" kept going flat & I had these.

My father commented right after I put them on that it was much easier to steer!

The rears are 23x8.50's with several gallons of windsheild washer fluid in them....seems to be working good & has not froze at are temps here.

The pic is bad...sorry about that

Very nice tractor there tickster. I have never heard of the windshield washer fluid trick! LOL

Is that for weight? How much weight is it and does it sound like you are always driving through a mud puddle? :P

[Banjo 0]

So far we have the following advantages to the 8" front wheel upgrade from the 6" :

1. Steers easier

2. Looks Cool

3. Your front tires are less likely to SKID in heavy snow!

4. An opportunity to change the color of your rims too!

[TT-(Moderator) 1,128]

I have never heard of the windshield washer fluid trick! LOL

Is that for weight? How much weight is it and does it sound like you are always driving through a mud puddle?

Not trying to steal the thread again, but WWF (not the wrestling group! ) weighs around 7.5 lbs per gallon. Depending on tire size, you can add anywhere from 30 to 50 pounds per tire. (give or take)

A quick way to put it in a TUBELESS tire is to take the tire & wheel off the tractor and break the bead loose on the side with the valve stem. Push down on one side of the tire and start dumping. Once you get enough inside the tire, put the air to it to reseat the bead. (you might get splashed a little ) There is also a tire filler "tool" that lets you fill it through the valve stem, which you have to do when your tires have inner tubes in them. It takes a lot longer, but the end result is the same.

You shouldn't be able to hear the sloshing, but you may get a delayed "rocking" when you start out or stop quick. :P

[Rollerman 290]

Banjo I see Terry already got you covered on the "washer fluid" question.

And yes...the rears were tubeless...I just broke the bead a little ways on one side..as Terry described & started pouring.

About 6/7 jugs apeice in each back tire.

No you don't feel it when your on the tractor or hear it either.

Although you do get a lot more resistance if you have to push it...but thats true for any type of weight!

It's a cheap trick for adding weight...& a debated one too (filled tires or wheel weights )

Also do be very carefull when handling loaded tires so they don't slip of the hub before you get the lug bolts in...my one finger nail was black the better part of 06 from mounting those up. :(

[TT-(Moderator) 1,128]

Also do be very carefull when handling loaded tires so they don't slip of the hub before you get the lug bolts in...my one finger nail was black the better part of 06 from mounting those up.

OUCH ! ! ! ! !

I did a 417 8 speed transaxle swap last year for a guy who used his tractor for "heavy" gardening work. He had 23-10.50 X12's on full-offset 8.5" rims and they were LOADED with fluid. (calcium) It took me about 1 hour to pull the old transaxle and install the "new" one (including changing hubs and the gear oil) but it took another 1/2 hour AND the wife's help to get those off-balance tires back on to the tractor.

I now have a pair of 7/16" studs that get screwed in the hub so I can just slide the wheel in over them and hold it until I get some lug bolts started. :D

[combatmp29r 27]

The rears on the V18 are loaded with WWF. They are 23x8.50-12s and weigh about 95lbs a piece. Tricycle Terry can attest from one of my posts over on his yahoo group that I cussed them for about an hour the last time I had them off during the fabrication. Thats why I installed the 7/16x20 bolts as wheel studs. I posted picks of it in the transmission mod area. They never do seem to balance when your putting them on, fricckn frackn $%^&%$## tires :D

[TT-(Moderator) 1,128]

Holy Cow !

I did have a picture of my old 312A tucked away in the drawer. This is the one I loaned to my best friend almost two years ago when they moved to a house with grass in the yard. (long story ) While he was borrowing it, I found the 416H and told him he could buy the 312 if he wanted to. Hopefully he'll get it "spiffied up" and bring it along to the show in June.

I think this picture is from around 1996

Dig them tiny front tires and those fancy (OEM) smoothie hubcaps! :P

[Rollerman 290]

Terry I like it...have one myself I use for my mower/vacuming tractor.

Did not know Wheel Horse offered smoothies.

I have a set on a Lawn Ranger & just figured them to be aftermarket?

[TT-(Moderator) 1,128]

My Ex's grandmother bought it new in late 1985. I guess it was the high-end 312 model. It had a chrome muffler and air cleaner, cushion-grip larger steering wheel, the chrome hubcaps, and the higher back seat. She hired a lawn care service to take care of her yard work and decided to sell the 312A, so I "jumped right on it".

At the time it had like +/- 250 hours on it and was serviced twice a year by the local dealer. I got the tractor, 37" deck w/rear mounted bagger, 42" snowthrower, all the manuals, wheel weights, and tire chains for $1500 -- and she let me make interest-free payments! :D

[Curmudgeon 28]

Gee I didn't see the A-Number One benefit to fluid filled tires!!!

Next time you buy a nice new tire gauge and check your air pressure, you stand a good chance of kissing that gauge good bye because you just loaded it up with something it was NEVER designed to have in it!!

LOL

Dale

[combatmp29r 27]

Yeah I learned that on the farm at a young age Dale. Went out to use the 4320 and thought the one rear tire looked low. Opened the glove box on dads truck and got out the guage for the duals. Needless to say a month or so later I quit hearing about it :D

[Rollerman 290]

Hmm maybe I'm not getting something here but thought if the tires were fluid filled you "just know" to check the air pressure with the valve stems at the top. ......... :(

[combatmp29r 27]

Nah that would make sense

i stil think your going to get some fluid in the air when you check it any how. I've always just used 3-4 pounds to reseat the bead and called it good. :D

[Curmudgeon 28]

Problem with "just knowing" is "just forgetting" or in my case, I loaned my tractor to my brother who ALWAYS takes very good care of things. He didn't know. Ruined a very nice Snap On air gauge. That "free" loan cost him a pretty penny.

Now it's no longer a problem. Just too many bad things related to fluid in the tires as opposed to nice, clean, iron weights.

[Banjo 0]

OK, I purchased some 10" wheels with tires and the hub is about 3/4" shorter than the original. The inside face of the wheel hub (facing toward the spindle) is the right length but the outside is about 3/4" short.

I need to find a spacer or "bushing" approximatly 3/4" long by about 1.5" diameter to match the original size hub OD and of course with a 3/4" ID to slide over the front axle. As it is now, my new wheel has too much slop to use.

Any ideas where to find the piece I need.

[Rollerman 290]

Banjo that should be an easy find at any farm suppy store or a hardware store that actually still carries hardware.

You should be able to come up with some spacer washers or even a 3/4" collar with a set screw in it.

[Kelly 1,028]

Try a farm store for the 3/4 collar that Stephen was talking about, It's the same set up that holds the pedals on most of the tractors or the steering shaft under the dash.

I picked up new ones at TSC for a couple of bucks each, make sure you put a washer between them and the rim. simplicity uses that set up to hold their front wheels on.

I have the same set of rims off a MTD from the junk yard. Kelly in MI.

[Banjo 0]

I picked up two 3/4" ID collars at the Tractor Supply Center (TSC) as recommended and various 3/4" ID washers. PERFECT!

The collars were located in the bins where they hold some of their bolts and spacers. I walked around the entire store and got a bunch of pieces with 3/4" ID such as bushings, washers, and yes I even bought a few tow hitch ball adapter bushings that adapt a 3/4" ball shaft to a 1" receiver hole-LOL, although I did not use them.

The Toro parts viewer indicates a suggested .015" in-out slop on the wheel movement. I don't know if I got it there but it "feels" great!

THANKS AGAIN!

[Banjo 0]

OK Folks, my wheel-tire upgrade is complete. Thanks for all the help. I did the fronts and back as follows:

ORIGINAL FRONTS

15" High tire x 6" wide x 6" rim

NEW FRONTS

16" High tire x 6" wide x 8" rim

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ORIGINAL REARS

22" High tire x 7.5" wide x 12" rim

NEW REARS

23" High tire x 10.5" wide x 12" rim

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ORIGINAL TIRES AND WHEELS PHOTO BELOW

NEW TIRES AND WHEELS PHOTO BELOW

Photo below shows the 3/4" collar on the inside of the wheel to accomodate the shorter axle hub length on the new wheel

Below you can see the difference in width and height between the old and new rear wheel combo

Looking at the back of the tractor below, you can see there is little space between the tire and the gas tank. This is due to the wider rear tires I installed.

Photos below show original thin rear tires then with new wide rear tires and new high-back seat too!

In the photo below, notice I installed an axle collar inside the rear hub. This is to keep the hub from moving in if the hub ever comes loose, which might be important with the wider tires!

That's it for now. :thumbs:

[baerpath 517]

Just a thought if you do end up having a clearance problem with the rear tires on side hills You could use a wheel spacer to move the rim out a little farther.

Duane

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,594]

Looks great! With the original tires/rims it looked kinda wimpy but not anymore . Hopefully you wont need to put tire chains on it for winter service. If you do you'll need to use Duane's advice and get spacers so you dont hit the gas tank.

Thanks for the pics.

Mike......

[kpinnc 10,827]

Looks great Banjo!

You should notice a big improvement in the steering- not as much resistance, and I'm telling you, my 310 just rode better with the larger wheels.

Kevin