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DarylJ

Front 8” rim widths

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DarylJ

How many 8” front rim widths did Wheel Horse offer and what were they?  My C81 has a deep dish front rim with a bead width of 5 3/8”.  Tire size is 16X6.50-8.  My B-80 also has the same size tire.....but the rim is narrower.  What is the bead width supposed to be on a B-80 rim?  I have been of the understanding it was originally 3 3/4”, but maybe that is incorrect?  Did the 800 Special and 800 Automatic use the same rims as the B-80, or were they narrower?  I have a set of 16X5.50-8 tires here waiting for a set of rims....is this the recommended size for the lighter tractors, maybe they meant for the 3 3/4” rim and not the wider 5 3/8” rim.  With so many wheels being interchanged across models, unless one purchased the tractor new it is oftentimes confusing to know what is original size and what isn’t.  Anybody have any real facts as to what front rim sizes were OEM on which models?

Edited by DarylJ

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ebinmaine

I have a C81 Parts machine here that has 16 x 8.5 x 8

Perhaps someone has replaced your 8.5 inch wide tires with 6.5 inch wide tires.

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DarylJ

8.5 width tire was original to the C81?  That is a full 2 inches wider than what I have. What rim width do they take?

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ebinmaine
11 minutes ago, DarylJ said:

What rim width do they take?

I've never taken it off to measure them but they do appear to be wider than the older ones.

 

@gwest_ca

Is this the kind of thing that would show up in a owner's manual download.?

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pfrederi

Older horses had 16 -5.50 x 8 tires on the 3.75" rims  C seies and newer had 16 -6.50 x 8 tires on the wider rims

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DarylJ

By “older horses”, are you referring to pre 1961, i.e. nut roaster types?  I am curious as to sizes used from 1970 to 1980.

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pfrederi

700 and 800 series Commandos, Chargers/Electros, Raiders all used the 5.50

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DarylJ

Thanks for clarifying this.  My 1975 B-80 4 speed also has 16X6.50-12 tires, which I had suspected are original issue, but are on the narrower, older style rims which I also suspect are original to the tractor.  As mentioned above, my C81 has the same size tire, but uses the newer 5 3/8 width rims.  With the C81 having a lighter K181 engine than its siblings with more HP, the decision to use the wider rim in front may have simply been linked to the decision to go with 16X8.50-12 taller, width rear tires.  Looks better, too, as the squattier 7.50s should probably be matched with a lower profile front 6” wheel instead of the 8”.  My B-100 8 speed has 22.5X7.50-12 in the rear and 16X6.50-8 on wide rims in front.  Not sure when the 22.5X7.50-12 ceased to be manufactured, but if it was in the late 70s it may have been a simple decision for Wheel Horse to make the size switch, that being based purely on what was available.  Every day I put some time on both the B-100 and the C-81.  If for no other reason than the larger rear tires, the C-81 provides a slightly more pleasant driving experience. 

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Tankman

5-3/8" rim width seems standard on later tractors with 8" rims.  :eusa-think:

 

 

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DarylJ

With the introduction of the C series, that seems to be the case (later tractors used the 5 3/8” rims).  Incidentally, my B-80 8 speed also came with 5 3/8” wide rims.  I swapped them out for the narrower 3 3/4” rims that provide for a  slightly narrower stance, plus quicker steering and a tighter turning radius as well.  Haven’t done that with the C-81, but I recently acquired a set of the narrower rims and will put them on it to confirm the same outcome as with the B-80.  Can easily go back to wider if it doesn’t play as well.

Edited by DarylJ

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