Information about
Tractor Pulling Tires and How to Widen Steel Wheels
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The Differences Between Turf and Lug Tread:
 |
TURF tread is typically found on most common
riding mowers and lawn & garden tractors (mainly grass cutting equipment).
Turf tread doesn't provide good traction on dirt for pulling, but it's easy
on grass.
(Carlisle tire pictured.) |
 |
LUG tread is the traditional farm tractor or agricultural
type of tread (angled with raised bars). Lug tread provides superior traction
on dirt for pulling, but it'll tear up grass.
(Carlisle tire pictured.) |
The rule of thumb for ALL pulling tractors is to get the front end as low as possible for better weight distribution and leverage. By doing this, the rear of the tractor or hitch is "raised up," and when the weight of the sled starts to place pressure on the hitch, this will make it harder to raise the front end. Causing the rear tires to bite more.
Also, the front wheels (or tires) can be smaller because all they do is support the front weight of the tractor and steer. And the rear wheels (or tires) has to be bigger because they must support most of the weight and provide the traction.
Most rear garden
tractor wheels have a 5-hole bolt pattern and a circle diameter of 4-1/2".
This is the same bolt pattern used on most early domestic (American made)
Ford (car wheels), domestic (American made) Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth (cars
and light trucks) and most 5-hole (12" diameter) trailer wheels. To determine
the bolt pattern on a wheel, measure from the outer edge of one bolt hole
to the center of another that's farthest away.
Always try to purchase pulling tires in a MATCHED SET!
The reason for this is because one tire could be slightly taller than the other (at the same air pressure), resulting in the tractor pulling to one side of the track at times. So get them from a reputable tire dealer who takes the time to mount and inflate them (at 10 p.s.i.), then writes the measurement of the circumference on each tire. The circumference of each tire can vary when not mounted and properly inflated. Because tires are stored stacked on one another or side by side on a rack, the circumference can't be accurately measured (when it isn't mounted and properly inflated).
Adjust or Set the Air Pressure for Best Traction!
When inflating your rear tires, add air pressure so that the entire width
of the tread will lay flat (evenly) on the ground. Too little pressure will
allow the outside edges of the tread to make most contact with the ground
resulting in poor traction plus the tire will be shortened in overall height.
The opposite will happen with too much pressure. With too little pressure,
the hitch height will also be lowered when the tractor is pulling the sled.
As tire pressure varies from one tire manufacturer to another, and depending on the width of the wheels that's being used, it seems that Carlisle tires seems to work best with about 10 p.s.i. Cepeks seems to work best with 4-6 p.s.i., when mounted on 12"-13" wide wheels. But use your own judgment when inflating tires! Actually, this is how to tell if the pressure is right: on a hard, dry track, immediately after making a pull, look at the tread for uneven scraping before moving the tractor away from the sled (as this will destroy any evidence on the tread). If there's a lot of scraping in the center of the tread, let some air out of the tires.
If running very low air pressure however, it may be necessary to screw the wheels to the tires to prevent the beads from slipping on the rims. If using inner tubes, failure to do this might ruin the tube(s).
Pulling tire sizes are determined by the overall height, maximum width (including the side wall bulge) and the inside diameter. For example, 26-12.00x12 size represents that the tire is 26" tall (when fully inflated), has an overall width of 12" (bulge of sidewalls) and mounts on a 12" diameter wheel. These tires originally mount on 10.5" wide wheels, but for pulling purposes, it's best to mount them on 12" or 13" (which is better) wide wheels so the tread will lay flat. And mount 23-10.50x12 tires on 11" wide wheels so the tread will have better ground contact.
As far as wheel width is concerned, the correct width for most 26x12.00-12
pulling tires is 13" (when measured inside the bead lip - see drawing). Actually,
the correct wheel width for any pulling tire should be equal to or
slightly more than the middle number of the tire size (maximum side wall
bulge). This allows all of the tread to lay flat on the ground when the tire
is inflated to about 10 p.s.i. air pressure. If a wheel is too narrow, the
center of the tread will make most contact with the ground. Air pressure
can be reduced with narrow wheels for improved ground contact, but this will
cause the circumference of the tires to become smaller and it'll also cause
the hitch to lower when the
sled's weight is on the tractor, losing valuable
ground speed, traction and proper weight transfer.
"Professional" VS Non-Professional Pulling Tires -
Some pulling rules state that "no professional pulling tires shall be used in a stock class," If you've ever wondered what a "professional" and "non-professional" tire is, well, professional pulling tires come from the factory with molded cut lugs. They are as follows: Cepek Giant Puller, LawnTec, Temco Pit Bull and Vogel's VM07. Non-professional pulling tires have squared lugs. They are: Carlisle Super Lug, Firestone Flotation 23, McCreary Traxion and Titan/Carlisle Tru Power.
If you're going to use Carlisle's 23-8.50x12 or 23-10.50x12 tires, you really need a set of 4 ply's to be competitive. The 2 ply tires have a tendency for the lugs to fold or bend back when under pulling force, causing the tires to lose traction. The 4 ply tires stiffens the entire tire, including the lugs. And always match the wheels to the size (width) of the tire! For example: for 8-1/2" wide wheels, it's best to use 23-8.50x12 tires. The middle number in the tire size represents the width of the sidewall bulge when the tire is fully inflated and mounted on the proper width wheel.
And if you're running a set
of new 26-12.00x12 Carlisle tires, well, these tires can pull with the best
of them when the lugs are professionally "double-cut." Cut or angled lugs
act like a wedge that digs in and grip the dirt better to pull the vehicle
further. To double-cut the tread for more traction, first cut the
backside of the lugs so they'll be at a 45º angle, more or less
(slope them back). If a 45º angle don't look quite right, sharpen the
lugs at a 30º angle, more or less. Then cut a wedge between the lugs
(the flat part) about 1/4" deep so this area will grip the dirt, too.
By the way - the tire on the right, I bought a set of them new in 1989, and they have been sharpened only three times.
If you're wondering how to cut, sharpen or reshape tire tread,
personally, I use a 4" handheld angle grinder with a metal
tread cutting disc from
Midwest Super Cub
to cut or reshape my tire tread. Tread cutting or grinding makes a big mess,
so you may want to do outside of of your shop. You can also use an electric
wood planer to cut the tread. Electric wood planers works best on the original
Pit Bull pulling tires and they make a
little smoke. By the way -
Midwest Super Cub
makes and sells some really nice CNC machined tread grinding discs.
Remember - when choosing or widening a set of rear wheels, buy them or have them made so they'll set as close as possible to the tractor frame. This will allow for a narrow wheel base width on the rear because it's hard to guide a tractor with one's body weight when the rear wheels set out a lot. The reason for this is if a tractor starts heading toward the boundary line, one would need to shift their body weight or lean less with [rear] tires that set inward or closer together. Narrowing of the fenders may need to be done in order to position the wheels close as possible to the frame. That way, the operator can lean less. Move and reweld the centers in steel wheels if necessary to accomplish this.
To move or relocate the centers in steel wheels...
- Drill out the spot welds with a 3/4" drill bit.
- Use a big hammer to knock the centers loose
- Relocate the centers in the wheel so they'll have the proper offset.
- Align the wheel/center in a large metal lathe or on the tractor axle so they won't wobble when mounted on the tractor.
- Tack-weld the centers in, check for run-out (wobble), correct if necessary, then weld the centers solid.
- Finally, weld in some 3/4" diameter x 1/8" thickness steel discs to plug the 3/4" drilled holes.
What does "offset" of the wheel mean?
The offset of the wheel is where the center is positioned in the wheel. If a wheel has a 4" x 8" offset, this means that the center is positioned or measured 4" from the backside and 8" from the front side. This particular offset sets the wheels outward from the tractor frame. The 6" x 6" wheels are centered and not offset, which sets the wheels closer to the frame.
Adapting Wheels for Use with a Different Axle Flange Bolt Pattern -
When adapting Douglas or Real aluminum wheels or ordinary garden tractor wheels to an axle flange with a different bolt pattern, new holes will need to be drilled in the flanges. For precision accuracy and so the wheels will not move "up and down" when rotating, the holes in the flanges must be drilled in a super spacer that's fastened on the table of a milling machine. The bolt pattern for most garden tractor wheels is 4.500". This means that the center of the super spacer needs to be moved 2.250" offset. Then each hole will need to be drilled precisely in five positions, starting at 0°, then at 72°, 144°, 216° and finally at 288°. If the holes are not drilled this way, the wheels will not be centered with the axles. Automotive wheels can be adapted to another vehicle using this method too, as long as the flange is big enough to accept a larger bolt pattern. IE: Using Chevy car wheels on a Ford 9" truck rear end.
Using Aluminum Wheels On A Cub Cadet That's Equipped With External Brakes -
Some aluminum wheels will not clear external brakes. If you are a weight-conscience puller, use spacers that's 5/16" thickness made of either steel, aluminum or hard solid plastic to provide clearance for the external brakes. Drill holes in each spacer for the lug bolts/studs and use longer (and hardened) bolts/studs, too.
If you are worried about the excessive rotating mass weight of using STEEL spacers, the diameter of the spacer is so small in diameter, it won't effect the spinning weight which slow down tires. It's not like running [large diameter] wheel weights. If you make your own spacers, make sure that they're trued up in a metal lathe. For 5/16" thickness cast aluminum wheel spacers, check out J.C. Whitney (http://www.jcwhitney.com/item.jhtml?ITEMID=5864&BQ=jcw2).
The new style Douglas aluminum wheels now have a larger center which allows their use on external disc brake Cub Cadet transaxles without the use of wheel spacers.
If you're using
the older Douglas aluminum wheels with the deep drop-center, then I'd be
leery about using inner tubes. It'll be best to run the tires tubeless with
silicone tire sealant smeared around the rims and tire beads because with
tubes, the deep area in the wheel could stretch the rubber a little too much
and blow out the tube. But if you're using the newer style wheels with a
shallow drop-center, then it should be safe to run inner tubes.
How to Widen Steel Wheels -
If you have a set
of 5" wide wheels (measured on the inside lip of the rim), then 8" wide of
rolled metal will need to be added in the wheels to make them 13" wide. To
do this, you will need to...
- Place a mark on the wheels where they need to be cut. And importantly, identify the two halves of each wheel so they will be put back together without getting them mixed up. (If this isn't done, one wheel could be wider than the other and/or the offset won't be right when the job is finished.)
- To cut the wheels, chuck them in a large metal lathe with a minimum 14" swing. A Cub Cadet axle that's not bent can be used as a spindle to get a true cut. Or chuck the edge of the rim in the lathe's jaw chuck. The wheels can be cut on the inside or outside. Either way, just make sure they won't slip in the chuck when cutting them!
- Acquire 33-3/8" length of flat steel, one for each wheel, approximately the same thickness as the metal in the wheels. Use either 12 gauge (.108" thickness), 13 gauge (.093" thickness) or 3/32" (.094" thickness). For 23-10.50x12 tires, the wheels will need to be 11" wide (inside lip to inside lip). And for 26-12.00x12 tires, the wheels will need to be 13" wide (inside lip to inside lip). To figure the width of the steel, if the wheel was originally 5" in width, for a 13" wide wheel, the piece of 33-3/8" long flat steel will need to be 8" wide (5" - 13" = 8"). If the wheel is originally 8-1/2" wide, the steel will need to be 4-1/5" wide, etc. (8.5" - 13" = 4.5") The width of all wheels are always measured from the inside lip from one rim to the other. See picture to the right.
-
There are two ways to weld the flat steel to the wheel halves:
- Tack weld one half of the wheel with the center in it to a steel top table with the cut part up. Then acquire a large diameter strap or band of some kind to bring the ends of the flat steel together. Place the steel on the wheel, then tack-weld it to the wheel. Slowly and carefully work around the wheel until the entire length of steel is securely tack-welded to the wheel. Then place the other matching half of the wheel on top of the steel and weld it until it's secured to the wheel.
-
Use
a large "slip roll" to roll the steel. Then acquire a large diameter strap
or band of some kind to bring the ends of the flat steel together. Place
the steel on the wheel, then tack-weld it to the wheel. Slowly and carefully
work around the wheel until the entire length of steel is securely tack-welded
to the wheel. Then place the other matching half of the wheel on top of the
steel and weld it until it's secured to the wheel.
- Now chuck each wheel in the lathe again, or on the rear of a garden tractor with axles/flanges that's not bent, and spin them to make sure they don't wobble (or wobble very little). If they turn true, weld solid the entire circumference of the steel to the wheel.
-
If
inner tubes
are going to be used (which is recommended), grind the bead of weld smooth.
But if they're going to be tubeless, grind off the "high spots" in the weld
so the tire bead won't get damaged when mounting the tire on the wheel.
NOTE: It's best to use inner tubes with welded-together wheels. Because
if it's not a superior welding job, air can seep out through the weld bead.
And as with any tubeless tire, it's best to sand smooth the inner rim on
the wheel, paint it for lasting protection and then apply silicone sealer
or "bead sealer" on the inside of the rim to prevent air leakage. If the
tire slowly looses air over time, try some
SLIME Flat Tire Repair.
This stuff works great!
If you can't find someone locally to widen your steel wheels, contact either:
- Brent Miller of 1501 W. Old Plank Rd., Columbia, Missouri. Phone: 1-573-875-4033 | E-mail: pullingtractor@aol.com. Custom widening of 12" diameter steel garden tractor wheels. Your wheels: $100.00/pair, plus return shipping. Wheels are cut (split) and widened with a steel band. They are finished and ready for you to clean and paint. We are in the process of relocating our shop/business to a much larger facility at 1712 Business Loop 70 East, in Columbia, MO, offering faster service and many more parts & services to our customers! 1712 Business Loop 70 East, Columbia, MO - Google Maps or Map of 1712 Business Loop 70 East, Columbia, MO by MapQuest.
- Adam Jannene of Burlington, Wisconsin. Phone: 1-262-210-2842 | E-mail: amjannene@yahoo.com. Custom widening of 12" steel wheels. With core $85.00/pair, without core $105.00/pair. Wheels are cut (split) and widened with a steel band. They are finished and ready for you to clean and paint. Shipping available.
- Stockton Wheel - Wheel Widening Services - Custom Wheels (http://www.stocktonwheel.com/wheel_widening.htm)
- Weldcraft Wheels Wheel Widening Wheel Repairs Wheel Restoration (http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/)
Repairing a Pin Hole in an Inner Tube -
Go to Wal-Mart
(in the automotive section) or an auto parts store and buy their inner tube
patch kit. It works great! But before you smear the sealant on the tube,
be sure to thoroughly clean the area first with cleaning solvent, and light
the sealant with a match, let it burn for a few seconds and then blow it
out and then apply the patch. Use the roller to secure it in place. This
is called hot patching. It holds the patch in place better.
When sharpening the tread on a pulling tire, sometimes the grinding disc will cut through the cords, creating a hole in the tread area of the tire. When this happens, all hope for the [expensive] tire is not lost. Simply have a tire repair shop install a boot, which is a large, thick patch, over the cut place on the inside of the tire and then install an inner tube in the tire. The purpose of "boot" repair is to fix a tear in the tread. This is necessary to prevent the inner tube from poking through the hole once the tire is inflated.
A low cost and easy way to change tires -
The cheapest way to remove a tire from a wheel is to a crowbar, two flat tire irons and a big hammer. First pry half of the tire off the wheel, then turn the tire right side up, hook the crowbar in the edge of the rim to push down on the tire and then use the hammer to beat the tire off the wheel on either side at the beads. I do this, my dad have done this, his dad before him have done it and my great granddad have done it this way.
To reinstall the tire, lay it on the wheel, place one foot on one edge of the bead, then use the hammer to beat the tire on the wheel. But be sure you have a clean floor before doing this!
If
you don't feel like using a lot of manual labor as described above, then
what you need is a portable and manual tire changer from
Harbor Freight Tools works great
for changing automotive and garden tractor pulling tires. For stability,
fastened it to a concrete floor or mount it on a wide, heavy steel plate
with hardened bolts. For more information on this quality tire changer from
Harbor Freight Tools, click
HERE, or find it on
eBay.
Another
nice bead breaker for smaller tires and wheels is one available from
Russell Karting Specialties, 500 S. Lincoln, Raymore,
Missouri 64083, Phone: 1-816-322-3330, Fax: 1-816-322-2860, Email:
sales@russellkarting.com. Click
the picture to the right to go to their web site.
Actually, it'll be best to take a set of rear pulling tires and [aluminum] wheels to a reputable automotive tire repair shop and have the folks there mount them with a tire changing machine. Because if they were mounted manually by hammering the tires onto the wheels (this is the old fashioned way to mount tires), the hammer could slip and damage the rim. Don't take a chance. Spend a few dollars. And if the tires are mounted tubeless, have the tech person apply plenty of tire sealer on both the tire bead and wheel rim for a leakproof seal.
By the way - most people call wheels "rims." This is wrong. A rim is the outer part or edge of a wheel that holds the tire bead in place. And a "wheel" is the whole thing, including the rim.
Webster's dictionary defines the word Rim as:
Rim (noun)
[Middle English, from Old English rima; akin to Old Norse rimi strip of
land]
First appeared 13th Century
1: the outer often curved or circular edge or border of something
2: the outer part of a wheel joined to the hub usually by spokes
3: a removable outer metal band on an automobile wheel to which the tire
is attached
To make it easier to mount the
wheels on the rear of a garden tractor, there are four ways to install studs
in the axle flanges:
- Install 7/16-28 (fine thread) x 1-1/4" long hardened bolts (instead of factory screw-in lug bolts) in the backside of each flange to serve as wheel studs.
- If wheel spacers are to be used to set the tires away from the fenders, brake disc or frame, install 1-1/4" long bolts plus the width of the spacer(s) are as thick.
-
A long, heat-treated, hardened fine-threaded rod (All-Thread) can be used
as wheel studs. Just cut off the length you need, thread the stud in the
axle flange and secure it in place with a nut on the backside of the flange.
- Drill the threaded holes that's in the flange and then install automotive wheel studs. Drill the hole .003" smaller than the stud's knurled diameter for a press fit.
By installing wheel studs, ordinary
or chrome-plated tapered seat automotive lug nuts can be used to secure the
wheels. To use lug nuts with steel garden tractor wheels, drill the mounting
holes to 21/32" diameter, to make up the difference because of the larger
taper that's on the [7/16" (thread size) x 13/16" (wrench/socket size)]
automotive lug nuts. Any hardware store should carry a 21/32" drill bit.
No other size bit will allow the lug nuts to seat properly, keep them tight
and keep the wheel centered.
And to mount aluminum wheels on a tractor with studs in the flanges, use a flat steel washer with ordinary lug nuts that's reversed, or for a fancy look, install some chrome lug nuts with the taper machined off in a metal lathe. A flat washer will distribute the load across the aluminum so it won't break or crack when under a load.
Chrome-plated acorn-style lug nuts are available at most auto parts stores and on eBay. Be sure to get the ones with 7/16-20 NF threads. These particular nuts fit the 1970 and earlier GM cars and 1/2 ton trucks.
There's only two manufacturers of aluminum pulling wheels. They are Douglas Wheels and Real Racing Wheels. Here's some differences between them...
- Real wheels are the same price as Douglas wheels.
- Real come in the same offsets and are similar to Douglas, except Real has a larger diameter drop-center where Douglas' drop-center tapers down closer to the bolt circle area.
- Douglas appears to have better workmanship in the spinning and welding of the wheel but Real has a better polish.
- Douglas have 1/2" diameter mounting bolt holes, Real has 7/16" holes.
- Douglas has an 1/8" thickness center reinforcing plate and Real has a 3/16" plate.
- Douglas weighs about 5 lbs. and Real weighs close to 6-1/2 lbs.
- Douglas takes about 14 p.s.i. of air to seat a Cepek tire and Real only takes about 6 p.s.i.. Therefore, Douglas has a tighter bead seal than Real. When using Real wheels, it'll be a good idea to install screws in the rims so the tires won't slip.
- Both are very high quality wheels, and can be purchased from Custom Tire Cutting (812-328-9333), Midwest Super Cub or Nichols Performance.
By the way - for your aluminum wheels to be centered (to prevent "up and down wobble"), if your wheels have 7/16" holes, then just use ordinary flat bottom chrome 7/16" lug nuts (with a stainless steel flat washer) that's made for aluminum automotive wheels. But if they have 1/2" holes, then you will have to drill the holes in the axle flanges larger and then install 1/2" studs (and matching lug nuts) so the wheels will be centered.
If you're looking for new or used pulling tires, aluminum or steel wheels, look in my advertisement web site or you can place a want ad in the same site.
Advertisement:
If you need a set of new front wheel bushings or bearings for your garden
tractor, please contact me, Brian Miller, at A-1 Miller's
Small Engine & Specialty Shop (1501 West Old Plank Rd., Columbia,
Missouri. 65203 | Phone: 1-573-875-4033). Fax: 1-573-449-7347. You can also
contact me through Yahoo! Messenger:
|
 Heavy duty, flanged bronze
bushing for virtually all Cub Cadet and John Deere garden tractors upper
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x 1.003" o.d. x 3/4" height, flange o.d. is 1-1/4". $2.00 each, plus
shipping. |
 Heavy duty, low speed (up
to 5 mph), solid, oil-impregnated metal graphite flanged wheel bushing. Oil
impregnated means they absorb oil and grease to last longer. These last a
long time as long as they're lubricated with grease (chassis lube)
regularly. Size: 3/4" i.d. x 1-3/8" o.d. x 9/16" width (1/2" fits inside
the wheel hub), flange o.d. is 1-1/2". Universal fit. $2.50 each,
plus shipping. Part # 09-3305-3/4 |
 Heavy duty, low speed (up
to 5 mph), oil-impregnated metal graphite flanged wheel bushing for "Original"
Cub Cadet front wheels. Size: 7/8" i.d. x 1-3/8" o.d. x 1" width. These
are the same as above except I bore them to 7/8" in my metal lathe.
$5.00 each, plus shipping. Part # 09-3305-7/8 |
 Heavy duty, low speed (up
to 20 mph), sealed (both sides) ball bearing flanged front wheel bearing.
These have hardened, heated-treated steel races and roller balls inside
and are pre-packed with grease so they will last a long time. Size: 3/4"
i.d. x 1-3/8" o.d. x 1/2" width (3/8" fits inside wheel hub), flange o.d.
is 1-1/2". Universal fit for many makes and models of garden tractors. Will
hold up to a lot of weight and rough abuse. $5.00 each, plus shipping. |
 Heavy duty, low speed (up
to 20 mph), sealed (both sides) ball bearing flanged front wheel bearing.
These have hardened, heated-treated steel races and roller balls inside
and are pre-packed with grease so they will last a long time. Size: 1"
i.d. x 2" o.d. x 9/16" width (1/2" fits inside wheel hub), flange o.d. is
2-1/8". Universal fit. Will hold up to a lot of weight and rough abuse.
$6.00 each, plus shipping. Part # 150-023 |
 New insert bearing with
eccentric locking collar. 1" i.d. x 2.04" o.d. Fits all IH Cub Cadets with
mechanical PTO clutch. $10.00 each, plus shipping. |
| Other sizes and styles of bearings and bushings are also available. Please let me know what you need and I can probably get it for you at a reasonable price. I need to know the dimensions of the bearings or bushings, too. |
Linked pages to my parts & services:
Please click HERE, e-mail me at pullingtractor@aol.com or call me at 1-573-875-4033 if you need machine work performed, repairs made, various parts, if your business would like to help sponsor my web sites or if you'd like to make a donation towards my web sites. Please call between 12 noon and 8:00 p.m. Central time, and please be patient because I stutter.
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