Dual wheels

[Ga.Cubby]

Told you guys i had lots of questions.

Are all dual adaptors the same? Suppose you want 23x8.50x12 tires versus 23x10.50x12 Will there be a difference in tire spacing using narrow rims and wider rims? Are wide rims too deep to use?

[Merk]

Good Question
It depends on what style dual wheel adapter you use. There are 2 different styles. One bolts directly to the hub that holds the wheel on the tractor. The problem with that style dual wheel adapter is in the rim spacing between the different rim widths. Wider rims need a wider spacer.

The other style is a ring that goes between the rims. 4 bolts are used to hold the two rims together. You use the same holes in your rim that holds a wheel weight on. I use this style on my 149

This is my 4th year using this set up for plowing. I haven't had any problems with it.

[JMD]

Merk whats the advantage to duals, when you compare the added strain on Drive train. Is it worth the money JMD

[clint]

I used to do a bit of farming, and would like to add my experience with dual wheels. On a cub you may be able to get some more weight by adding fluid in all the tires, however in real life the dual wheels are for less load on single tires from implements, and the duals will not compact the land... that is the two main reasons they are used. A single wheel setup may surprise you that it will pull more especially in wet/slick areas as the dual wheels have the weight distributed over a wider area in contact with the ground.

Don't take this as a slam against duals, just what my experience has been, you may also google dual verses single wheels in farm equipment (may even change the search word around some).

[Merk]

by clint
I used to do a bit of farming, and would like to add my experience with dual wheels. On a cub you may be able to get some more weight by adding fluid in all the tires, however in real life the dual wheels are for less load on single tires from implements, and the duals will not compact the land... that is the two main reasons they are used. A single wheel setup may surprise you that it will pull more especially in wet/slick areas as the dual wheels have the weight distributed over a wider area in contact with the ground.

I was raised on a farm too. In Northwest Ohio duals work better than a single tire. Most front wheel assist tractors run duals on the front wheels in my area. Fluid and weights are a must too. Tractors with duals will have better fuel economy considering todays fuel prices.

by JMD
Merk whats the advantage to duals, when you compare the added strain on Drive train. Is it worth the money JMD

I used to have 23-10.50-12 Super Lugs ag tires full with fluid on my 149. I was breaking pins in my driveshaft. Right before the pin would break my 149 would shake real bad. I notice the majority of the time when the bottom of the dead furrow wasn't real clean when the pin broke and my plowed soil had high and low spots in it. The ride was rough right before the pin broke too.

Since I was restoring my 100 I desided to try the 23-8.50-12 on my 149 to see if it made any difference. I purchase 2 sets (4 tires) thinking I had a third tractor that needed a set of ag tires. One set of tires have fluid in them and the other set has air.

The dual wheel adapter was made and I went to a plow day to see how this set up would work. That was 4 years ago. I haven't broke a pin in the last 4 years. The ride is smooth compared to the wider tires. The dual is not digging 100 % of the time....you can tell when it is working. Weight wise I should be close to the same amount. The 8.50s don't hold the same amount of fluid-the add wheel and spacer should make up the difference. Another interresting fact is I have 25 1/2 inches (3-8.50 tires) of tire touching the ground compared to 21 inches (2-10.50 tires).

The soil is a hardpack clay type where I live. A tractor rated to pull a 5 bottom plow will have a hard time pulling a 4 bottom plow. The first plow day I went to with the dual wheel was sandy soil. I've plowed in wet, dry, sandy and hardpack clay and will run a dual over a wide single tire. In my book wide tires are more for floating than traction.

[Merk]

by JMD
Is it worth the money

Good question
You will have to deside that for yourself.
Look me up and I will let you plow a few rounds with my 149.

[aagitch]

In northeast Iowa we had duals on all our tractors. The ones that were used for the field work.

[clint]

My post may read different than I wanted it to. Duals do work well in the big farms like mentioned above, probably 100 hp and up ( maybe a bit higher than that, but that is a decent starting place). However on 25-75 hp tractors single wheels pull much better as for traction etc. I'm not sure the added weight of fluid in tires would compensate for the weight being distributed over a wider area in this situation, and I also believe the cub cadets would only compound this as they weigh much less.

However I'm one that has a open mind, I will do some google research myself.

[Merk]

by clint
My post may read different than I wanted it to. Duals do work well in the big farms like mentioned above, probably 100 hp and up ( maybe a bit higher than that, but that is a decent starting place). However on 25-75 hp tractors single wheels pull much better as for traction etc. I'm not sure the added weight of fluid in tires would compensate for the weight being distributed over a wider area in this situation, and I also believe the cub cadets would only compound this as they weigh much less.

However I'm one that has a open mind, I will do some google research myself.

We had 3 tractors on a 200 acre farm that had duals. First one was a IH 986 (80 to 90 horsepower), IH 656 (50 to 60 horse power) and a IH 504 utility tractor (42 to 48 horsepower). All 3 tractors pull a plow, disk and a harragater. You could tell a noticeable difference in the speed the tractor was going while working the soil. The 656 had to have the duals on to pull the field cultivator. The 656 was the big tractor on the farm for 20 years. Notice none of the tractors I farmed with were over a 100 horsepower.

My Dad's 1450 been running a dual on the land side plowing since the day it was new. I've plowed with a single tire on the land side. I can tell a difference without dual on. All my Cub Cadets that I plow with have fluid in the rear tires and wheel weights on them. I will run around 60% of my rear weight on the land side. As I said in an earlier post wide tires are design for floatation. Yes they can be good for traction-you will need to add more weight. Weights cost more $$ to buy.

I don't work wet-slick ground. I treat any soil that I plow as it was my own. It's not easy to make a living off the land. I will wait until the soil is ready to work.

You can usually tell which tractors are running fluid at plow days...they are the ones that don't have the land side tire spinning. Spinning land side tires usually fluff up the bean-wheat straw enough so the tractor following it has their plow plugging up.

[JMD]

Wow you guys must have been rich farmers three tractors,We had 1.But then that was in the 50ths. Thanks Merk JMD LOL