Will reversing the front wheels make a GT more stable??
 

I read the thread;

http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...power+steering

So if I reverse the wheels on a 1000 (or 128 etc...) will the wider front stance make the tractor more stable on hills/turns???

I know it will look cool!!:biggrin2:

Would there be any problem other than additional stress on the front axle??

Or I could get a set of NF wheels.

Attachment 16243

The pict shows one swapped, one not, that is the way I got her!!

The front axle pivots, so unless you are at the max pivot point I don't see how it could make any difference.

All I know was it made a huge difference on my little mower!!
Before widening the stance, I could not turn hard @ full speed because it would want to tip over, and tended to be "scary" on my side embankments (not that I recommend someone run a mower @ full speed and turn) it was just for trial purposes)
After the stance was altered, it is rock solid. (It will take more effort to turn though)
I cannot speak for someone else’s experiences.
What I do know is on my larger Ag tractors a wide front end is much more stable than a narrow front.
I converted 3 of them to wide fronts just for that reason as I haven’t used a front mounted 4 row cultivator in years, necessitating a narrow front.

I'd have to agree with ole george, by making it wider it will make it harder to tip over on turns and hills! Wonder if it would cause the tires to rub the mowing deck?

It'll increase your turning radius.... if that matters

The Tires will just scuff my 50" deck @ full lock with the deck fully raised, if the wheel encounters a bump, lifting it to the axle pivot stop.
In 2 years it has not caused any problems other than rubbed off paint on the deck.

I think you guys are missing the fact that the axle pivots in the center.

Think about it like this. stand at the rear wheel of your tractor and grab a hold of the fender. Then lift up , just picking up that corner. It won't mater if the front axle is 6 inches wide or 6 feet wide , it will still take the same amount of force to lift that corner. This is until you hit the max travel (pivot) of the front axle.

This is where the narrow vs wide front end comes in. At that point (max pivot) on a wide front end it takes a whole lot more force to continue lifting that corner. Where with a narrow front there is no pivot stop, so it just keeps going and you tip over.

Now a wider rear tire or a bigger offset wheel will make it more stable from start.

Dual rears or 10.50's fluid filled for great stability. That is why I want to put dual 6-12's on my nephew's 73.

I Agree 100%, one has to encounter the pivot stop on the front axle of the garden tractor before the wide or narrow stance makes a difference.
On the cubs, it is not much travel or lean angle.
When I mow the embankment, it's more of a "pucker angle" Ha,LOL!

Lowering your center of gravity will be the best you can do. My backyard is between 23-28 degree slope that I have to mow across. I've got fluid in the rears along with about 70lb of wheel weights. I've also got 1/4" spacers on the rear tires, but I had to put in longer studs.