Oversize Front Tires Allow Ford Tractor To Handle Big Loads

Oversize Front Tires Allow Ford Tractor To Handle Big Loads TIRES/WHEELS Miscellaneous 23-1-20 J.B. Roden of Thermopolis, Wyo., got tired of the problems he was having with the front wheels and tires on his 1981 Ford 6600 tractor. "The wheels weren't big enough which caused them to break and ruin the tires. The problem got worse when I switched from handling small square bales to 5 by 6-ft. round bales and bought a used Ford front-end loader that was one size too big for the tractor. The loader is equipped with a grapple fork which allows me to haul a round bale on both the front and back of the tractor. The front wheels started breaking around the lug nuts, even though I always kept them tight. "I solved the problem by replacing the original 7.50 by 18 tires with 11.00 by 16's mounted on heavy duty Ford 16-in. wide offset wheel rims. I had to use the offset rims to fit them to the existing spindles. I removed the original wheel studs and replaced them with ænext size larger' wheel studs designed for Ford 7700 tractors. I had to drill out the stud holes a little in order to make them slightly larger. The offset wheel rim allows me to use the much wider tires that are better able to handle the tractor's weight. "I paid $90 apiece for the offset wheels and $140 for each tire. It was a lot less than buying a new tractor. "Since I made the conversion I've used the tractor to handle many thousands of big bales, with no problems at all." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, J.B. Roden, Box 724, Thermopolis, Wyo. 82443 (ph 307 867-2454).

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