Oversize Skid Steer Wheels Boost Speed, Traction

Oversize Skid Steer Wheels Boost Speed, Traction TRACTORS Skid Steer Loaders 26-2-6 If you've ever wished your skid loader could go faster or make it through deep mud or manure without getting stuck, you'll be interested in how Gary Meyers modified his Melroe 763 Bobcat. The Aberdeen, S. Dak., farmer replaced the original 10.00 by 16.5 tires with taller, narrower, lugged 9.5 by 24 tires that he mounted on wheel rims off a Versatile swather. "The taller tires provide a lot more ground clearance and I can travel at speeds up to 10 mph on the road, compared to 6 1/2 mph with the original wheels," says Meyers. There wasn't enough room to mount the bigger wheels in-line without them hitting each other. To solve the problem, Meyers moved the front wheels out about 3 1/2 in. He cut away four sections of rivets on the wheel rim that held the rim to the hub, then slid the rims out and welded them back together again. "After three months of daily use, I'm really pleased," says Meyers. "I use this skid loader all year long in my cow-calf operation. I haul round bales and corn silage out to corn stubble fields about a quarter mile away. The faster road speed saves a lot of time. Once I get to the field I often have to go through deep manure because the cattle tend to concentrate around the bale feeding area. The large, lugged tires let me go across the field fast without getting stuck. I think the same idea would work on any skid loader as long as the frame is long enough to accommodate the bigger tires. "Another advantage is that these are 6-ply tires so they can run on lower air pressure which makes for a nicer ride. I put only about 25 lbs. of air in the front tires and 20 lbs. in the rear ones. The original 4-ply tires required 45 to 50 lbs. of air pressure. The difference in the ride is like comparing radial tires to bias tires. "I paid $130 apiece for the four new tires. I already had two of the wheel rims and bought the other two at a salvage yard for $30 apiece. "The only disadvantage with these big tires is that they can't support as much weight as the original ones. Also, they make the skid loader slightly less stable but I don't think it's a problem," says Meyers, noting that it just takes a few minutes to jack up the skid loader and put the original wheels back on. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gary Meyers, 12976-391 St.-Ave., Aberdeen, S. Dak. 57401 (ph 605 229-1135).

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