Slick Way To Handle Big Tractor Duals

Slick Way To Handle Big Tractor Duals TIRES/WHEELS Handling 7-5-16 You've never seen anything like it ù an amazingly simple attachment you can build yourself to make it unbelievably easy for one person, working alone, to install big tractor duals in a matter of minutes. Designed by South Dakota farmers Ervin Jensen and sons Curtis and Craig, of Beresford, it's the slickest, safest way to handle tractor duals that we've ever seen. When the Jensens want to turn, remove or install rear outside duals on a tractor, they simply slip the home-made attachment onto the end of their Bobcat 310 skid-steer loader. "If you don't own a skid-steer, the attachment can be just as easily designed to slip onto the bucket end of a conventional tractor-mounted loader," explains Ervin. Two 11 in. dia. gauge wheels equipped with solid rubber tires were salvaged from an old cultivator and mounted about 15 in. apart on the wheel-handling attachment. To install on an outer dual, for example, you simply drive the existing "inside" rear tractor wheel onto a block of wood. Then, with the attachment in place on the loader, you pick up the outside dual and carry it to the tractor (see photo). The small gauge wheels not only carry the heavy dual but allow it to be easily turned clockwise or counter-clockwise, making it simple and safe for one person working alone to align the holes and insert the lug bolts. The Jensens caution that the attachment, used with their 310 Bobcat loader, is designed for changing only the lighter weight outside duals. "On big tractors, we wouldn't attempt to lift the much heavier cast iron regular rear wheels with this light a loader, or wheel-changing attachment," Ervin points out. "Size and spacing of the two gauge wheels we used worked out right from the start so we didn't have to do any experimenting. However, I'm guessing that size of these load-carrying wheels isn't all that critical. You could get by with slightly smaller or larger diameter wheels if you adjust the spacing between them accordingly. Most important is having them equipped with good rubber so the tractor dual can be easily turned to line up the lug bolts."

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