How to put the rear wheels back on a JD Model B?

Got new tires mounted on my 1950 Model B wheels and am seeking advice as to how to get the rims back on the axles. I raised the rear of the tractor just enough to turn the wheels, removed the hub clamps, and used a large hub puller to ease the wheels off the axles. Man these suckers are heavy.

So are there any tricks to working the wheels back onto the axles? Everything is clean and lubed.
Thanks in advance-
Mike
 
A hydraulic jack works nice, either against a telephone pole ,
tree etc or anything solid, or sometimes you can hook a chain
through the slots in the wheel & around the tractor & use the
jack to pull it on.
 
You might consider "leaning" the wheel hub against the axle.

Rotate the brake drum to line up the splines on the axle and wheel hub.

Raise the axle just enough to catch the inside top of the wheel hub.

"Wiggle" the tire back and forth to slide the hub on the axle.

Raise the axle again for more clearance and continue to "wiggle" the wheel into the desired position.

Rotate the tire if necessary.

Used this method on both our Model Bs.

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Hope this helps.
 
That's how I do mine. Once everything is apart and cleaned up it really slides back on easy. Sometimes too easy ! Then you have a problem keeping them tight enough. The idea from the owners manual of wrapping wax paper around your tapered hub so it is under the clamp works good to also add some tightness to the clamps in addition to aid in future removal.
 
Be very careful. Just after I painted my A, I went to put the wheels back on. It's tough getting it just right. Anyway, as we were trying to get them on, the tractor slid off the blocks and hit the ground (paint still wet). We let go and stepped back. The tire hit the dash, bent the throttle lever and smeared the wet paint on the dash. Moral of the story is make sure it is solid when putting them on.
 
Both the hubs and axles on these two tractors were cleaned really good the first time the wheels were replaced.

It only took about 30 minutes to swap the wheels on these two tractors.
 
A bit of a safety note; Do NOT use Concrete Masonry Units (CMU) as blocking. They can fail suddenly. Go out and buy a couple of 8' 6x6's and cut them into 2' lengths for cribbing and blocking. Much safer.
 
I put anti-seize on the axle with wd40 or jb80. this helps them slide nicely and once the wheels are set, I wipe off the excess. The anti-seize help them from seizing to the axle too. with my hubs clamped, I don't have an issue with wheel sliding.
 
at least he has them turned the correct side up. they are much stronger the way James has them than laying them the other side down.
 
I have the tractor on large jack stands, with 2 jacks as backup supports.
Will reply how it went once completed. Thanks for all the great ideas.
Mike
 
A shop crane/engine lift is REAL handy for that deal. Relatively inexpensive to buy and is handy just to have for single man work with heavy stuff. Renting one is an option. HTH
 
The photo of "Uncle Earl" our 39B was taken at the shop of the previous owner; he was the one that put the tractor on cinder blocks.

We use pieces of various sizes of wood for cribbing and blocking never stacked very high.

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Thanks for the information.
 
I'd probably go with James method - using a jack under the axle to get it to the right height - but you can do the opposite too:

get the tractor a little higher - roll the wheel up onto a floor jack that is straight in line with the axle. Use the jack to get it right to the right height - push it straight in using the jack
like a dolly.

Two guys can balance it on the jack easily.

A heavy sheet of steel under the jack makes it roll easier if you've got one.

not a bad idea to put a chain ro two through the wheel and around the tractor as a safety - in case you lose your balance or something and the wheel falls back onto you. Not sure the B wheels are THAT heavy to worry about - but with cast centers,
maybe.
 
Wheels and new tires are back on.
This is a little embarrassing to say, but maybe it will help the next guy.
If you buy tires from a tire shop that sells/installs tractor and truck tires, for a reasonable fee they will deliver them to your place and put them on the rims. And guess what..... they want the rims ON the tractor.
The service rep yesterday put the rims BACK ON the tractor, took the old tires and tubes off, and installed the new ones in about 45 minutes. Amazing what you can do with the right tools.
And yes, he did use 2 crowbars to slightly lift the wheels up over the splines and the wheels just slid back on.
So don't assume if you need new tires that you must take the wheels off. Talk to your retailer first.
 

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