Single front wheel

Riverslim · Mar 13, 2018

Never drove a tractor with a single front wheel, was this option pretty much dead after the 1950's? Any drawbacks or advantages?

Mike Groom · Mar 13, 2018

Draw back is pretty obvious you don't want to have a flat!It also steers harder,the only advantage I knew of was in row crop farming you would damage less plants as in cultivating corn or beans,tobacco etc.

Eagle Beagle · Mar 13, 2018

Cultivating narrow vegetable crops, onions, carrots, sugar beets, pinto beans ect,. A lot of them had wide rear axles that would fit the row spacing. Quite a few crops were grown on 15 to 22 inch rows in irrigated country.

Beagle

Traditional Farmer · Mar 13, 2018

Cotton growers seemed to favor them for some reason I bought a D19 AC with a singe front it was built in the early 60's

Eagle Beagle · Mar 13, 2018

Why would think it would steer harder than a narrow front tractor. My Case and Massey Harris are quite the opposite.

Beagle

TimV · Mar 13, 2018

Have a bit of experience with a Cletrac General, as a family member had one and ran his small farm with that and a 8N Ford with a loader. Obvious advantages were cheapness and simplicity of manufacture, and turning radius was also usually better--an important consideration when cultivating. Disadvantages could be less stability when turning or when equipped with a loader, and probably more front ground pressure with the single tire which could cause ruts and make it easier to get stuck. However, I have seen very large modern units made with a single front tire for specialty uses like fertilizer, lime, or manure spreading, presumably to lessen the ground impact of each individual wheel track by spreading it over three areas instead of two. Of course, these "tractors" were all equipped with high-flotation tires and power steering, so steering effort was pretty much a moot point.

RayP(MI) · Mar 13, 2018

Father-in-law had a Farmall C equipped with single wheel used for pulling dry beans with a set of pulling knives attached on cultivator frame. Preferred the Farmalls because of hydraulic lifts separate on each side. Had rear wheels spaced extra wide as well. Pulled an Inner windrower on the rear.

Brendon-KS · Mar 13, 2018

I grew up in an irrigated vegetable-growing area in Colorado and tricycle tractors with dual front wheels were virtually impossible to find there - they all had single fronts. The single tire would fit down into the irrigation furrows where a dual wheel front end would be fighting you the whole time.

There are drawbacks. As Mike Groom indicated they are very hard steering when the tractor is setting still. The reason for this is that the single contact patch has to "smear" on the ground whereas with a dual front one wheel rolls forward and the other rolls backwards. Keeping the tire aired up to the limit helps ease the steering effort but this has the negative effect of making for a very rough ride.

hd6gtom · Mar 13, 2018

Dad bought 1 at a sale, from original owner, original owner bought it new with a mounted corn picker. He told dad they took the picker off the tractor the day before the sale. Dad kept it in a shed, the man he sold it to had it torn completely down and restored, all new bearings in tranny, motor, steering gear box, and rear end along with final drives. Each bolt was painted individually. It has won national awards. It was advertised to " be easier to steer thru the muddy corn fields".

Eldon (WA) · Mar 13, 2018

(quoted from post at 16:12:17 03/13/18) Cotton growers seemed to favor them for some reason I bought a D19 AC with a singe front it was built in the early 60's

You still have it?

Eldon (WA) · Mar 13, 2018

I collect them. I think they make a great road tractor, no toe-in to worry about. Quite a few out here in vegetable country. Tall spindle wide fronts hicrops won out tho in later years.

PJH · Mar 13, 2018

I was trading with a friend, and he wouldn't finalize the trade unless I agreed to also take a single front wheel off of a JD 4020. I didn't want the darn thing but I drug it home anyhow. A few years later I was baling hay and had a wheel bearing giving trouble on my JD 630. I discovered that the single wheel would bolt right up, and it's been on there ever since. I love it - it rides like a baby buggy. It's a big fat airplane tire, like a cartoon caricature.

Traditional Farmer · Mar 14, 2018

I sold the tractor but I still have the single wheel set up I took it off when I put a loader on the D19,also have a single wheel set up for a AC C.

Ultradog MN · Mar 14, 2018

Ford offered a single front through 1975.

Single front wheel

Riverslim

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Mike Groom

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Eagle Beagle

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Traditional Farmer

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Eagle Beagle

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TimV

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RayP(MI)

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Brendon-KS

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hd6gtom

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Eldon (WA)

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Eldon (WA)

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PJH

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Traditional Farmer

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Ultradog MN

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