Rear axle strength...running duals on 400

Hi gang,

When I bought my 400 years ago it came with another set of rear tires and the fella did say he had run them as duals on the tractor before. I've always been kind of hesitant putting them on for fear of busting something. But, in the last month or so we've had about 12 inches of rain and everything is just a mess.

So the question stands...are my fears founded or is the rear end built pretty tough? Can I leave the duals on when (if) everything dries up?

Thanks gang
Geoff

We always ran duals on Super M's and 450's with no problems.Just keep the wheels tight on the axle

Geoff: Duals work great for flotation. Just don't go thinking your going to double the traction by adding weight. Stay away from maximum draw pulls in 1st or 2nd gear.

I dualed several tractors over the years, in every case I dumped calcium chloride from single wheels and went with no weight added in or on duals. My most hours of service were with 1066 and 560, they actually pulled the loads much easier in a field situation. They wont pull as much on hard road or black top, but most of us don't do a lot of farming on the road.

Agree. The duals add mostly floatation, and only a little traction due to the additional weight of the extra wheels and tires. Dump some calcium and/or steel weight on the rears, and it's a wash on traction.

Just don't go into this thinking that you're now driving a Rollagon, and can float over anything. Your back end will stay up a little better, but you've still got two skinny little tires holding up about 50% of the tractor's weight in front. Those are going to cut into the mud like a hot knife through butter.

Geoff - Not to worry! Your 400's rear end is plenty stout enough to run duals.

My Super M spent nearly all of its 45 year "working life" fitted with duals. Midway through its career it even survived a forward somersault followed by barrel roll down a steep hillside without damaging the axles. (Fortunately the operator was in a fence row tending to personal business when the tractor rolled.)

If you put the duals on, try to mount a corn picker, then drive down the ditch in road gear so only the duals are holding the tractor up and not the inside tires - then you might break an axle. :roll:

Put 'em on and go!

Alright, I'll quit worrying.

But about the comments that throwing the duals on will not increase traction unless the fluid is let out...can you folks elaborate on that a little bit....It seems to me the more weight pulling down on wheels would give more traction

Thanks
Geoff

In my experience, duals have helped with traction. An example would be pulling the 22' chisel plow with 12" sweeps on it with our 1086 - with singles on back (fluid filled plus cast weights) it would pull it, but noticably spinning. We put the duals on (steel rims, no weights, no fluid) and it pulled it without much slippage at all.

I've had other experiences where a tractor with single rear wheels would spin, while another with duals (or just putting the duals on) would work much better as far as traction.

Same principle as those who race cars - more rubber on the road/ground = more traction.

Same principle as those who race cars - more rubber on the road/ground = more traction.

Click to expand...

So the fluid in the tires prevent it from flexing whereas plain compressed air lets the rubber flex more and put more rubber on the ground?

Geoff: Your getting led astray here, traction with a tractor is not the same as race cars. tractor tires hardly compare with racing tires. Traction on hard road or black top is quite different from a field situation.

The first year I had my 1066, on single wheels with chloride and with 24' cultivator the tractor would ocasionally loose traction, and continuously leave wheel tracks the culivator would not cover. Not a surface I was very happy to plant corn or drill grain on. I dumped the chloride, installed duals and the tractor pulled the same 24' cultivator, without any loss of traction and gone were the wheel tracks. I also had a 12-15 ton manure spreader, pulled it with those same duals no chloride in summer season. One day on hard frozen ground I went for a ride of my lifetime. I took the duals off, and tractor handled the manure spreader fine on frozen ground. Removing the duals almost doubled the rear tire pounds per square inch on the hard frozen ground. You have to match tire equipment to conditions.

Other factors here, and all manufacturers will warn against this. Do not make maximum drawbar pulls in lower gears with duals. Also, do not add unlimited weight to duals, all tractors must have some slipage. Slipage is the cushion that protects the tractor driveline. This becomes a major concern with articulateds, one must achive the same slipage on both axles, if not the axle with least slipage will have excessive wear

Man, am I getting schooled here. Running the equipment before my parents sold off the fleet, I didn't even give two thoughts to all this.

I am enlightened. Thanks all

Geoff