3400 front rims

3000OH

Member
Have a question about reversing wheels. Starting to plan for replacement front tires for our 3400 TL (not TLB). The fronts are now 7.50x16 truck tires. Because of the loader, I'd like to use 7.50 again, either another set of used tires or new 3-rib ag tires. However, I've noticed that the current 7.50's have always been rubbing the front knees - just kissing, not a heavy worn rub ring on either tire.

So, my question: Can I reverse the rims? They're the standard 16" ag rims, with the standard 1-1/8" positive offset. If I can flip them, that would give plenty of clearance for the 7.50s. But will the axles take the extra load, esp. with wet gravel in the bucket?

Thanks.
 
3000OH
I would use the same size tire and mount them the same way.
If you are not wearing into the metal you have nothing to worry about!
(My $0.02 worth)
Brian
 
he said they were rubbing.

if they are rubbing.. it's gonna wear the tires.. and eventually the metal. heavier the load, the more rub happens.

dishing won't hurt the axle. will load the bearings and hubs a lil more. big deal.. they are a replaceable item.. AND it's an industrial machine with a more hd axle than normal designs.

it's a non issue
 
People have been doing that for a long time.
Mine are mounted dished out on my Jubilee.
The only thing I've noticed is that the lug nuts
tend to come loose once in a great while.
Maybe because the taper in the rim where the
lug nuts are supposed to press is then backwards.
Otherwise I've had no trouble with it.
 
7.50x16 was an original tire size for the 3400 with the optional 5.50x16 rims, so they should fit without rubbing. Tri-ribs are generally narrower than used truck tires of the same advertised size. I would go with the tri-ribs (at least 6 ply, preferably 10 ply for loader work), and try the wheels mounted the way they are now first. If they still rub then reverse them.
 
I agree to a point. I mounted up a new set of truck tires on my 4600 this summer that rubbed just a little on the spindle. It wasn't a problem until I ran over the road and the tires with just a minor rub turned into a crazy violent shimmy at road speed that bounced them about 6" off the ground and shook my teeth. I turned them around to get clearance and they are fine now. It was definitely an unexpected result for sure, but turning them around gave me more than 1/2" of clearance and they look totally correct and drive great.
 
Tires rubbing the axle extensions on my 3 cylinder 4000 was an indication that both spindles were bent between the vertical bushing lands. Couldn't believe it until I pulled one out to replace the bushings.
Tractor has had a 735 loader on it presumably since day 1.
 
A couple of thoughts.
Tires rubbing against the axle can be cause by a couple of things, too wide of tires, bent spindles and or worn king pin bushings.
I do not like to reverse my rims as it adds a lot more strain to the spindles having the tires so far out.
One thing you might consider is wider rims.
16" rims can be had in most sizes from 5" to at least 8".
On wider rims the offset is such that the center is moved outward allowing for wider tires.
You could look for some 5000 or 7000 rims which will be wider but have the same bolt hole pattern as your 3400.
You can also buy a pair of new 16" impliment rims in several widths - for less than a pair of cheap tri ribs.
For a loader tractor like yours I would consider something like 7 or 8"
Then you could run free/cheap 3/4 ton pickup tires without the rubbing problem.
Below is a photo of some big wide tires I got on a junky 4000 that I bought a few years ago.
They not need to be reversed and did not rub on the spindles.

100_03101.jpg
 
Thanks, everyone. The rubbing on these old truck tires isn’t very much – hasn’t even taken off the molded-in lettering. I suspect it’s a combination of the truck tires plus worn bushings (hope it isn’t bent spindles – CNH site seems to say that LH spindles are NLA). Judging from the checking and weathering on these tires, it looks like it hasn’t been a problem that any POs worried about (we got this tractor this last spring).

I also learned a lot from all of you - that the truck tires are slightly wider than the tri-ribs, that the 5.50x16s were options, that the wider 5000/7000 rims would fit (as I read it, CNH says those are 8” wide), and that flipping the rims has been done a lot. I also seem to remember someone (FordFarmer?) saying in a previous post that he prefers the tri-ribs in heavy clay.

I have to agree with the thought that the bearings, etc. are replaceable and that the extra wear from a stock flipped rim might be negligible, esp. since we don’t use this tractor much, I don’t push it hard or bounce it down the road, and it has a smaller bucket on it. I’ve been most concerned about breaking a spindle/axle. Bought this tractor because it has a stouter loader front end than our 3000 and didn’t want to push it past its limits by inexperience.

Thanks again for all of the experience and advice.
 

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