Getting rear wheels unstuck on axle to adjust spacing

What is the best way to get rear wheels unstuck on the axle to move them in or out to adjust spacing?

I am trying to be as patient as possible as I wait to pick up my Famall H, but I am getting antsy. I want to learn as much about restoring it and operating it before I actually bring it home so I am prepared.

The tractors rear wheels look like they are rusted onto the rim and I am sure it will be a bear to move them out to make the rear wheel spacing wider. What is the best technique to free them up?

John

H wheels slide on the axle, no need to remove rims from the wheels. You may need to heat the bolts that hold the axle clamps to the wheels to get them loose. Once the clamps are loose and loose from the axles, the rest is not too bad. Move the wheels enough to clean the axles well with a good wire brush before you reset them where you want them. May need new axle clamp bolts.

Thanks! I mistyped in my original post, I meant to say that the wheels look rusted onto the axle, not onto the rims.

It would be a good idea to start
practicing your cussing now to make
sure you are ready. Start with 5 or 10
minutes of your best stuff, then add to
it some every day. If you need
inspiration, put your thumb on the
concrete and whack it with a hammer.
Then each day before practice slam it
in the car door. When you get up to 5
hours of non-stop hair curling verbiage
you will be ready to start that
project.

That said, Farmall wheels are amoung
the easiest to move, but most likely to
break. So be careful.

(quoted from post at 20:34:53 01/23/19) It would be a good idea to start
practicing your cussing now to make
sure you are ready. Start with 5 or 10
minutes of your best stuff, then add to
it some every day. If you need
inspiration, put your thumb on the
concrete and whack it with a hammer.
Then each day before practice slam it
in the car door. When you get up to 5
hours of non-stop hair curling verbiage
you will be ready to start that
project.

That said, Farmall wheels are amoung
the easiest to move, but most likely to
break. So be careful.

Click to expand...

Jon,

Pretty funny, and thanks!

You may want to rethink setting the wheels wider. If you do not have to move them to a specific width for something like a cultivator or plow, you would be better off setting them so they will fit onto a common 2 axle trailer so you can take it to shows. Also a narrow tractor is much better to use in the woods.
Loren

I'm in the process of switching wheels between two Case VAC tractors. I cut the bolts off with a torch.[I have all new bolts] After I pounded enough to get the bolts and clamps loose, the wheels[w/key] were so tight I turned them and let the tractor down so the weight of the tractor would help pull the axle down away from the wheel. Then with some pounding and prying they came loose.

My Dads would loosen the bolts (Farmall H) securing wheel to axle and then drive around a bit. And the wheels seemed to move in or out. ?? I wasn't paying attention back in 1950's. But I was driving it at 6yrs...

Remove the axle clamp bolts. Then spray well with penetrating oil. wait a day.Then loosen with lots of airimpact.. Then run a chain through the wheel spokes and around the inner axle housing. Jack up the tractor and "rock" that wheel around the axle.

(quoted from post at 17:55:30 01/23/19) My Dads would loosen the bolts (Farmall H) securing wheel to axle and then drive around a bit. And the wheels seemed to move in or out. ?? I wasn't paying attention back in 1950's. But I was driving it at 6yrs...

Click to expand...

Hit your brakes as your turning It will break them loose really quick.

Get an operator manual and you will learn a lot, good luck Amo

I guess I missed out on all the fun stuff. Our tractors have set inside most of their lives, so most things loosen up pretty good. I would set them for 60inch centers or 30 inch rows. Will be stable, take less shed space, and load on almost any trailer. The dish will be in and the axles will be about all the way out to the end. Ours are right at the end of the axle. Not a problem with coming loose from that setting either. If you are worried about tipping put a set of duals on it. Could even be a size smaller for ease of turning and less axle strain. I'v never had one of them tip over at that setting either.

Loosen the clamp bolts and drive it around, moved mine in less than an hour and this tractor doesn't have much paint on it so it must of sat outside most of its live other than the last 25 years. And anti seize the bolts before installing.

My neighbor had the 300 narrow front tip over on a slick pasture hill. Killed him. I'm not saying you shouldn't set them narrow and I'm not trying to scare you. I'm just saying,--be aware--, it can happen.

If you are going to haul the tractor once in a while, you may want to keep the wheels narrower than the width of the trailer between the
fenders. Too wide and you won't be able to get the tractor far enough forward on the trailer.

Exactly. I bought an H and had to move one wheel in to get it home. Loosened the bolts and drove it around broke the clamp.

Lots of good info on moving rear wheels on a Farmall H here. We always ran the rear wheels on Our
Farmalls "The RIGHT WAY", dished "Out", hub of wheel next to the axle carrier, wheel weights recessed
inside the wheel and rim. First thing Dad did when he traded the '39 H for the Stage 2 Super H was slide
the rear wheels in to the axle carrier and chop about 4 inches that extended beyond the tire off the
axle. Those chunks of 2-1/2" diameter steel bar fit right in 3 ft lengths of 2-1/2" pipe to make steel
post drivers, I still have mine!
Think that gives about a 66 or 68 inch tread spacing, wide enough to not be "tippy", narrow enough to
not waste space. The Letter series Farmalls and early 300 & 400's used deep well rims on the 6 spoke
cast wheels, they only give one tread width. Dad did modify the rims on the '39 H by welding six plates
to the inside of the rim offset so the tractor to bolt to the cast center, was only about 70 inches
outside to outside to fit down the narrow aisle of our hog finishing barn. Was close to 60 inch on center
since it had 10-38 rear tires. Did not seem tippy that narrow. Later 300 & 400 and all 350 & 450 had
double bevel rims on the 8-spoke cast wheels, there are four possible tread widths possible with those
wheels & rims. Good luck finding a set!

The hardest part of the whole process MAY be getting the bolts loose. Once the clamp is loose, the axle will slide.

I would recommend cleaning up the axle where you intend to set the wheels with sandpaper or a wire wheel.

Lots of discussion on this in the archives. Clean all paint, dirt, grit and grease off the axle before moving the wheel. If not done the wheel may not clamp tight enough to prevent it from sliding on the axle when the tractor turns sharp corners. Once dirt, etc. get trapped under the clamps, you almost have to remove the whole wheel to clean the clamp.

The only reason to have the wheels dished in is either you are having to have a wheel tread center to center of less than 66" that is a good width to have, that is what mine were and they were dished out from 41 when new to 84 when we got rid of it. Tried to keep our John Deeres at same 66" tread so plows were set for that width. The reason for the ones that are dished in are mostly from the fact they were set that way from factory in narrowest possible setting to cram more tractors on a load. And the dealer was supposed ro pull the wheels and turn them dish out but the dealer was to lazy to do that. For any normal use you want that hub as far in as possible to get the wheel tread width you need. The farther out the hub is set the more stress put on the axle and berrings. The reason the axles were breaking on tractors with mounted pickers (all makes) is it put too much strain on the axle and berring. That breaking of axles did not happen with narrower setting unless it was already cracked fron the wide setting a picker took, for a 40" cultivator you did not have to set them out that far and then very little load on the axle and berrings But with wheel dished out a lot less wear on the bearings than with the wheel dished in. That is same reason a lot of tractors with front loaders have busted wheels in that they put a wider tire on and then turn wheel around to get spindal clearance and looses the strengt in the wheel ny doing that. I would be ware of bearing problems on any tractor that had the wheels dished in. I don't know if they still make them or not but there was a special tool made for the Farmall to use to slide the wheel. It was a flat piece with ball bearings in that you would turn the wheel so it was hanging and slide that tool in and turn wheel so it was resting on that tool and it was easy to slide as you were using the ball bearings to roll the wheel instead of having to shie the wheel on the axle that could be a job to do if tires were loaded. Never had that tool as we Never moved the wheels on ours after Grandpa bought it in 1949 untill it was traded off on a bigger tractor in 1984. Ours steered easy but neighbor complained about his steering hard. If hard stearing then you will need a new thrust bearing in bottom end of steering. Ours did not have any hydrolics untill 1978 when we got a belly pump so we could use a cylinder to lift the haybine. It pulled a 2-12" plow from when it was bought untill Grandpa could no longer drive it in the 70's. I was not yet 6 years old at that time so around it for 35 years.