The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

Clueless new to farming questions...

The ground I need to work up and plant is very soft, loamy and damp. My rentor runs triples on his big Versatiles to keep afloat. I've been stuck four times this summer so far. It's late July and I still can't disc my field without digging myself in a rut. At present, my major has both rear 16.9-30 tires filled with fluid and they have the full compliment of cast wheel weights.

My questions are as follows:
Does anyone here run duals on their E1A? Will duals rob too much power from a 42hp tractor I'm presently running close to the limits of its capability? Will the drive line handle the extra load? How much do I need to readjust my ballast with duals? Are duals even the right solution?

Joe

In conditions like yours, I think duasl would be the choice.
The rear axle will have no problem, in tractorpulling they use up to 150 hp on a Major gearbox. The power you loose when your tractor is digging tracs, is more effective in pulling, in case you use duals.

Your tyres filled with water and with weights are possibly way to heavy for your land. You need to lighten her up a bit. Fitting duals will give you grip without weight.

You may also need to look at the weight you have on the front axle as too much can make her "nose in" if it is not counterbalanced by weight on the lift.

I use "Molecage" cage wheels when I work on the ploughed land prior to planting, they keep the rear wheels from leaving deep ruts and also help break down any clods. Back in the 1970's they went out of fashion and "Molecage" dual wheels were the rage. They are "spin on" and locate in lugs welded onto the wheel rim and are quick and easy to fit. You cannot put massive power through them but they are very effective up to 100 hp.

One thing to watch with dual wheels, the outer wheels should be at lower pressure than the inner ones. This allows them to flex and not take all the weight when running on uneven land. This avoids axle failure where the trumpet housings part company with the rear axle housing.

I have zero added weight up front, so I can't remove anything there. I've often wondered if the Major is overweight, as the present configuration is how I bought her. For reference sake, yesterday, I used my uncle's Allis Chalmers D14 with a single 8ft disc, while the Major is laid up to work up the field. It has very little added weight and is considerably lighter than the Major and still got stuck in the same spot.

As far as removing weight goes, I suppose I should start with buying a pump to drain the tires, as the cast iron weight is all on the inboard side of the wheels and they are way too heavy for me to move! My little loader won't budge them.

Joe

Brian, I am completely unfamiliar with Molecage wheels, so I can't even fathom what you're talking about. Can you post a picture?

Joe

Nevermind... A few minutes with Google yielded some good pics. Looks like they could be a more affordable solution than full dual wheels with rubber tires. Much lighter, also. Thanks for the tip!

Sounds to me like you are trying to plow up a swamp. Get better and more workable land Fordson Brother.

Ah, finally after a long long period of inactivity because of the school projects, I could finally get around to replying on a post.

Brian is right about making the tractor lighter. Wheel weights helps you pull a disc harrow more efficiently yes, but once your drive wheels starts to dig, it will just help in making the ruts deeper. That kind of showed several weeks ago when I disced our field with our ford 5000, which has got 38" rims, water ballast and just a set of rear weights. As you probably know by this time of the year monsoon rains would start to fall in the Philippines, so our tractor occasionally got stuck pulling a trailed 8ft. offset disc harrow, and I am scared of getting the tractor completely stuck because the other tractors in the neighborhood were working as well, so if I got stuck it will be hard to find anyone who would pull it off. so when the tractor begins to slow down and dig the soil I would frantically lift the disc and reverse.

If you managed to remove the rear wheels as you say, the weights were inboard, probably you should leave a weight on each wheel. A lighter tractor won't make deep ruts, but if it's too light it won't be able to pull an implement it could normally pull in let's say, wet soil. And before buying dual wheels, try to find other alternatives such as mud lugs. Mud lugs, if I'm not mistaken, were fitted in the same manner as dual wheels but has metal lugs instead of rubber tyres. My grandfather used one back the on his ford 4000 and we have it now. The mud lugs that we have here were considerably wider that those I have seen on the Internet used in Europe or America, so wide I think that's the reason why the locals refer to it as "paddle wheels" probably as a reference to those wheels in paddle steamers.

I have a set of duals for my 57 Major. I love them. They spread the weight over more surface area. More contact area with the ground. Also keep the tyre on top of the ground more, so your driving along the ground, not with single wheels where you have to drive though the loose ground. Didn't notice any HP lose.





I built mine, so cost didn't really come into it. Width when going through gateways, or down the road can be a problem. The ability to cultivate or mow right up to the fence can also be a problem.
The outer tyre is 1x size smaller than the inner, (inner 16.9x28, outer 14.9x28) so when on grass or road, outer tyre dosen't rip up the grass or scrub on the road when turning. When on loose soil, inner tyre sinks a little bit so outer tyre contacts the soil.

You could always pick up some half tracks for it,
Hope this helps
Kiwi Kev

Kiwi Kev wrote:I have a set of duals for my 57 Major. I love them. They spread the weight over more surface area. More contact area with the ground. Also keep the tyre on top of the ground more, so your driving along the ground, not with single wheels where you have to drive though the loose ground. Didn't notice any HP lose.

I built mine, so cost didn't really come into it. Width when going through gateways, or down the road can be a problem. The ability to cultivate or mow right up to the fence can also be a problem.
The outer tyre is 1x size smaller than the inner, (inner 16.9x28, outer 14.9x28) so when on grass or road, outer tyre dosen't rip up the grass or scrub on the road when turning. When on loose soil, inner tyre sinks a little bit so outer tyre contacts the soil.

That makes for a mean looking tractor. Love it! Thanks for the photos and info. Am I correct to conclude that a 14.9x30 would make a suitable smaller diameter dual for my 16.9x30? Same rims, slightly smaller diameter due to narrower profile?

You could always pick up some half tracks for it,
Hope this helps
Kiwi Kev

Half tracks? I wish!

Joe

BTW... How wide is your Major with the duals?

marveltone wrote:

Kiwi Kev wrote:I have a set of duals for my 57 Major. I love them. They spread the weight over more surface area. More contact area with the ground. Also keep the tyre on top of the ground more, so your driving along the ground, not with single wheels where you have to drive though the loose ground. Didn't notice any HP lose.

I built mine, so cost didn't really come into it. Width when going through gateways, or down the road can be a problem. The ability to cultivate or mow right up to the fence can also be a problem.
The outer tyre is 1x size smaller than the inner, (inner 16.9x28, outer 14.9x28) so when on grass or road, outer tyre dosen't rip up the grass or scrub on the road when turning. When on loose soil, inner tyre sinks a little bit so outer tyre contacts the soil.

That makes for a mean looking tractor. Love it! Thanks for the photos and info. Am I correct to conclude that a 14.9x30 would make a suitable smaller diameter dual for my 16.9x30? Same rims, slightly smaller diameter due to narrower profile?

You could always pick up some half tracks for it,
Hope this helps
Kiwi Kev

Half tracks? I wish!

Joe

BTW... How wide is your Major with the duals?

16.9 and 14.9 on 30's would be the same thing.
16.9 x 28 were what I put on the tractor (a lot of Australian Major's have 28 inch rears instead of 30's)when I replaced the tyres, then couple of years down the track is when I wanted the duals. I just came across the 14.9's, so used them. So glad I did as they worked out really well.
Overall width of her with duals fitted is 2.9m.
Kiwi Kev

I don't know if it will make a difference. But you could put 18.4/30s on the rear. They might give you some more float.