Duals on combine?

[woodland]

Not having any fun trying to swath our lodged green barley in mud on hills and tried combining the other day and kept spinning out on the hills and sinking in the low areas. It’s a 670 Challenger and has 30.5x32 tires and we’re looking to put a 20.8R38 besides it. Both rims have a standard 10 bolt pattern and we’re looking a putting a “spool” in between to bolt them together.

Question is has anyone done this and how did they like it .......... also how much space to run between the tires ??

Random thoughts as it’s raining again tonight and the four letter “S” word is forecast for next week.
TIA

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Assuming your dirt isn't much better than our grey wooded clay when it gets wet? Sticky, thick, turns dual wheels into giant balls of mud, get stuck 2" deep?

If so, there can't be too much space between the duals. They need to act as separate tires, with no chance of filling up with mud. People ask me why I set up one of our MFWD's for row crop, since I cut apart the rims and moved the dishes out so there is over a foot between the duals.

[the big wheel]

Assuming your dirt isn't much better than our grey wooded clay when it gets wet? Sticky, thick, turns dual wheels into giant balls of mud, get stuck 2" deep?

If so, there can't be too much space between the duals. They need to act as separate tires, with no chance of filling up with mud. People ask me why I set up one of our MFWD's for row crop, since I cut apart the rims and moved the dishes out so there is over a foot between the duals.

Yes we found 16 inch spacers worked good in our clay soil.

[woodland]

Yes we found 16 inch spacers worked good in our clay soil.

Is that a 16 inch gap between the tires or the spool is that length? We have a 5 inch gap on our 4440 duals and usually that works ok unless it’s extremely ugly going.

[the big wheel]

Is that a 16 inch gap between the tires or the spool is that length? We have a 5 inch gap on our 4440 duals and usually that works ok unless it’s extremely ugly going.

We didn’t have a spool we had machine shop make a 16 inch wide spacer that fit in the outside lip of both tires. Then had holes made and used threaded rod. That was a long time ago but was cheapest and we couldn’t find any spools since everyone was looking for the same thing almost province wide.

Our combines today have the regular John Deere Mounted hubs I think tires have about a foot space between rubber.

[Guest]

5” would be bare mininum, i dont think its enough
Friend has an S deere and it had 650’s instead of 520’s with same spacers as the 520’s would use
It was useless until he put wider spacers on then it was good
Another manufacturer **** up that the farmer had to pay to fix

[woodland]

Found some used spools at a wrecker so mom is off to pick them up with a set of new tires from Edmonton for the dual rims. Just wish the nearest wrecker wasn’t a six hour round trip. Hopefully can rig it up quickly and painlessly .......... and that it helps too😉

[blackpowder]

Sadly if she's off to Irma, it won't be cheap

[woodland]

Sadly if she's off to Irma, it won't be cheap

Nailed it😉

[agstar77]

We have a 670 with18.4x42 duals. 10 in space. Only way except tracks.

[MBgrower]

why are there so few track unit combines in w. canada? lots in the us midwest and e. canada. i'd never go back to tires.

[Guest]

Checked our 8120 its 10” between , works good

[Herc]

why are there so few track unit combines in w. canada? lots in the us midwest and e. canada. i'd never go back to tires.

Um, guessing price.....

[MBgrower]

Um, guessing price.....

lots of tracked tractors around here, and grain carts on tracks but combines on duals? Class 9 machines with 40-45' headers getting a little heavy for tires?

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I upgraded combines this year, and kept a promise i made in fall of 16/spring 17 while making ruts everywhere and wasting time being stuck; next combine is going to be on tracks. And they are rare as hens teeth in Western Canada. All the units I found ( well used) originated in Ontario or the US.

Hoping to never actually NEED the tracks and RWD now that we have it, but with compaction being my biggest enemy at the best of times, really looking forward to it.

Although it has rained nearly every day since May, we aren't nearly as wet as Woodland and that area is. Get just enough rain to keep from ever getting hay dry, but not enough to saturate the ground since June.

Doesn't seem to be much premium for well used track machines.