JD 445 front tires with chaines

Hello my 445 front tires hates snow I can only blow snow going straight.Chains wont fit to tire to close to kingpin no clearance. I am going to experiment with some used spindles extending them about 1.5 inches. I will use round stock drilled and tapped. then using a threaded rod or hard bolt to marry them if necessary A little tig work to strengthen it up. As far as the bearing cup of I can move it, great if not fabricate new one. Any Ideas ? Think it will work ?
freezzman

Get a second pair of front wheels and some motorcycle spikes
Spike the tyres.
It is a 2 minute job to swap the front wheels, Just 1 snap ring & a washer.
Of course the spiked tyres will need tubes and get some heavy duty one from a mower , ATV or go cart shop

bertsmobile1 said:

Get a second pair of front wheels and some motorcycle spikes
Spike the tyres.
It is a 2 minute job to swap the front wheels, Just 1 snap ring & a washer.
Of course the spiked tyres will need tubes and get some heavy duty one from a mower , ATV or go cart shop

Click to expand...

Thanks bertsmobile that's a great idea,
New tires and rims $100.00 + on Ebay
New HD Tubes $40 -$50
Tire Spikes Not cheap ones $35.00

About $200.00

Already made chains ( that's how i found out they wont work )
Extra set front spindles $50.00 (Ebay )
Spacer OTS (Off the shelf) $0
Reposition rear Bering Cup $0

Your suggestion is better save time in long run but more costly.
If my idea works out I will just leave them on all year.

Thanks for the reply it is appreciated.

Freezzman

All ideas are good ideas.
You just need the one that suits your needs best.

I think that over time it will not be a success so when you do your comparative costings include replacing the steering spindle plus the upper & lower bushes
The king pin & wheel spindle are a single piece of hardened steel and welding anything onto it will affect the hardness.
Moving the load point for the spindles further out will increase the load on the steering bushes.
OTOH if you are using it with blade then that takes load off the front wheels so it probably won't make much of a difference.
But if you are using it with a blower then that increases the load on the front wheels.
So check the camber before you start and keep an eye on it .

bertsmobile1 said:

All ideas are good ideas.
You just need the one that suits your needs best.

I think that over time it will not be a success so when you do your comparative costings include replacing the steering spindle plus the upper & lower bushes
The king pin & wheel spindle are a single piece of hardened steel and welding anything onto it will affect the hardness.
Moving the load point for the spindles further out will increase the load on the steering bushes.
OTOH if you are using it with blade then that takes load off the front wheels so it probably won't make much of a difference.
But if you are using it with a blower then that increases the load on the front wheels.
So check the camber before you start and keep an eye on it .

Click to expand...

Hi bertsmobiel, I so nice to talk to a knowledgeable person. Don't the bushes stay in the front axle. I was looking at dropping the two steering arms. and the power steering rod removing the clip on top ant the wheel assembly would come off ? as for strength we are talking about 1/2 to 3/4 longer just enough to clear a chain link using a like material and a grade 8 bolt though the hub cap wheel and then in to the modified spindle. only welding if necessary. Right now that a toss up. We will see
Thanks for the input
Freezzman

There are a pair of bushes in the king pin tube.
The front ends of these mowers is not as strong as it could be and even with just a deck on the bushes ( top mainly ) flog out oval.
I have needed to replace the entire spindle/king pin assembly on more than one tractor because the owner failed to grease the wheels .
From memory they were around $ 180 ( Aus) each.
You can get away with plain bushes on smaller lighter mowers but these units really should have a tapered roller on both the pin & the wheel.

As mentioned I do not have the required engineering math any more to do the calculations of how much more pressure extending the wheel spindle & moving the load further out will put on the upper bush.
But you will need to pay close attention to it.
They are not particularly expensive but might need replacing as often as every season.
Way too many variables to do any estimations.

Just keep an eye out for it