Axle Extensions For Deere 4555 Tractor

Axle Extensions For Deere 4555 Tractor TRACTORS Accessories 19-4-8 "I'm working toward putting all my equipment on 120-in. centers for working eight 30-in. rows. One of the first steps was widening out our 4555 Deere tractor," says Gene Banwart, Liberal, Mo., who is in the process of changing his farm over to ridge-till. "After cultivating with the wide axle on this tractor, I don't understand why all manufacturers don't offer it as an option. It lets me sit back in the seat and see clearly down both sides of the tractor to exactly where the tires are in relation to the row. What's more, with a 60-in. wheel width, turn radius was restricted to 28 ft. By widening the axle to 1 20 in., I can take all the `stop' wedges out of the wheels and get an 18-ft. turn radius. "I first priced some wheel-type spacers for the tractor but they wouldn't have left much clearance for cultivating tall crops and I wouldn't have had room to use saddle tanks for 28% side dressing. "One day I pulled off one of the final drives on front to see how it was made and I discovered that the front axle drive shaft has the same spline as my 6620 combine. I called my dealer and found out I could get a combine drive shaft extension just over 25 in. long. I needed at least 25 in. to get the coupler out past the differential housing. "I found a machine shop in Pittsburgh, Kan., that would make axle extensions for me to go around the drive shaft extensions. I had to take the final drives to their shop. It was rather complicated as they had to machine places for washers to run so the extended driveshaft would not move around too much. It also ended up being more expensive than I'd figured - about $800 for each side. I put plugs in the ex-tensions so I could pump differential grease into them. I also cut the tie rods and found some milling stock that just fit over them so I could easily extend the rods as needed. "The extensions bolt in place so I can change back to the original 60-in. wheel width, if needed. I've used the tractor in this extended configuration for almost two seasons now with no problems. "One benefit of the widened axle is that it gave extra room for saddle tanks. I bought some 180-gal. Ag-chem `tear drop' tanks and saddles but didn't like the position of the tanks. They were too high and too far forward so I built my own brackets. The tanks don't stick out more than 3 or 4 in. past the outside tires with enough room for a cat walk between the tank and the' engine, and plenty of room to enter the cab. I moved the latch forward that holds the door open. It now holds the door open so the driver can enter, even though it doesn't open as wide as before. "The biggest advantage of this mounting position is that I can still see the front tires at ground level when cultivating, just like before I put the tanks on." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gene Banwart, 753 SW 40th Rd., Liberal, Mo. 65762 (ph 417 682-5994).

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