Why single front wheel?
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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33358
Printed Date: 23 May 2025 at 8:36am
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Topic: Why single front wheel?
Posted By: nowaktj
Subject: Why single front wheel?
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 2:43pm
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Guys-Wondering why some of the tricycle tractors had a single front wheel. What was the original purpose of this design?
Thanks in advance
Terry ------------- D19D, D17D, WD, WC, Snobee, #83 Plow, SC Blade, 14' disk, 400 series planter, B , Terra Tiger, M Dozer w/Baker Blade, TL-12, 42S Grader, G |
Replies:
Posted By: Goose
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 2:46pm
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Uh oh! There you gone and dun it! You asked the age-old question about single front wheels. That'll open a can of worms, I tell ya!
I think it has to do with Eistein's Theory of Relativity.
You see, you get your relatives to lay on the ground whilst you run over them with the single front wheel!!
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Posted By: Goose
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 3:08pm
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Sorry, I couldn't resist.
To make it easier to cultivate vegetables and beets and things in narrow rows.
Narrow rows.... But don't forget about crops grown on raised beds - the area between the beds isn't wide enough to fit 2 tires in (like a conventional narrow front), and if you use a single tire, the tractor will more or less 'steer itself'..... |
Posted By: Austin(WI)
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 3:20pm
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So you only had to fill one front tire when it went flat instead of two ------------- "Better By Design" |
Posted By: ky wonder
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 3:23pm
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here in ky they where used for cultivating tobacco, the single wheel would let you get another pass at cultivating the crop without damaging the growing leaves, which is the part you sell.
a lot of farmers would remove one side of a regular two wheel tricycle front to get the same option ------------- i like old tractors of all colors |
Posted By: HD6GTOM
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 4:47pm
| they also said the single front wheel worked better with a mounted corn picker was not supposed to ball up in southern IOWA gumbo soil |
Posted By: SHAMELESS
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 6:18pm
| all the things listed above...also, alot of farmers used to pack their just planted rows of seed, to expedite the seed to start growing, and the single front wheel did better than the 2 front wheels. so...each pass would pack 3 rows. had to plant pretty even as planters planted in groups of 2's...2-row, 4-row, 6 row...on up, and packing was done as 3-rows, 5-rows and such...some did make a 4th row packer wheel mounted on the back, using a truck wheel. |
Posted By: 427435
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 6:42pm
That's what my Dad thought one muddy fall (M Farmall and a 2M picker) it was as bad or worse until he put a smaller tire on it. In normal conditions, it made following the row easier as cultivating would leave a furrow in the middle. ------------- Mark B10 Allis, 917 Allis, 7116 Simplicity, 7790 Simplicity Diesel, GTH-L Simplicity Ignorance is curable-----stupidity is not. |
HD6GTOM wrote:Posted By: JeffHillNC
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 8:00pm
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Back years ago when I was young my uncle bought a wd45D from another ac farmer for the front wheel, the engine was frozen and split so we pulled the front pedastal and wheel to put on a wd we used alot. The biggest difference we saw was putting out nitrogen to corn. At fast speed the single wheel didnt kick and buck the steering wheel as bad and in moderate soil actually would track by itself alot of the time. ------------- Qualityusedmowerparts.com |
Posted By: Dusty MI
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 8:22pm
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Back when white navy beans were grown in this area, the single front was often used on the tractor used on the bean puller. Dusty ------------- 917 H, '48 G, '65 D-10 series III "Allis Express" |
Posted By: Auntwayne
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 8:53pm
| The only bad thing that I can tell you about the tricycle front wheel is : Do not forget to use the right and left brake pedals while cultivating near the outhouse !!! Believe me, you will not turn, as the top soil is pretty loose after doing the end rows first. Took out a fairly good chunk of it !!! I do hear about it to this day !!! |
Posted By: junkman
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 10:26pm
| Auntwayne your experience makes me wonder who still has a outhouse? I almost hit mine with the d17 the other day. |
Posted By: Ed
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2011 at 6:52am
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All D Series one row cotton pickers had the single wheel...worked great with
a 4-row cultivator!
Ed
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Posted By: trikesbikes@gmail.co
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2023 at 12:48pm
| What is the weight difference between a single wheel front and the weight of the narrow front WD 45 and or The single wheel front and a wide front WD 45 thanks |
Posted By: trikesbikes@gmail.co
Date Posted: 10 Mar 2023 at 12:49pm
| Also is any for sale single wheel front for WD 45 thanks |
Posted By: IBWD MIke
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2023 at 7:59am
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Well, I assume they are somewhat lighter than a tricycle front, maybe someone here knows the weights? They do come up for sale once in awhile, always seem to bring pretty good coin. |
Posted By: trikesbikes@gmail.co
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2023 at 8:26am
| Had a couple response but I didn't know that it's cast iron so not saving any weight thanks for the response! |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2023 at 8:53am
| About as "light" as you can get and still look "stock" is use a narrow front end assembly from a WC as they are quite hollow inside and weigh 90 lbs or so LESS than a WD45 narrow front. |
Posted By: trikesbikes@gmail.co
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2023 at 9:05am
| Any pacific year? Thanks for all the Post you put on hear save Alot of Head aches and pocket books! |
Posted By: WF owner
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2023 at 7:23pm
| I have no experience with the WD / WD45 single front wheel, but I have a CA with a factory single front wheel. The single wheel is VERY heavy. Unless the WD is different, I'm betting the single front wheel isn't much lighter than the narrow front, unless you can replace the wheel with something much lighter. |
Posted By: HudCo
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2023 at 9:26pm
| i had the single front wheel off a massey harris 44 about a month ago to do wheel brgs. and paint and i could barly lift the tire and wheel/ i would almost bet its heavyer than the narrow front with tires and wheel , the yoke that the wheel goes on was made out of real heavy sized steel |
Posted By: trikesbikes@gmail.co
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2023 at 10:32pm
| Thanks for the info! |
Posted By: KJCHRIS
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2023 at 11:46pm
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I've a D15 1 with SFW has 9.50x10 tire, manual steering, 13.6x28" rears. Its Wheel assy is heavy and the cast fork that holds wheel & tire makes it heavier than a std NF end. The steering gear leaked when I got it so took it apart. The tire size is hard to find. It's hard to steer in soft soil, the D17 I w/ NF & man'l str is far easier to steer. I've papers from when it was sold new, equipped as it is, I'm second owner. ------------- AC 200, CAH, AC185D bareback, AC 180D bareback, D17 III, WF. D17 Blackbar grill, NF. D15 SFW. Case 1175 CAH, Bobcat 543B, |