Tire Question????

Ok so my tractor came stock with 18x9.5x8 on the rear and 15x6x6 on the front. I'm wanting to put some mudgrips on front and back and maybe even go with a bigger tire for both front and rear. My problem is that all the tires that I find to be interested in are for a 8" rim. Which is fine for the rear for it has an 8" wheel but the front being a 6" is the problem. I was wondering about how to upgrade the front to a 8" wheel. I know some people put rear tires on the front of theirs but I don't know how that will work because my rear wheels are keyed and I think the hole in the wheel is bigger. pretty much want to know how to get an 8" wheel on the front so I can get the tires that I really want front and back. Thanks guys

you could weld a bolt onto the spindle and use the rear rims, or do like i did on my lifted craftsman, find a older mtd gt, the front spindles swap in perfectly, then the rims that came on those tractors were 8", and viola, 8" rims up front
if its a craftsman, then your going to need to weld a tab onto the spindle for the steering rod to hook up to, but its a simple thing really

I have seen the weld a bolt on method. is it sturdy enough for offroading and stuff? and also will the rear wheel whobble a lot because of the axle hole being larger on the rear tires?

lt1000mudder wrote:

I have seen the weld a bolt on method. is it sturdy enough for offroading and stuff? and also will the rear wheel whobble a lot because of the axle hole being larger on the rear tires?

on craftsman mowers they have 3/4" front spindles, and most others do to unless its a mtd, so it shouldn't wobble,

Thanks man I think that's the way im going to go. I think from watching fearless fronts video that the weight and pressure of the tire will still be on the spindle and the bolt is just a way of holding the tire on. then I will have the 8" wheel up front the way I want so I can change the tire size to what I want because I want the front to be smaller than a rear tire. prolly like a 17" or something like that on the front. on the back I have 18x9.50. I want a little taller and a lil skinnier prolly any idea on how big I could go without hitting fenderwells? like 20-21 or so would they fit?

You could always trim the fender, I think a 22-23 would fit with flaring or trimming. I have 21's on mine and I have a relitively small mower. If you are getting new tires, maybe research the actual size. Sometimes a tire is bigger or smaller then it really is.

I'd say just get the rears, and do whatever you gotta to make them fit. I have noticed over the years that tires are nearly NEVER their advertised size. Part of that is just manufacturing. Part of it is the dimensions of the rim you're mounting to, and part is tire pressure. Here and now, I have two sets of 22x11-8" ATV tires. One pair is Kenda Scorpions, the other pair is Carlisle Strykers. Both mounted to factory stock LT rims and aired to about 12psi, the Kendas are a full 2" narrower than the Carlisles, and over an inch shorter.

So- some of it is simply trial and error. It seems that MOST lawn tractors will take (average) 22x11-8's without modification.

sweet.i don't really wanna cut or mess with the fenders. but 22 is plenty big enough. don't know if I want to go that big.