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Wheel Removal

Started by larry1, August 30, 2015, 09:35:14 PM

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larry1

I never had to remove a skidder wheel until today .(18.4x34) Managed to break all the  1 1/2 " nuts loose with a 3/4 " breaker and 4 ' pipe .  Pushed the dozer down to lift the machine , wrapped a chain behind and pulled the wheel straight off with my loader without damaging anything .

But now comes the hard part . Do you guys burn a hole in the rim for a chain to pick it up level for installation , or do you wrestle it on with bars from the ground up .

I see holes in 2 of my rims now and they could have been for anti chain slippage or mounting  ?

lopet

I built this contraption  a couple of years ago and found it very useful and  SAVER .

Seen something like it at the dealers shop but it had a bottle jack at the bottom to lift the wheel vertical.
And then I don't know, I always think when I see something on it I don't like or it could be done better or in a different way I think I have to do it myself  ;D  But that's just me.

A smooth cement floor is pretty well a must, but works actually very slick.

No more wrestling



 



 
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

treeslayer2003

i wouldn't blow any holes in it. its really not to bad to position it, you need 1 or 2 long bars. don't fight it, think about it. that size ain't bad, if i can do a 34x26 you can do that one. they get easier. oh, a knuckle boom makes it easier to if you have one.

ga jones

Before I had log loaders we used a backhoe or the tractor with a bucket to lift them.
380c timberjack c4 treefarmer international trucks jonsered saws. Sugi hara bars d31 komatsu 350 tj grapple

North River Energy

Spoke with the owner of a 'monster truck' once who said he slid the tires into place using those inexpensive roll-up plastic sleds.

OntarioAl

Larry
Stand the  tire up with your loader and lean it against the axle with planetary centered.
For this to work the planetary slightly closer to the ground than it would be with the tire mounted.
With a well blocked hydraulic jack under the axle slowly lift it. The planetary will start to guide the tire towards the studs. You may have to maneuver the tire so that the studs on top line up. When enough of a stud emerges from the rim start a wheel nut on it.  Continue slowly jacking and spinning the wheel nuts (by hand) on the studs as they emerge.
Hope this helps
Al
Al Raman

beenthere

Al
That is how I do my loaded tractor tires... use the jack to adjust the axle to the height of the tire. No lifting, just scooting around. Granted, a lot lighter than skidder tires.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Corley5

Skid steer with pallet forks works for me  :) 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

sawguy21

I like lopet's method, that looks pretty slick and a lot easier on old backs. We used a sheet of greased plywood to remove and install dual wheel/brake drum assemblies on log trucks. A bit messy but it worked.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

lumberjack48

 I took off and put on many 18.4/34's and 18.4/26's in the woods. The front tires are easy because you've got the blade to lift it. When i had a flat on the back and didn't have a bottle jack to jack it up with i'd back up to a tree. Then i'd climb up on the arch and hook the end choker about 6-7' up on the tree. Then break the lug nuts lose taking 8 off, get on the skidder and winch it up until the tire just clears the ground. If i wasn't going to fix it in the woods i'd back the pickup up closer. Then take the other 4 lug nuts off. Now i'd get on the front side of the tire, wiggle it back and forth off the hub, keeping it balanced. Once it was off the hub, i'd roll it back and forth jockeying it away from the skidder. Then roll it to the pickup, making sure i was close enough so when i flop it down in the box, it was over center. Now the side that was hanging out, i'd get under it with both arms, while i lifted it i'd wiggle it back and forth sliding it in. 
I put it back on the same way, roll it over to the skidder, getting as close as i could letting it fall over on the hub. Then i used a 6' duck billed bar, lifting it with ease back on the studs.
Most of the time i fixed them in the woods and i always had a new tube in the pickup. I found a easy way to break the bead with a crowbar and sledgehammer.
Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

larry1

It's all about manovering and a little elbow grease . I'll pass on burning a hole in the rim and use the methods you guys suggest . I  sure like that  home made cradle , makes work look easy . When I worked at a transport company as a welder , we used to remove the tandem trailer wheels with a pallet jack on the concrete floor , it worked real good .

Thanks for the help

clww

Great contraption build, lopet! ;)
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

larry1

I managed to borrow a wheel with a chain on it while I get mine repaired --talk about easy to install with my loader . Don't know the torque specs , so I used a questimate with a 4' pipe --don't think the nuts will come loose  L.O.L.

Thanks for the help guys .

  

 

HiTech

It pays to put neverseize on the studs and they don't really need to be that tight. lol

lopet

IF they don't come lose they're tight enough.  ;D  Never used such a big lever, but I always keep a eye on the lugs.
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

larry1

I was planning on using that wheel for a while , but I noticed it's slightly wider and taller then  the other front wheel even though the tread wear is about equal . I guess that companies make different sizes even if they read 18.4 x 34 . Not sure if size difference will have any negative impact on the planitaries ?

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