Dieseltu 26 #1 Posted August 10, 2022 Good day!. i got tie rods coming. and tires. I have this process for aligning the wheels tell me what you think. Take two yard sticks and attach them to the front wheels on the sides. center the steering and measure the distance between the front and back of the yardsticks. Make the distance the same and parallel front to back. I think thats good enough unless you think i should set the front tires against something like bricks to simulate its moving forward . And I hate to say this but I'm really wanting to get a real nice wheel horse all finished. i paid 550 for this user, which is high i think but around here its all junk under 500 or it sells fast. and its ok. but I could get a show piece with attachments in here for about $1000. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,852 #2 Posted August 10, 2022 Most times a little bit of toe in on a garden tractor will yield best handling results. Race cars get toe out and not much gets even up. If you give yourself 1/8” - 3/16” less distance on the front of the yardstick over the rear, you’ll be golden! 7 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dieseltu 26 #3 Posted August 10, 2022 (edited) i didnt think about toe in on a tractor. i noticed a lot of pictures peoples wheels ain't lined up usually they are toe out. When mine is in third and iIm cruisin, get some uneven ground it tries and switches directions but one tie rod is moving a lot. I'm with you on toe in, Thanks. Edited August 10, 2022 by Dieseltu 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,852 #4 Posted August 10, 2022 1 minute ago, Dieseltu said: i didnt think about toe in on a tractor. Im with you on it Thanks. glad to help Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wild Bill in VA 1,452 #5 Posted August 10, 2022 If you really want perfect alinement jack up the front of the tractor paint line down the center of the tire tread and then take a sharp scribe hold it against the wheel and slowly spin the tire to make a thin line the circumference. of the tire. The scribe mark will be your reference for measuring. Check the distance on the front and then on the back, if the back is let's say 1/4 of an inch out turn the tie rods 1/16 of an inch. What you want is to turn only 1/2 the needed measurement to get "0" tow it. For the most part driving on the lawn, dirt or snow the tires will get the wear as driving "at speeds" down an interstate. Wild Bill in Richmond VA 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,319 #6 Posted August 10, 2022 (edited) Vehicle steering comes in two styles - front steer, with the tie rods ahead of the axle like most modern cars - and rear steer, with the tie rods behind the axle. The Wheel Horse tractors are rear steer - forward motion makes the wheels naturally want to toe out and doing so places the tierods in compression, not tension. I agree with the comments above - a "bit" of toe-in at rest is desirable. Grease the new tie rods when you install them. One more note - when all installed, the amount of threads showing on both tie rods should be about equal - you do not want one burried to the bottom of the threads and the other engaged by only 2 threads! You MAY need to index the upper steering shaft gear by one tooth to get the wheel centered and the thread engagement equal... Bill Edited August 10, 2022 by ri702bill 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lee1977 6,659 #7 Posted August 10, 2022 Also check that with the steering wheel centered that the triangle on the fan gear shaft is stright down. We have found some over the years that were welded off center. This causes them to steer tighter in one direction. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadapples 6,983 #8 Posted August 10, 2022 Steering is much easier with a little tow in... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,202 #9 Posted August 10, 2022 54 minutes ago, roadapples said: Steering is much easier with a little tow in... @Dieseltu It is! And I've found that toed OUT tends to make the manchine want to 'wander' first following one tire and then the other. But, the sloppiness in most of the steering mechanisms makes it near impossible to get 'repeatable' measurements. I usually just eyeball the front tires and if they look close to parallel, or slightly toed in, I call it good. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,319 #10 Posted August 10, 2022 1 hour ago, Jeff-C175 said: @Dieseltu It is! And I've found that toed OUT tends to make the manchine want to 'wander' first following one tire and then the other. But, the sloppiness in most of the steering mechanisms makes it near impossible to get 'repeatable' measurements. I usually just eyeball the front tires and if they look close to parallel, or slightly toed in, I call it good. Good 'nuff is good 'nuff. Toe in will make you grin, toe out will make you pout... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,625 #11 Posted August 10, 2022 @Dieseltu have heim joints on my horses on threaded rod , set them exactly to original set up , still road testing my threaded rods for failure , never had an issue , years on the set ups now , many hours .agree with @ri702bill on the toe in . pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
