830 two cylinder duals

[Olddantucker]

Was wondering if dual wheels are a good idea or was there any
problems
 

[David from Kansas]

I can tell you from experience that it is not a good idea. I ran duals (clamp on type) on my 820 for several years. Once, while plowing broke a rear axle, and then a few years later, broke another rear axle just driving thru the driveway, probably had cracked earlier. I replaced the axle both times, but wouldn't want to try it again, at my age. After the second axle break, I took them off and never used them again. I think the duals are still laying in the weeds where I left them. Just my experience. Others may have gotten along great with them, never heard about anyone having a problem but don't recall anyone nearby using them on a 820/830.
 

[DR. EVIL]

DAVID - I'm actually really surprised that your 820 broke two axles. Dad had accumulated parts and was planning on making duals for the R diesel we had spring of '64. But the parts were used to make a set of clamp-on duals for the '51 M to pull the Deere 490 corn planter. Spring of '68 Dad traded a '39 Farmall H for a really nice '54 Stage 2 Super H and planted some corn with it without duals. Spring '69, '70, '71 & '72 we used clamp-on duals on SH, even went the 5 miles to town for hog feed a couple times with the duals on. Pulled the endgate seeder wagon over 80 acres of oats every spring with duals on, tractors discing the oats in also had duals, and I peg-tooth harrowed the oats in since the following year the fields would either be hay ground or hog pasture. Those duals really showed me how much slippage I was getting pulling a new 24 ft Kewanee peg tooth harrow. The Super M-TA and 450 Farmall both ran M&W direct axle duals any time they did any tillage, plowing or discing. Never had any axle problems.
Our R had 14-34 rear tires, an 11-38 tire would have dualed up nicely I think. But we still had 16 acres of plowing left to do when the R left the farm. The 820 was a lot more heavy and powerful than an R, the extra flotation and grip would have stressed the rearend more than an R. I pulled a 14 ft Krause disk with our R in 3rd gear, pulled 4-14 plow in alfalfa sod in 2nd, some hills in 1st, then pulled IH #8 3-14 in old corn ground in 3rd. Salesman that sold it to Dad said not to lug it down pulling hills, no center main bearing in R's unlike Every other 2 cyl diesel Deere built. R also only got a 2 cylinder pony motor while every other diesel got the V-4. Our R really struggled starting. Neighbor's 730D would have the diesel running well before the V4 pony got fully wound up, think it ran 4000 rpm.
I bet replacing an axle on the back of an 820 was a heck of a lot of work. Nothing small and light back there!
 

[coonie minnie]

I'm curious, did the shaft itself break, or something with the wedges that hold the wheel to the axle? I'm told that was the weakest part???
 

[John Deere D]

At some time possibly late summer of 1976, my JD R was pulling a 26one bottom what used to be a trip breaking plough.
Was converted to a hydraulic lift.
I had the plough set deep, as I was turning over the remints of the original 1930 BURN PILES, carbon. I looked straight ahead, and when the black smoke was belching from the stack, that was the depth I desired.
I had a 1/2 mile run turn and come back. ON the second or third day the R stopped moving forward when I down shifted into 2 rd..........Tractor had no gears as I thought?
My father towed the R to my shop with his MF 88. On the way across the field, the left TIRE/Rim assemble / and Brocken axel fell off!

Axel hair line crack was corroded that indicated axel had been CRACKED long before I ever purchased the R.
Axel had about 12 still attached to rear hub..

Purchased used axel ..Installed and ran R until it was sold around 1982. I had converted R to straight 24 electric start........
Bob..
 

[GreenEnvy]

Ive never seen a 830 or any other tractor of that vintage with duals around here. You had to get past 100 hp before duals were common. Unless you are using your 830 in really soft or slick conditions I wouldnt bother with it.
 

[ET]

I put a rear axel in an 830 that ran duels once. The outside axle bearing is greased with a fitting in the end of the axle. The grease passage to the bearing was where the crack started. A design flaw in those tractors.
 

[David from Kansas]

Breaking the two axles was over a period of time, probably 6-8 years. If I remember correctly, the axle broke between the wheel and the axle housing. Later, when farming with a 4020D, I ran clamp on duals and never had an axle problem. Farming with a 12' chisel, a 24' spring tooth harrow, 12' heavy Wilbeck offset disk and 4-16 plow, always had some slippage without the duals, even with loaded tires and added wheel weights. Some of our ground was quite level, others was a little hilly and that was where most of the slippage occurred. Mostly all two wheel drive tractors now run duals, as I do with my 4555.
 

[David from Kansas]

Always comments about the model R and the 2 main crankshaft. Well, I have pulled the guts out of my R, which in my opinion is pretty strong, and never had a problem. A couple of years ago we took a few 2-cylinder JD's out with plows. It had been really dry and we were plowing a field that had probably never been worked more than 4 deep for years. It was pulling terribly hard and I had my 820 with a 4-14 plow and it was all it wanted to do to pull it in third gear. Had a 3-16 old 55ABH plow behind the R, pulling it in second gear, which is about the same speed as the 820 in third. Was plowing about 8-10 deep and that old R just kept on pounding away, smoking like crazy, never missing a beat and there was no slippage because I had it weighted down to 10K pounds. Had my '51 AR with a 3-14 and could barely pull it in third gear without lifting it occasionally to make it thru the really tough spots. It was about the roughest plowing I ever remember doing.
 

[GreenEnvy]

I think Im up to about $23 in my put a dollar in the jar every time DE brings up the R. Probably give it for offering at church or local fundraiser. For a $11tty tractor JD sure sold a lot of Rs.
 

[SVcummins]

 

[SVcummins]

Not an 830 and not a 100 horsepower.









 

[John Deere D]

Metallurgy has advanced 10,000 fold since 1963....
Bob..
 

[55 50 Ron]

That's Don Dufner's 830-830-830. It has been on display at TWO CYLINDER Expo and at Rollag show and probably many other shows. An impressive piece of engineering by a farmer. He farms near Buxton, North Dakota in the Red River Valley.
 

[fdt860]

In my opininion, if someone needs more teaction on those, it fould be wiser to go with modern soft sidewall radial tires designed for lighter tractors, for instance, a michelin Xeobib 600/60R34 will have far morectraction than dualled up 18.4-34 bias tires.

Problem is the cost, because Xeobib requires special rims, and michelins are not cheap. But this would pull!!