# Installing Larger Wheels on MTD 10/24 - Any issues on Tire Width?



## H20Lew (Mar 24, 2019)

Hi all. First time on this fourm. 

I have an MTD 10/24 snowblower from the late 1990s. The model number sticker is long gone so don't know exact year. My blower has 13 x 5 wheels but I'd like to put on larger diameter wheels. I've got no issues with moving the drive axle to the alternate position - so that's not my question. I see two options with the larger 16" wheels - either 16.5 x 4.8 or 16 x 6.5. My question is, would I have an issue with the wider 16 x 6.5 wheels with the 24" wide intake chute?My exisitng 13 x 5" wheels are just at the edge of the chute - so would there be an issue with the wheels possibly extending out 1-2 inches more? I'm guessing models sold with these wider wheels had a 26" or 28" intake chute... but from a practical standpoint, would it really matter for most 12" or less snowfall applications? Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks.


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## Fat City (Feb 11, 2017)

Is your axle long enough to accept the tires ? The bolt holes must align with the axle . 3/4 " machine bushings fill excess play, make sure drive chain is in perfect alignment, by varying shims used .


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Large diameter will put more weight on the front wearing down the scraper bar however this will be an advantage for the EOD. But you always want narrow width tires rather than wide, more psi on the sidewalk for traction.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

One more thing to consider is the change in the angle of the machine. Raise the back and it changes the angle of the fuel tank and oil pick up. Your fuel line pickup with be uncovered sooner and the oil pickup may be affected too. Will it be a problem - don't know? It all depends on the amount of change in the angle.


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## SayItAintSnow (Dec 15, 2017)

H2O',

Welcome to the forum! :wink2:

I'm sure, with enough fiddling mechanically with the position of the axle, and any subsequent changes that need to be made because of that change of position, that you could make this work. :icon_scratch:

The question is WHY?
What are you hoping to gain by putting these bigger diameter and wider wheels on this blower? :question:
.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

HCBPH said:


> One more thing to consider is the change in the angle of the machine. Raise the back and it changes the angle of the fuel tank and oil pick up. Your fuel line pickup with be uncovered sooner and the oil pickup may be affected too. Will it be a problem - don't know? It all depends on the amount of change in the angle.


The oil isn't a problem as there is no oil pickup tube, it's a splash sump. Won't be a problem. However you may get an accurate oil level reading you will have to adjust for.

For the gas, you won't be able to drain the tank empty while running, so you have to keep a little more gasoline in the tank. But good catch.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Welcome! Regarding the extra wheel width, and sticking out wider than the 24" bucket. 

When discussing using tractors for plowing/snowblowing, I've heard people talk about having the rear wheels wider than the plow/blower. There was discussion of more traction problems, because the wheels aren't on a cleared surface, but are partially driving on/through untouched snow. So they'll want to ride up on that snow, away from the pavement, and be more likely to spin.

A walk-behind snowblower with wheels wider than the bucket is not a common sight, and would seem like something to avoid, if possible.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

JLawrence08648 said:


> The oil isn't a problem as there is no oil pickup tube, it's a splash sump. Won't be a problem. However you may get an accurate oil level reading you will have to adjust for.


I agree it's a splash system (the pickup is the paddle on the connecting rod in most engines) and likely won't be a problem, but as soon as it's not mentioned someone will claim we gave bad advice and they burnt up an engine. The change in angle depends on the difference in wheel size and how much it tilts the engine. It would be interesting to have a clear sump cover and see how it varies, but that's just a wish list.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

HCBPH said:


> It would be interesting to have a clear sump cover and see how it varies, but that's just a wish list.


That *would* be very cool. Not sure if there's something like that out here. But I did find this, a small engine running with a clear cylinder head, so you can see the combustion process. Pretty cool!


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

A lot of those MTD Chassis have an additional Hole for the axle for the machines with larger wheels.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

You are going to put more strain on the drivetrain with larger tires and wear out drive clutches quicker.


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