Wheel Spacer for UTV

Industry - Primary Production

Use - on farmland only

Problem Definition:

  1. OEM tyre provides poor traction in wet grass and mud conditions

  2. Original tyres puncture frequently on rocky, unsealed access roads

  3. No suitable commercial tyre option in Australian market to resolve issues

  4. Rear wheel track narrower than front track causing vehicle handling instability as rear tyres jump in and out of ruts created by front tyres

Solution:

  • New wheel size adopted to increase commercially available tyre range. (This introduced a new problem as the stud pattern PCD dimension increased from OEM stud PCD)

  • New tyre size adopted with significantly improved tread pattern for wet grass and mud traction. Chosen tyre included side wall protection and significant increase in ply construction to reduce likelihood of puncture

  • 6061 aluminium wheel spacers designed and manufactured to convert OEM stud PCD to new wheel PCD. Wheel offset and design thickness of spacer increased rear wheel track to fix handling issue

Prototype wheel spacer

Prototype wheel spacer