Friends
I think this explination may help. Or it may complicate things.
The concept of front-wheel drive assist
Checking lead on front-wheel assist tractors. The front tires on a front wheel assist tractor need to travel between 2-5% faster than the rear tires. This difference in speed is called LEAD. If the leads is less than this then mechanical and ride problems could be encountered. Symptoms of incorrect lead include:
leaking front differential seals,
excessive front or rear tire wear,
high fuel consumption,
excessive tractor bounce and
the tractor working easier in 2WD mode.
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Checking the amount of lead. To check the lead, the mechanical ratio front to rear must be calculated and this compared to the tire ratio front to rear when driving over a smooth flat hard surface.
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Mechanical ratio. The mechanical ratio is typically 1.3 to 1.4. This means that the front tires rotate 1.3 to 1.4 times faster than the rear tire. This ratio is sometimes stamped on the transfer box or the front differential. To calculate the mechanical ratio the following steps must be followed:
lift the tractor off the ground so all wheels can turn freely.
put in manual 4WD.
engage Differential lock
run tractor for ten rotations of the rear tire
count number of turns of front tire and part turns. Part turns can be calculated by counting the number of lugs.
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Example for MF 362: ****
Back tire 10 turns Front tire *13.75 turns
Therefore mechanical ratio = 13.75/10 = 1.375
*Tire ratio. To calculate the tire ratio, the distance for each revolution of the front and rear tire must be determined. To determine the tire ratio:
make sure the tractors front differential is disengaged.
drive in a straight line on a hard surface for a minimum distance of 50 meters
measure distance covered on firm surface for ten rotations of rear tire
measure distance covered by 14 rotations of front tire
calculate the rolling circumference of the tires
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Example for MF 362
Rolling circumference
Back tire - 10 rotations - 38.8 m 3.88 m Front tire - 14 rotations - 42.1 m 3.007 m
Lead = (Front tire rolling circumference) x (Mechanical ratio)/(Back tire rolling circumference)
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Example for MF 362
Lead = 3.007 x 1.375 / 3.88=1.07 This tractor has a 7% lead
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Desired lead percentage
Sand 5%
Clay 2%
Paddy 7-8%
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If lead percentage is too low the back tires are trying to push the front tires and 'windup' will occur in the transmission. This can result in transmission failure, excessive rear tire wear, a rough ride and increased turning circle and poor fuel economy. If the lead is too great, the tractor may have excessive bounce over the front axle, rapid wear of the front tire and excessive soil disturbance under the front tire.
Happy Tractoring
Chipperman