Silly 4x4 question

[Fastball]

Hi, all. My new-to-me L2900 is a 4x4 model and I haven't used it that much yet ...being winter and all.
Just wondering, does this mean that the tractor is in 4x4 mode all the time? It's not, for example, a RWD and you can put it 4x4 mode when you need it? It's not harmful if its run in 4by mode all the time?
Excuse the embarrassingly newbie-ness of this query.

 

[Sysop]

It will have a control to turn it off and on.

 

[gwdixon]

4x4 is a little misleading.
>It is one wheel drive if the "4x4" lever is not engaged.
>It can be made two wheel drive (both rears) by engaging the differential lock...usually a lever by your foot.
>It is also two wheel drive, one front and one rear, when the 4x4 is engaged.
>It can be made three wheel drive by engaging the differential lock or when one of the rears spins in mud or dirt.
>Only one of the fronts can be driven unless there is a automatic differential lock. The best you can get is three wheels driven. Front locks only come on larger tractors and only work when one front wheel spins. A M7040 has this feature.

Feel free to ask. That is how one learns. This whole forum is dedicated to helping others with their issues so "ask away" and don't feel embarrassed in the slightest.

Other posters with more knowledge: please don't hesitate to correct my post and/or add information.

It is not harmful to run it in 4WD as long as the wheel are in a substance that allows them to spin and relieve tension. Something like sand, loose soil, mud, and the like are fine in 4WD mode.

Avoid hard surfaces like blacktop or highways. The gears get wound up with tension and tires wear as well. Sometimes you have to back up to get it out of 4WD.

 

[Fastball]

Well, we've got some acreage of farm, grass and a bit of bush - all on a decent slope. Driveway is about 500-700 feet of gravel. Dad's run this thing in 4x4 for years and it's not broken or anything, so he can't have hurt it much. But the terrain is pretty dry and not horribly bad for traction anywhere. So I'm not overy stressing this thing out by running it in 4x, even though the traction is good?

 

[NoTrespassing]

Well, we've got some acreage of farm, grass and a bit of bush - all on a decent slope. Driveway is about 500-700 feet of gravel. Dad's run this thing in 4x4 for years and it's not broken or anything, so he can't have hurt it much. But the terrain is pretty dry and not horribly bad for traction anywhere. So I'm not overy stressing this thing out by running it in 4x, even though the traction is good?

I only lock the front in when needed. When I'm plowing snow, using the box scraper, doing loader work, etc. If I'm mowing with the brush cutter on level ground I run in 2wd. Running on a lawn with the front engaged tears up the turf also.

Kevin

 

[Fastball]

So I see in my manual, there's a FWD drive lever. If it's not engaged, is the unit in RWD then?

 

[NoTrespassing]

So I see in my manual, there's a FWD drive lever. If it's not engaged, is the unit in RWD then?

Yes, that's correct.

 

[MAN IN BLACK]

So I see in my manual, there's a FWD drive lever. If it's not engaged, is the unit in RWD then?

Exactly !

 

[TripleR]

What they said, there is at least one whole thread on what members use each configuration.

 

[3930dave]

Well, we've got some acreage of farm, grass and a bit of bush - all on a decent slope. Driveway is about 500-700 feet of gravel. Dad's run this thing in 4x4 for years and it's not broken or anything, so he can't have hurt it much. But the terrain is pretty dry and not horribly bad for traction anywhere. So I'm not overy stressing this thing out by running it in 4x, even though the traction is good?

You've got the idea - "loose" material is better - for allowing an engaged 4wd system to slip. If your tractor has survived this long, there is probably enough "slippage" going on with your terrain. Or, it's got an over-built front-end - not my first assumption, though I don't know your Kub at all....

Tractors are often known as under-braked - meaning compared to road vehicles, their braking capacity can seem limited compared to the loads they deal with.

Slopes are a key factor to consider. As you read around TBN (ex. Safety forum), you'll come across examples of people who got into trouble going down slopes, esp. with loads, when they didn't have 4wd engaged.

You can potentially make more use of engine-braking on a down-slope if 4x4 is already engaged - that may have been your Dad's reasoning.

Rgds, D.