4-Wheel Drive?

[espn]

I have a 1978 Ford 1600 4x4 tractor. How does 4-wheel drive work? Is this a full time feature in a tractor, or do you have to shift into 4-wheel drive? I'm trying to teach myself as I go, but I can't tell if the 4-wheel drive is active or not. Does anybody have any information they can share... or direct me to where I can get my question answered?
espnII@yahoo.com

[rambler]

There is a lever somewhere to shift it into (or out of) 4wd. You do that standing still. On my 1720 it is a lever under the left side of the seat that you push in or pull out.

You may use it all the time in 4wd if you are on soft surfaces. You do not want to use it while on pavement or tar surfaces and turning. You will _certainly_ know you are in 4wd if you turn very short on a paved surface. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I would very, very strongly suggest going to a New Holland dealer & getting a manual for your tractor. They are fairly cheap, and it could save you $5000 in repairs on your machine. A _very_ good investment. You do _not_ want to wreck a front hub. Very, very expensive......

--->Paul

[espn]

Thanks for the information [img]/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

[Zoomie]

Hello,

I have an '81 Ford 1700, 4wd. Its been a great work-horse for me.

On mine, there is a short lever on top of the transmission, just aft of the gear and range shift levers. You depress the clutch, and pull up on the short lever to engage the 4wd.

The drive shaft for the front diff is easy to see under the tractor and if it's turning when you're moving, you know that the 4wd is engaged.

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> The drive shaft for the front diff is easy to see under the tractor and if it's turning when you're moving, you know that the 4wd is engaged. </font>

On my tractor the front driveshaft turns all the time whether in 4x4 or 2x4 mode. Same with vehicles I have owned...that did not have "unlocking" hubs.

I'm [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] now... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] I may be missing something obvious, but it is difficult for me to see how that could be...

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm now... I may be missing something obvious, but it is difficult for me to see how that could be... )</font>

I'm with you, Bill.

[Chechnya]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
You may use it all the time in 4wd if you are on soft surfaces. You do not want to use it while on pavement or tar surfaces and turning. You will _certainly_ know you are in 4wd if you turn very short on a paved surface. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
)</font>

Why not on paved surfaces? Ive been running both L35's in 4wd all the time since 1998 and no problems have arrived.

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> Why not on paved surfaces? </font>

Two reasons I can think of. One is that a percentage of overspeed is built into the system, with the front tires turning faster than the rears. On pavement this will wear the tread off the front tires.

More important, is that if the tires do not slip, you can put strain on your drivetrain. NOT a good thing in the long term.

May be other reasons as well...not a good thing to do if you plan on owning your tractors a long time, or if you care about the next guy...

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Two reasons I can think of. One is that a percentage of overspeed is built into the system, with the front tires turning faster than the rears. On pavement this will wear the tread off the front tires.)</font>
That pretty much sums it up Bill. When engaged, the front wheels are helping to pull, but at a different speed than the rears. In soft ground they all tend to spin a little, but not on hard surfaces. Drive train damage, early wear and quicker wear out of the tires is common if doing a lot of work on pavement.
espn, if you have a front end loader (FEL) on your tractor, just lift the front slightly with the loader and carefully and slowly press the accelerator to see if the wheels are turning. Then move the lever mentioned earlier to the other position and confirm that the stop turning. Mark it so you always remember which position. John

[Zoomie]

Bill,

You are probably correct, and I suspect that the reason it turns all the time is due to the front diff having a hard connection to the shaft, while the shaft's connection to the transmission is selectable.

So... if the front wheels are turning, then they will make the drive shaft turn as well, but the transmission will not be "driving" the wheels if the selector is in 2WD. Setting the selector to 4WD, will "connect" the transmission to the front drive shaft (and thru it to the front wheels) so that it is now supplying drive power to the front wheels.

Thanks for the gentle-mental nudge... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]