4wd vs. 2wd

[Robert_in_NY]

Bird was right, Mechanical Front wheel drive. Some compact companies call it 4wd for marketing reasons as people can relate to 4wd easier then MFWD or FWA or any other way companies describe it. A true 4wd is all 4 wheels of the same size. Large articulated tractors are 4wd's and so are some smaller tractors like the JCB Fast tracs. Pickup trucks are 4wd because the tires are the same size again.

As for what the real difference is and why they can't just call them all 4wd is beyond me but oh well.

 

[Slamfire]

I remember those Firestone's Town and Country, "mud, ice or snow or we pay the tow". I had a '50 Ford pickup, with a sheet of 1/4" cold rolled plate for a bed. A big steel tool box full of big tools from my Dad's days as master mechanic on construction jobs. I can't remember how many of my friends and neighbors I pulled out of ditches with that little truck. I remember passing the snow plow on the way home from basketball games. I could drive it after 20" fell, and never got it stuck. The trick was never step on the clutch pedal, lost all traction when you did that.

 

[fishstixtwo]

I must not be a very good driver, the first 4WD truck that I ouned I had it stuck 45 minutes after leaving the lot. Tried to pull in my driveway, snow was only 5 ft. deep where the plow had dumped it. I have ouned 4WD trucks for the last 20 years tractor for a little over 1 year. I guess when you get right down to it I could get by with 2WD, But why would I want to???

 

[pruntyc]

That is what I used the town and country, they were good. Of course what people are not reading, is I drove for a living for a number of years. Different jobs, but they all had me driveing 200 to 250 miles a day, 2wd all year long, rain or snow or ice or sunshine. I probably drove more in a year than most people would drive in 10 years. When you do something enough you generaly get good at it. And if its in very hilly country, if you aren't good at it, someone else will be doing your job, who is good at it. I don't say the other people are not good drivers, but they haven't been where I have been or done what I have done. Just like I haven't done what they have done or been where they have. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[bgott]

I have read that the reason they started calling front wheel assist MFWD was to differentiate front shaft driven wheels from John Deere's hydraulically driven setup. I've heard that JD's hydraulic setup was so bad that the whole concept could have died if people didn't know there was a difference.

 

[Trev]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( And they may tend to dig up your lawn a bit when in 4WD.
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There is another aspect to consider about tearing up lawns. I drive a manual, and normally mow in 6th or 7th gear (out of 12) .. and of course the engine is revved up to PTO speed. If I let the clutch out a bit too fast, the rear tires spin a teeny bit when in 2wd. In 4wd, the tractor just takes off with no spinning and no damage to the lawn. My buddy next door even asks me to use 4wd when mowing their yard.

Admittedly, this isn't a compelling argument.. saying more about my lack of skill than the equipment capabilities, but it still may be a point worth considering.

I can't even imagine not having 4wd for my snow plowing, etc.

Bob

 

[Soundguy]

The 4wd on my NH 1920 only seems to eat grass when turning, as the fronts seem to lead the rears, etc.

Soundguy

 

[Slamfire]

Yes, the front wheels on 4wd actually go faster than the rears, otherwise you couldn't steer.

 

[F350Lawman]

First off, I PROVED 2 things today....

1. 4wd is better than 2wd
2. I'm an idiot

I was making the drainage ditch between my property and the road a little deeper today. It appears over the past 20 years (judging by the age of the buried beer cans I found /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif) the ditch has filled up with muck considerably. It is about 150' long about 6' wide and 3-4' deep. As I dug the ditch began to function as designed and began to fill with water. turning it into a mucky, sticky mess. I would dig in 4wd, make a pile above the ditch on the side of the road and then drive the tractor out and move the pile from the road onto my property. I would have to go into 2wd to travel on the paved road and bring this muck onto my property to spread in the woods.

I returned to the ditch and became really stuck. The tractor was down on the frame so bad the front end was trenching the ditch and the traction was almost zero. As I sunk the rear wheel went into a hole where I had removed a large rock. The FEL was also useless as it only sunk in the mud so I could not get a good enough curl/uncurl to crawl out. AFter about 5 minutes of all types of attempts it isn't getting any worse but it aint' getting any better either. SO, I am about eye level with the road and I climb off the tractor and out of the ditch (muck sucks off one shoe /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif) and I go for the shovel. I figure before I get my truck and the cars driving by see me pulling my tractor free I'll try the tactfull approach. I get halfway to the shovel and bingo... a lightbulb goes off.. I never went back to 4wd! I return to the tractor, hit the lever and I'm out /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Between one good curl/uncurl and some reverse it crawled right out of the hole. this was nasty stuff, to be honest even with 4wd I wasn't sure about trying this job to start with once I got the water to start flowing/oozing into the ditch. My truck was only 50' away with plenty of straps so I went for it.

So there you have it, 4wd is better and I am an IDIOT /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I will try and snap some phoots of this mess tomorrow when I finish the job.

 

[stvman]

Don't be so hard on yourself at least you bought a MFWD tractor /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif