Front End Loader on a 2WD Tractor?

[Duffster]

Of course FWD is better but certainly not necessary. 2WD drive will work just fine.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I have sold new and used 4 WD tractors for many years. I know the advantages. Biggest disadvantage that no one ever mentions is: after you get 2000-3000 hrs on one and the maintenance issues start to be a common occurrence. Lots of people will be digging deep into their pocket book on a regular basis just to keep one in the field. If you just play with one on weekends, you will never have any problems. Ken Sweet

This was on my mine when I bought our old worn out 310B backhoe this spring. Some said only get 4WD.

I do think with the backhoe there is the weight to balance about anything you can get in the bucket.

Key I thing to liking 2WD is to have a lot of experience working with their limitations and NEVER experience a 4WD.

Some 2WD tractors seem too light weight in the front axle for much of a FEL.

The joke years ago was the difference between 2WD and 4WD was the wrecker bill. I grew up in the swamps of Western KY and the lighter the better. Learned really fast Zetor's are heavier than they look when I was bushing years ago in the marsh area.

 

[doall]

You have mixed reviews here but I think you are looking at the cut segment. If you have an 80 horse 10,000 lb. tractor I think a fel is great. But in the 50 horse cut range I think 4wd is almost a necessity. The lower weight will need the extra wheels pulling in a lot of situations. If I scoop up red dirt out of a pile with my 40 horse tractor it will just spin in 2wd, but has no problem in 4wd.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[mjncad]

Anyone that doubts the capabilities of a 2wd vs 4 wd with a loader only needs to try a 4wd, and dig in pile of dirt or stone with the tractor first in 2wd, then switch to 4wd. HUGE difference. Also as noted get a really full bucket and start down a wet grassy slope in 2wd, even with weight, then try it in 4wd. You will be a believer.

By the way I never missed 4wd in a tractor or pickup - UNTIL - I owned one. Every purchase since has been 4wd.

+1 on that! Even with flat ground, I notice a huge difference between 2WD and 4WD for loader work, and that's because I forgot to put it in 4WD.

 

[Loren49]

I have also used both and the 4WD is clearly better but it comes with a cost. If you carry a good amount of weight on the 3 pt hitch of a 2WD you can make up some of the difference.

Loren

 

[k0ua]

Well my 2 cents, Will a 2WD tractor with loader work? sure, I used one for many years, but it was a large heavy tractor, with loaded tires, and always had a heavy mower on the back. I moved many tons of dirt/gravel etc with it. But I was amazed by how well a 4 wheel drive CUT worked when I traded down in size and got more work done per hour. I had greater push ability and a whole lot less wheel spin. The large 2wd tractor had Loaded Ag tires and the CUT had R4 tires that were not loaded. Still the CUT would out work/push/pull the much larger 2WD tractor. go figure! To sum it up: Loader on 2WD tractor=good, Loader on 4WD tractor=Better
James K0UA

 

[TripleR]

I have sold new and used 4 WD tractors for many years. I know the advantages. Biggest disadvantage that no one ever mentions is: after you get 2000-3000 hrs on one and the maintenance issues start to be a common occurrence. Lots of people will be digging deep into their pocket book on a regular basis just to keep one in the field. If you just play with one on weekends, you will never have any problems. Ken Sweet

Interesting, in my area, a 2WD is rarely used by farmers who use them on a daily basis. In speaking with farmers, none have mentioned increased costs associated with FWD. When they buy new, it is always another FWD.

 

[jlsmith]

Like alot of folks said it depends on your land. Yes 4wd is better in some cases and 2wd is better in some cases "like mowing". You cant turn as sharp with 4wd but 4wd will give you the extra ump when you need it. I produce my own hay and load large trailers and do pasture mowing on the side. I have 3 85+ hp tractors and all are just 2wd and i have not had any problems with the preformance. And like Ken said there is add cost to maintain the 4wd vs the 2wd. I work on atleast 3 a month. The last one i just finished working on cost the customer about $3800 and it was just 4yrs old.

 

[WH401]

I have a mid 60's IH 340 2wd w/FEL that has been in the family for almost 30 years and I've/we've never had a problem with it. It didn't have any power steering so it was a bear to turn when it was loaded, but it was way better then a wheel barrow. The key to a 2wd is rear ballast. Keep those tires filled, even add wheel weights on top of that, and of course a ballast box/counter weight needs to be on the 3 pt when using the FEL. Our driveway is a little over an 1/8th mile long with one long, huge hill. For around 25 years my father plowed the driveway with that same tractor and never had an issue with traction. There was always ballast in the tires, the counter weight on the 3 pt, and chains on the rear tires, (only in snow of course).

 

[sweettractors]

The joke years ago was the difference between 2WD and 4WD was the wrecker bill. I grew up in the swamps of Western KY and the lighter the better. Learned really fast Zetor's are heavier than they look when I was bushing years ago in the marsh area.

Gale, I did not know about the swamps in western KY until about a month ago when I was in Wingo, KY. Ever have any dealings with a Zetor dealer in the area, "Diesel Doctor"? Ken Sweet

 

[merrickvilleguy]

I just moved 75 yards of topsoil with mine in 2wd ... worked fine ?

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Gale, I did not know about the swamps in western KY until about a month ago when I was in Wingo, KY. Ever have any dealings with a Zetor dealer in the area, "Diesel Doctor"? Ken Sweet

My company ate my Zetor and two small farms in 1996 and I do not know the Diesel Doctor. The dealer in 1992 where I bought my was in La Center, KY.

With billions of gallons of spring water flowing each year and the area being like a pond in places (water that can not make it to the MS River) makes areas swampy. This huge amount of spring water means we have some creeks that never run dry as in right now after little rain for 3 months.

 

[sweettractors]

My company ate my Zetor and two small farms in 1996 and I do not know the Diesel Doctor. The dealer in 1992 where I bought my was in La Center, KY.

With billions of gallons of spring water flowing each year and the area being like a pond in places (water that can not make it to the MS River) makes areas swampy. This huge amount of spring water means we have some creeks that never run dry as in right now after little rain for 3 months.

Gale, I have lived in KY all my life and I had it in my mind that "Western KY" was where all the Beans and Corn were raised. Must be the northern part around the Owensboro area? Ken Sweet

 

[bglz42]

SSHHH! You guys... my 5045D with 512 loader doesn't know it's supposed to be inadequate... if it hears you, it might lay down...:laughing:

Just kidding... but mine works like a CHAMP!

Jim in Texas

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

A tractor with 2 wd and a front end loader will TEACH you correct loader operation. So many people buy a small tractor with 4wd and abuse it. They think that they are little dozers, and for a brief time they can be. But usually the loaders or tractors find a weak point and break. Or they get killed by doing something stupid with them.

A 2 wd tractor and front end loader will make you smarter...At least when it comes to tractor operation and safety.

Most people push and dig with the front end of the ground anyway. If you water down your backend,and further counterweight it, lock your differential, you'll never have a problem. Only one wheel pulls at a time on the front anyway, and its the one with the least amount of traction.

 

[TripleR]

A tractor with 2 wd and a front end loader will TEACH you correct loader operation. So many people buy a small tractor with 4wd and abuse it. They think that they are little dozers, and for a brief time they can be. But usually the loaders or tractors find a weak point and break. Or they get killed by doing something stupid with them.

A 2 wd tractor and front end loader will make you smarter...At least when it comes to tractor operation and safety.

Most people push and dig with the front end of the ground anyway. If you water down your backend,and further counterweight it, lock your differential, you'll never have a problem. Only one wheel pulls at a time on the front anyway, and its the one with the least amount of traction.

Both front wheels pull on my M8540.

 

[rjkobbeman]

A tractor with 2 wd and a front end loader will TEACH you correct loader operation. So many people buy a small tractor with 4wd and abuse it. They think that they are little dozers, and for a brief time they can be. But usually the loaders or tractors find a weak point and break. Or they get killed by doing something stupid with them.

A 2 wd tractor and front end loader will make you smarter...At least when it comes to tractor operation and safety.

Most people push and dig with the front end of the ground anyway. If you water down your backend,and further counterweight it, lock your differential, you'll never have a problem. Only one wheel pulls at a time on the front anyway, and its the one with the least amount of traction.

The way you say this... you seem to be giving the impression that a 2wd is just as capable as a 4wd.

I'm not dissin 2wd... and I would not forgo a FEL just because I only had a 2wd tractor... but 4wd is A LOT more capable than a 2wd.

And to say that only one wheel pulls at a time in the front isn't quite telling the whole story (even without limited slip). Everything else being equal, when you are slipping in the front... you still are assiting a "little" which is more than "none" as in a 2wd. The front in a 2wd situation is dead weight and resistance/drag. Even in a slipping front situation in 4wd, the front is not a "drag" on the tractor. Even the wheel that is not slipping is still getting "some" power... and is helping. Unless one of the front wheels is off of the ground (not touching the ground), you are getting some help.

4wd tractors can lock their rear diff also... so it isn't like the 2wd has some advantage.

 

[sweettractors]

I have seen a lot of CUT's with rear tires that cant compete with ag tires on a 2 WD. Lots of the 4 WD don't have fluid and calcium in the rears and usually no rear wheel weights.
A Jeep is a awesome machine and with all the 4WD that goes with it. My co-worker bought one new and kept bragging about what his Jeep could pull. I brought a 20 ft log chain from home 1 day and challenged him to a pull off in the parking lot with my 2 wheel drive C10 Chevy truck. I did have 500 lbs of weight setting over my rear axle. We had quite the crowd assembled and It was quite embarrassing, I pulled him 75 ft backwards and the little Jeep was digging on all fours and bouncing left and right. Ken Sweet

 

[rjkobbeman]

I have seen a lot of CUT's with rear tires that cant compete with ag tires on a 2 WD. Lots of the 4 WD don't have fluid and calcium in the rears and usually no rear wheel weights.
A Jeep is a awesome machine and with all the 4WD that goes with it. My co-worker bought one new and kept bragging about what his Jeep could pull. I brought a 20 ft log chain from home 1 day and challenged him to a pull off in the parking lot with my 2 wheel drive C10 Chevy truck. I did have 500 lbs of weight setting over my rear axle. We had quite the crowd assembled and It was quite embarrassing, I pulled him 75 ft backwards and the little Jeep was digging on all fours and bouncing left and right. Ken Sweet

Seems like you are comparing apples to oranges.

Take two identical tractors: one 2wd and one 4wd. Then start the comparison.

The 2wd drive machine has filled ags? Well then, put filled ags on the 4wd... then start the comparison.

I'm sure your C10 would have lost against a K10 (everything else being equal)... with 500 lbs of weight sitting over its rear axle.

 

[sweettractors]

Seems like you are comparing apples to oranges.

No, it was fair, he had 4 wheel drive and I was handicapped with only had 2 wheel drive. To made it even, I would have needed 4 WD and he could have added however much weight he wanted. Ken Sweet