Front End Loader on a 2WD Tractor?

[jlsmith]

Don't get too mad at me... for a while we were posting back-and-forth without seeing our latest comments.

I noticed we have been responding to older comments!

Not mad actuly enjoying the conversations between us and yea i noticed that to. :thumbsup:

 

[rjkobbeman]

Not mad actuly enjoying the conversations between us and yea i noticed that to. :thumbsup:

I noticed it got really quiet in this thread -- except for us. The topic stray must have bored everyone else!

 

[Duffster]

Well, it must either be different tires or different toe/camber/caster. Limited slip front diffs offer some resitance in turning... so that might contribute... but I wouldn't think it does much. Tires probably make the biggest difference. I have seen OLD 2wd tractors with the classic old front tires... but do the modern 2wd have those?

I feel bad for the OP. We have gotten WAY off topic.

I would get a FEL no matter what.

Older as in the classic 3 rib?

Our new tractors have 4 rib that are even better than the 3 rib. A diamond tread would be ideal for loader work in the hay field.

 

[jlsmith]

I noticed it got really quiet in this thread -- except for us. The topic stray must have bored everyone else!

I guess so but i enjoyed it. Beats sitting here at work lol. It is nice to get on here and have conversations like this and not get mad at each other. It just boils down to what a person prefers.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Unless you are old enough and followed the industry trends carefully, many people may misunderstand WHY 4wd became popular, even though its been around for years. It first became popular through the import market, though companies like Oliver had it much earlier. The imports had great little tractors, but when it came to farm duties, they did not have much weight, and even in many cases had poor weight distribution. When 4 wd became popular, it improved the usability of the tractors and their applications. Still today, many of the "import" tractors do not have the same weight as more traditional "farm" tractor brands. Now of course 4wd is everywhere, and people think its indispensable. I like 4wd. I am not against it, and of course, I will still point to weight distribution issues. The problem with 4wd loaders is that people come to depend upon the front to haul the working load. The very people that cite safety are likely to try to back an overloaded bucket out of a hole with all the weight on the front and the rear tires in the air. The little 4wd tractors are especially prone to broken axles and leaky front components, and other issues relating to balljoints and axle mounts because of this. Larger ones are not as prone, but I have seen many a half shaft snapped in two because of poor loader operator skills. (Not to mention raising the tractor off the ground when digging, then slamming the spinning front tires down into the dirt to "bite" in.)

ONE critical issue involved with front end loaders on tractors is turning radius. 2wd tractors typically (unless it is some super steer or something, even then tracking can be off) turn tighter and are more maneuverable than your average 4wd. This makes them great in close quarters. Turning on hills is not an issue in many regions of this country.

My point was that a 2wd loader is better than NO loader at all, and in many cases can perform as good as a 4wd, depending upon the circumstance.

 

[jlsmith]

Unless you are old enough and followed the industry trends carefully, many people may misunderstand WHY 4wd became popular, even though its been around for years. It first became popular through the import market, though companies like Oliver had it much earlier. The imports had great little tractors, but when it came to farm duties, they did not have much weight, and even in many cases had poor weight distribution. When 4 wd became popular, it improved the usability of the tractors and their applications. Still today, many of the "import" tractors do not have the same weight as more traditional "farm" tractor brands. Now of course 4wd is everywhere, and people think its indispensable. I like 4wd. I am not against it, and of course, I will still point to weight distribution issues. The problem with 4wd loaders is that people come to depend upon the front to haul the working load. The very people that cite safety are likely to try to back an overloaded bucket out of a hole with all the weight on the front and the rear tires in the air. The little 4wd tractors are especially prone to broken axles and leaky front components, and other issues relating to balljoints and axle mounts because of this. Larger ones are not as prone, but I have seen many a half shaft snapped in two because of poor loader operator skills. (Not to mention raising the tractor off the ground when digging, then slamming the spinning front tires down into the dirt to "bite" in.)

ONE critical issue involved with front end loaders on tractors is turning radius. 2wd tractors typically (unless it is some super steer or something, even then tracking can be off) turn tighter and are more maneuverable than your average 4wd. This makes them great in close quarters. Turning on hills is not an issue in many regions of this country.

My point was that a 2wd loader is better than NO loader at all, and in many cases can perform as good as a 4wd, depending upon the circumstance.

Mark I think u said it verry well and i agree 100%:thumbsup:

 

[sweettractors]

+1 for Mark. Ken Sweet

 

[TripleR]

How can you?? As soon as you pick up a load in an FEL your weight distribution changes greatly. That's why 2wd tractors don't stop going down hills with a load nor are able to back up any incline with a load in the bucket.

Actually, I was talking about the pickup v Jeep; should have made myself clear.

 

[TripleR]

Most of the farm tractors here, with FEL only move round bales of hay, We hardley ever sell a bucket with a loader anymore. Don't need the extra traction for feeding cows rolled hay here. I have a new 6 ft Allied QT bucket that has not been on in 15 years. Ken Sweet

We don't have very many cattle operations in my area and those that are are in the hills, so maybe that influences what they buy. The only 2WD drive tractors I see are out in the flat lands.

These are the type I see for the most part.

 

[sweettractors]

We don't have very many cattle operations in my area and those that are are in the hills, so maybe that influences what they buy. The only 2WD drive tractors I see are out in the flat lands.

These are the type I see for the most part.

I see the big disc harrow in your picture. In this area a 12 ft disc is big. Ken Sweet

 

[TripleR]

I see the big disc harrow in your picture. In this area a 12 ft disc is big. Ken Sweet

Just a few miles south of me, they use the 9030 Series with the really big implements. Kind of makes the 8000 Series look small.

 

[MBDiagMan]

WOW! What a great thread!

Before I go further in what will be a lengthy post, I want to offer strong complements for this being a thread full of debate, but it was completely civil. I have been on discussion forums of all types for the last ten years and I've seen fights break out that literally came to a point of wanting to meet somewhere and slug it out. This says alot for the members of the forum. The savvy and experience of the members of this forum is equally impressive.

Someone along the way said they felt sorry for the OP due to the topic straying. I just now picked up what I hadn't already read and read it all the way to the end. I don't see that it went off topic at all. Although the original subject applied to an FEL, the subject had everything to do with 2WD vs. 4WD.

Now, let me explain more about my own situation. The last time I bought a tractor other than lawn mowers was 23 years ago. At the time I had a Farmall 560(I think that was the model, my memory is going away with age) and then bought a Ford 3000. I stopped doing my own haying about five years later and sold the Farmall. I have used, or more correctly used up, the Ford 3000. I overhauled it once about 12 years ago and have gotten a lot of service out of it since then.

In this time I have been oblivious to the changes in tractor selection. I noticed lots of 4WD as more and more people began considering an FEL as part of a tractor as opposed to an option for a tractor. As it turns out the compact tractors began being very common and my old fashioned way of thinking of tractors based on horsepower rating threw me a curve ball. Little did I know that these small tractors were so light that this was a driving force in the necessity for 4WD on the small ones.

I figured that a 40 or so horse tractor would be what I needed to replace my 40 or so horse tractor. When I started looking I found 40 or so horse tractors that weighed less than a Volkswagen. If you're going to put an FEL on a Volkswagen, yeah, I think 4WD would be mandatory. So, that's what led to my starting this thread.

Me being an old geezer, I was shocked at all the doo dads and rigging on these small, expen$ive tractors. They've got more rigging than a two loop calf roping horse, and more gadgets than a new Mercedes Benz. In my old fashioned mind, a tractor is supposed to have a clutch pedal and a throttle lever near the steering wheel.

SOoo.... my solution was to buy a new version of the old tractors I'm familiar with. I bought a JD 5045D with an FEL. To begin with it's much heavier than the Volkswagens and it is simple, with a gear selector, a clutch pedal and as an improvement that I can really make use of, a gas pedal which will be good for inching around with an FEL.

I live on relatively level land and will be using the FEL for moving gravel and timber around. I plan on retiring in about 5 or 6 years at which time I will take back my pastures and meadow from the renter and start messing with cattle again. When I do, THEN I will be using the FEL for feeding.

I learned a LOT from this thread and it made me think of things that I hadn't thought much about. I thank everyone for the information as well as the entertainment.

TBN is an IMPRESSIVE community.

 

[wedge40]

The op was asking about the usefullness of FEL on a 2WD tractor. I dont own 4WD but common sense tells me that it would be better then 2WD for most things. But is a FEL useless on a 2WD tractor? Certainly not. FEL work may take a little more finesse with a 2WD, but it will get the job done none the same.
I like my 2wd and the need to use finesse instead of brute force. It makes me think about what I'm about to do and hopefully because of this it keeps me a little safter. For me, it seems like when ever I decide use brute force something breaks, and every now and then that something is ME.

Wedge

 

[RollingsFarms]

WOW! What a great thread!

Before I go further in what will be a lengthy post, I want to offer strong complements for this being a thread full of debate, but it was completely civil. I have been on discussion forums of all types for the last ten years and I've seen fights break out that literally came to a point of wanting to meet somewhere and slug it out. This says alot for the members of the forum. The savvy and experience of the members of this forum is equally impressive.

Someone along the way said they felt sorry for the OP due to the topic straying. I just now picked up what I hadn't already read and read it all the way to the end. I don't see that it went off topic at all. Although the original subject applied to an FEL, the subject had everything to do with 2WD vs. 4WD.

Now, let me explain more about my own situation. The last time I bought a tractor other than lawn mowers was 23 years ago. At the time I had a Farmall 560(I think that was the model, my memory is going away with age) and then bought a Ford 3000. I stopped doing my own haying about five years later and sold the Farmall. I have used, or more correctly used up, the Ford 3000. I overhauled it once about 12 years ago and have gotten a lot of service out of it since then.

In this time I have been oblivious to the changes in tractor selection. I noticed lots of 4WD as more and more people began considering an FEL as part of a tractor as opposed to an option for a tractor. As it turns out the compact tractors began being very common and my old fashioned way of thinking of tractors based on horsepower rating threw me a curve ball. Little did I know that these small tractors were so light that this was a driving force in the necessity for 4WD on the small ones.

I figured that a 40 or so horse tractor would be what I needed to replace my 40 or so horse tractor. When I started looking I found 40 or so horse tractors that weighed less than a Volkswagen. If you're going to put an FEL on a Volkswagen, yeah, I think 4WD would be mandatory. So, that's what led to my starting this thread.

Me being an old geezer, I was shocked at all the doo dads and rigging on these small, expen$ive tractors. They've got more rigging than a two loop calf roping horse, and more gadgets than a new Mercedes Benz. In my old fashioned mind, a tractor is supposed to have a clutch pedal and a throttle lever near the steering wheel.

SOoo.... my solution was to buy a new version of the old tractors I'm familiar with. I bought a JD 5045D with an FEL. To begin with it's much heavier than the Volkswagens and it is simple, with a gear selector, a clutch pedal and as an improvement that I can really make use of, a gas pedal which will be good for inching around with an FEL.

I live on relatively level land and will be using the FEL for moving gravel and timber around. I plan on retiring in about 5 or 6 years at which time I will take back my pastures and meadow from the renter and start messing with cattle again. When I do, THEN I will be using the FEL for feeding.

I learned a LOT from this thread and it made me think of things that I hadn't thought much about. I thank everyone for the information as well as the entertainment.

TBN is an IMPRESSIVE community.

we'd love to see some pics when you bring it home! i have a tractor VERY similar to yours(mine would be the current 5055E model). it's been a good tractor, I can't really complain. main reason i went with 4wd over 2wd was at the time my dealer would give me 0% on the 4wd, plus he took more off the price on the 4wd then he would on a comparable 2wd. didn't have to twist my arm too much to get me to bite, plus i've never owned a tractor with 4wd before so i figured what the heck. could i get by without it? ofcourse, i got by for years just fine with 2wd(just needed a good bit more hp). i'm glad i have it though, and i've certainly used it.

 

[TripleR]

WOW! What a great thread!

SOoo.... my solution was to buy a new version of the old tractors I'm familiar with. I bought a JD 5045D with an FEL. To begin with it's much heavier than the Volkswagens and it is simple, with a gear selector, a clutch pedal and as an improvement that I can really make use of, a gas pedal which will be good for inching around with an FEL.

I live on relatively level land and will be using the FEL for moving gravel and timber around. I plan on retiring in about 5 or 6 years at which time I will take back my pastures and meadow from the renter and start messing with cattle again. When I do, THEN I will be using the FEL for feeding.

I learned a LOT from this thread and it made me think of things that I hadn't thought much about. I thank everyone for the information as well as the entertainment.

TBN is an IMPRESSIVE community.

There is a lot to be said about a good basic tractor. In spite of what I now use, I still miss my old Ford 841 and see a tractor on Craigslist about every day that I would like to have.

As has been mentioned, needs differ and it appears you have bought one that suits yours, congratulations and be sure to post some pictures when you get it. Be sure to post it on general forums in addition to the JD as I don't go there much; rough bunch there.:laughing:

Oh, and you are going to love retirement; wish I had done it sooner.:thumbsup:

 

[MBDiagMan]

Yes, I hope to get some pictures next weekend for posting. I expect to have the tractor home early next week. I'm now working on the crib for the new baby. I am cleaning out part of my old shop. It has low 7' doors. I know the ROPS folds down low, but I'm not sure if the exhaust stack will clear. I would like to keep it indoors if at all possible.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[dangerdoc]

I am getting mixed feedback regarding the usefulness of an FEL on a 2WD tractor.

The tractor will probably be a 4005 JD or M5100 Kubota 2WD. I will be using the loader for moving gravel, brush and timber with very little actual loading of material onto a truck.

Thanks for sharing any experience that you may have regarding this issue.

Doc

I think you have received a lot of good advice. Yes a loader will work just fine on a 2WD, a 4WD definitely gives you better traction and I wouldn't want to give that up after switching a few years ago. But the biggest thing I appreciate is the larger front wheels on a 4WD tractor. If you are bush hogging a rough field, those larger tires sure take a lot of rattle out of your bones. I cruse over holes that used to really shake me on the old tractor, I really wish I could get my dogs to stop digging.