Mowing Use Low Gear on hills!!

[k0ua]

Yes, true, BUT, if you are in 4wd and hit the brakes you have a friction patch of the front tires out there to help slow down the tractor because they are now hooked to the rear axle which has actual brakes on it. In my case, when I was loaded and going down the hill in 2wd in second gear with a low throttle setting, the rear tires broke lose from the road, due to compression braking from the engine. In other words, the engine was going slower than the tractor wanted to go down this steep hill with this heavy load. Of course with a heavy load that means the rears are "light" with only a rear blade on like I had that day, BUT the fronts are freewheeling because they are not hooked to the rears mechanically. Applying brake in my case would be totally useless, because the engine had already applied more brake than I needed. In your case if you were in 4wd and then accidently bumped the transmission into neutral you would apply the brakes to slow down the tractor, and the tractor would stop better because it is in 4wd and has more "rubber on the road" than if you are in 2wd. The difference in my "runaway" and your "runaway" is you never broke traction with the road surface, and I did just that due to engine braking.

James K0UA

 

[urbandeere2520]

Wow, let me re-state your post....going downhill in neutral

Assumption - transmission is in the neutral position:

So if I'm in 2WD, and brake, then the brakes are only applied to the rear wheels.

If I'm in 4WD, the brakes are applied to all 4 wheels...

Correct?

 

[k0ua]

Wow, let me re-state your post....going downhill in neutral

Assumption - transmission is in the neutral position:

So if I'm in 2WD, and brake, then the brakes are only applied to the rear wheels.

If I'm in 4WD, the brakes are applied to all 4 wheels...

Correct?

Yes, in a manner of speaking, There are no actual brakes on the front wheels , but there is a mechanical connection of front axle to rear axle, and when you slow down the rear axle with applying brakes, then the front axle slows down and the tires apply friction to the road. therefore more contact patch on the road, and less likely to slide rear tires on the road surface for loss of control.

In my actual situation where I lost friction with the back tires due to engine compression braking, I had been using 4wd on all the loads before that fatefull one, with no problems, and I used 4wd for all the rest of the exact same loads with no problems. The only time I lost friction with the road was when I forgot to put the tractor back into 4wd after the turning out onto the road and after straighting back up.

James K0UA

 

[urbandeere2520]

So even though the tractor is in neutral.. no brakes on the front wheels, by braking the rear wheels in 4WD the front wheels also provide braking action because they are mechanically connected to the rear wheels.... correct?

 

[k0ua]

So even though the tractor is in neutral.. no brakes on the front wheels, by braking the rear wheels in 4WD the front wheels also provide braking action because they are mechanically connected to the rear wheels.... correct?

yep

James K0UA

 

[whistlepig]

I have mowed steep hills all my life with two wheel drive tractors. I bought my first 4WD tractor 5 years ago. I would never mow a dangerous hill in 4WD.

 

[alabama roughneck]

Once when I was about 8-10 yr old, first time on the tractor by myself bush hog down a hill, hit the brakes to slow down, so I thought. I had actually pressed the clutch on Pap's Ford 4000. At the bottom of the hill I cut.the wheels hard as I could so I wouldnt run into the trees. What a scary ride for a young fellow. From then on I had no trouble remembering which was clutch and brake. BTW weve never owned 4x4 and didnt know whata ROPs was till i was about 20. Moral of this story? Make sure your kids are familiar with controls before turning them loose on the tractor

 

[electrarc]

I have mowed steep hills all my life with two wheel drive tractors. I bought my first 4WD tractor 5 years ago. I would never mow a dangerous hill in 4WD.

OK. I have to ask why?

Cheers

 

[MarkV]

OK. I have to ask why?

Cheers

I was going to ask the same thing.

MarkV

 

[cantbeatadeere]

is it a riddle of sorts????