2wd Always?

[daTeacha]

Ahh the world just ain't round!

I believe the true shape is what the geometricians (??) call an oblate spheroid -- the northern hemisphere is a little dented in, kind of like a pear.


Coming back to the more recent trends in the thread, most any machine will break somewhere when used up to or beyond it's design limits on a regular basis. I would say repeatedly slamming a heavily loaded shuttle shift tractor between forward and reverse is beyond what the designers and engineers intended as normal use. On the other hand, I'm sure rental units get more rough use than that, as does commercial/industrial equipment. Maybe that's why some manufacturers have a different line of equipment for industrial use. If you know you use machinery hard, buy the stuff designed for that kind of use, or plan on more frequent repairs than most of us.

Personally, I tend to underuse the machinery I have most of the time and occasionally push it hard when there is no alternative.

 

[RobJ]

Thanks for the recap Rob. I'm still sort of huh on the whole 4wd thing. I understand on the smaller BX types you need it because the machine is so light. But as you start getting, like yours, George's, the system..IMO, should be able to handle more than some weekend abuse. Someone might actually buy an L4400 and want to work it all day every day during the season. But in reality, I guess those types of ag tractors start in the 90-100hp range. 10,000-12,000# tractors pulling 6-8 or more row implements. Pulling a small disk, moving around some hay bales isn't a real hard workout....IMO.

 

[patrick_g]

Pulling a small disk, moving around some hay bales isn't a real hard workout....IMO.

I can't reliably deliver hay to my stock in many instances without 4wd.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
da Teacha... Hey Rich, it isn't only the north pole that is a little flattened. Centrifugal force was (and is) also in effect down under.

Pat

 

[Egon]

Oblate???

I was thinking of the water mountains in the Atlantic!

 

[RobJ]

I can't reliably deliver hay to my stock in many instances without 4wd.

I can agree with that. But my comment was it isn't a hard load or workout on the tractor (unless you have overloaded the tractor with to big of a bale).

But remember when moving hay, half of the time the tractor is only carrying its own weight.

 

[Texashayman]

Wow ten pages..sorry i have been gone so long..as i actually do farm for a living and spend twelve + hours a day in my cabs...lets see where this gos!

 

[greggh]

I just want to say for the record that I agree with everyone. I sure wouldn't want to have any controversy on the subject. I leave mine in 2WD or 4WD at all times. It sure is a long thread, It's taken a long time to get through it all. But interesting reading all the same.

 

[N80]

I can't reliably deliver hay to my stock in many instances without 4wd.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
da Teacha... Hey Rich, it isn't only the north pole that is a little flattened. Centrifugal force was (and is) also in effect down under.

Pat

My B-I-L farms 300 head of cattle and does his own haying operation. All 2wd machines, all old, newest machine pushing 30. It is on rolling hills, nothing super steep and he does it year round.

However, last year he jack knifed his JD (2240?) while pulling 2 hay wagons on a wet hillside. This is the machine:

Scared him to death. The first wagon slid hard into the tractor and bashed the fender in but no other damage. And fortunately it did not roll, which at the time he was fully expecting it to do.

He told me that if he ever buys a new tractor it will be 4wd, mostly for that reason and many minor instances similar to that one. Now, he will never buy another tractor.....he is the king of farm with junk (sorry FWJ but that beautifully restored Massey of yours takes you right out of the running).

Pat, the point of this rambling is that I totally see where you are coming from. It doesn't have to be a cliff or a mud pit to be dangerous. Wet grass on a gentle hill can be a nightmare.

 

[N80]

But as you start getting, like yours, George's, the system..IMO, should be able to handle more than some weekend abuse. Someone might actually buy an L4400 and want to work it all day every day during the season.

Definetly. My point earlier is just that most of us don't. In the busy new housing market around here there are landscape and nursery guys who use their L series tractors every day. And I suspect that there are guys like that who use them in 4wd all day everyday too.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I know you're not picking on me and I'll tell you what I think.
Most of the smaller 4wd tractors we have use a reduction gearing for the front drives, like you say for more ground clearance. They do it through a combination of small bevel or miter gears driving (in my case) fairly large and heavy front tires. IMHO, this is an inherently weak configuration. The larger Ag and industrial tractors use a direct drive with a "U" joint to the wheel for the front drive which is much stronger. It can be made much beefier and has less parts to break.

It gets even better... on my JD, and many utility and larger MFWD machines, there is in fact a planetary gear reduction system for each of the front hubs. So the driveshaft is turning several times faster, and therefore carrying a fraction of the torque, compared to a direct drive system like you describe.

Both Kubota and JD have good engineers so I assume that each system has its pros and cons. As far as I can tell the bevel gear system gives tighter turning and potentially lower maintenance, while the u-joint and reduction drive system seems to be stronger for heavy tillage or other hard-wear tasks.