2wd Always?

[SPYDERLK]

Whatever; my toy tractor stays in four wheel drive both in the paved driveway at home or out at the play farm. Both are steep enough so that it is required to enable me to drive up the driveway or the hills.

Others will have different situations!

Yeah my toy tractor hardly notices it either. But still, in 4wd on a gently uphill, flat, or downhill turn, where it becomes evident Im not quite gonna make it, a quick flip of the lever and the front end slews over as the fronts freewheel and I make the turn with room to spare.
larry

 

[NewToy]

Biggest reason is safety. With 4wd, you also get 4 wheel brakes. On my tractor, it has to be just so (all tension off the gears, etc) to get the thing in and out of 4wd. If I left it in 2wd, I can see myself getting into a ticklish situation needing 4wd and not being able to get the lever to go.ve mine in 4wd unless I go all the way down my driveway. Half way? It stays in 4wd.

Ralph

Sounds like your gravl drive is somewhat steep as is mine. On around the third day I had my tractor I was going down with a pretty good load of stone on my trailer in 2WD and I started breaking loose in 3rd gear hi. I was able to accelerate and "get the wheels back under me" but it was quite hairy, going a bit faster than I wanted to. After that I never go down unless in 4WD and the extra traction/braking is amazing. It feels like there is actually another set of discs on the front. I was like "Piloon" thinking there are only rear brakes but that 4WD is a pleasant surprise.

John

 

[N80]

Normally, fronts are overdriven slightly, gently sratching along trying to stretch the tractor.

I have been told, or I read it in the shop manual, that the fronts on the L4400 are slightly overdriven.

 

[D7E]

Run 2wd unless the situation dictates 4wd...

Pretty much sums it up for all sizes.....Why extra wear and tear..???
Seen some good examples on loader tractors today on auction sold with prop-shafts removed and running as 2wd with stripped crown wheels..?
Spent their life in 4wd..??

 

[wolc123]

In general, it is best to use 4wd whenever you are off the pavement, especially on soft or tilled soil. The reason for this is because energy is wasted pushing the dead axle, and that costs money for fuel. For tillage work, a 4wd may require around 25% less fuel to do the same work. Most CUT users cant grasp this concept because they are much more familiar with on-road automobile operation, where 4wd almost always uses more fuel. The pavement can not absorb energy like the soft ground can.

 

[ray66v]

I run 2wd, unless I need 4wd.

I have seen the front tires wear out on my fathers tractor, because of being in 4wd all the time.

 

[D7E]

In general, it is best to use 4wd whenever you are off the pavement, especially on soft or tilled soil. The reason for this is because energy is wasted pushing the dead axle, and that costs money for fuel. For tillage work, a 4wd may require around 25% less fuel to do the same work. Most CUT users cant grasp this concept because they are much more familiar with on-road automobile operation, where 4wd almost always uses more fuel. The pavement can not absorb energy like the soft ground can.

This is questionable as the fwd takes power to propell so if on hard dirt or not laden down is unneccessary .For example i have a 40KPH tractor which if left in 4wd on highway will noticably take more power ,Flick the switch and the rpm's will decrease by 1-200 ...?
Why do modern ag tractors have an automatic function where when you lift the 3pt the fwd kicks out automatically ....To save wear and tear and make turning easier...?

 

[SCDolphin]

I try everything in 2wd first. If I have a traction problem then I switch to 4wd. I do less turf damage in 4wd unless I try a tight turn then when the 4wd is engaged: it seems to cut the grass more. The R4 tires don't have any traction on wet grass or clay as compared to the coventional ag pattern

 

[N80]

Seen some good examples on loader tractors today on auction sold with prop-shafts removed and running as 2wd with stripped crown wheels..?
Spent their life in 4wd..??

That's speculation. I've seen all sorts of things damaged on used tractors. I'd suspect abuse or poor quality before I'd suspect that it was due to a 4wd tractor spending its life in 4wd. I'm not sure why folks can't understand that a 4wd tractor is made to spend its life in 4wd!

I'm personally glad that I don't waste any time wondering if or when I need to be in 4wd and the only time I do waste on the issue.....is here.

 

[N80]

Why do modern ag tractors have an automatic function where when you lift the 3pt the fwd kicks out automatically ....To save wear and tear and make turning easier...?

That sounds like speculation too and I'm sure the answer is system specific. Large ag tractors often have little in common with small utility and CUTs. And I wouldn't own a tractor that did that (unless there was a full time override) since that sort of behavior could get you killed on a wet muddy hill.

As far as fuel savings, some owner's manuals say specifically that 4wd is more efficient, though mine does not. An example has already been given above.

I do think people confuse modern CUT 4wd systems with the older automotive systems they are used to.