2wd Always?

[RobJ]

You need a better crew chief.

Well ya know the ags took it to that 11.2mph. The turfs were 9.5 mph. Maybe bigger injectors (haha), a turbo, an aero nosecone I can get it up to 13-14. Ahhh still can't outrun anything!!

 

[N80]

Ahhh still can't outrun anything!!

Always blaming it on the machine! You're starting to sound like Junior.

 

[Ken Cunningham]

When i got my tractor the dealer said something allong the line of "keep it in 2wd". That lasted for about 10 seconds as i tried to scoop up my first load of dirt in my yard. Its been in 4wd ever since, except for 2 trips up the road.

 

[Mech]

My counter says 6.

Oh, by the way... I am in agreement about staying in 4x4 unless having a reason to switch out rather than staying in 2wd until needing 4wd. My comment that caught your attention was intended to say the radius when not doing anything but going in circles was not the most important. For all I know different tractors may open up or close down their turn radius in the drive in circles with no load test, I really don't know and except for idle curiosity I don't think it is an important issue.

I find that in reduced traction situations my tractor always turns better with less front wheel plowing when in 4x4 and ditto with a load on back like a box blade or disk or...

Pat

I have a 790, very old design and do a lot of grading of narrow dirt roads. I can turn the tractor pretty much in place with differential braking if in 2WD. Significantly harder in 4WD. So even if I'm in 4WD when I start a turn I usually pop it into 2WD so that I can make a tight turn on a one lane dirt road. Because of this I usually don't go into 4WD unless I need the traction. However whether using the FEL, snow plow or the box blade I usually need the traction.

 

[highplanesdrifter]

Hi

These forums are great! We take possession of the 400 acre farm on Wednesday, April 30, and I get to own my first tractor (TN75DA) the same day because we bought it with the farm. I've been reading these forums like crazy, because the knowledge, particularly safety knowledge, is extraordinary!

Back on Page Three, there was this little exchange that died out:

Poster 1:

Here are some more notes...in JD manuals

Caution: Front-wheel drive greatly increases traction. Extra caution is needed on slopes. Compared to 2-wheel drive, a front wheel drive tractor maintains traction on steeper slopes, increasing the possibility of a tip over.

Poster 2 Responded:

The quote from the JD manual about extra traction increasing your risk of roll over is simply bizarre. I'm not saying that there is no situation where that is not true, I'm just saying that compared to 4wd there are many more opportunities to wreck a tractor on a slope in 2wd.


I think I get it; our new farm-to-be is very hilly, with fabulous views resulting from dramatic 200 foot elevation changes, a lot of them horse pasture (we also bought his two Belgians). The seller demo'ed his NH beast for me a few weeks ago, on the flat driveway.

But he warned: " Be careful of the 4WD. It can easily get you into places you'd rather not be."

I think that's where JD was coming from. It's to limit their liability, not to teach you anything about best operating practices vis a vis 4WD vs. 2WD. They don't want you 4 wheeling up to the top of some nasty slope with a heavy bush hog on the 3pt, when 2WD wouldn't get you there, only to realize that you don't really wanna make a dicey side-slope turn because there's no flat bit up there before the fence line, and backing down with the load on the back seems like the worst (or the best) of the two pucker choices (OK three ... you could just sell it as is, where is on e-Bay).

Anyway, there is so little B.S. and horse-play on these forums, and so much wisdom, that I'll be reading dozens of them regularly over the coming months and years!

Zero seat time, but learning as fast as I can!

John

 

[SLOBuds]

These forums are great! We take possession of the 400 acre farm on Wednesday, April 30, and I get to own my first tractor (TN75DA) the same day because we bought it with the farm. I've been reading these forums like crazy, because the knowledge, particularly safety knowledge, is extraordinary!

Go slow John.

One of the terrific and terrifying things about living in America is that our society allows us so many different ways to injure or kill ourselves. And we are free to do so!

When my wife and I bought our small farm 5 years ago we were 100% city slicker country know-nothings. (Now we're 85% CSCKNs.) I look back with genuine amusement/amazement at all of the dumb things we've done. It's pretty neat to realize that a 7 year old can walk into Home Depot, buy a 21" chainsaw, and head out to the forest to cut down big trees. A 57 year old can do the same thing - getting close to chopping off legs, or toes, or fingers along the way. That same 57 year old can walk into a rental yard and rent a 40hp John Deer for the weekend. To clear brush on his parcel. With zero previous seat time on any tractor at all. "No problem!" says the rental yard. "Just sign here ...". "Will that be Mastercard or Visa or cash?"

The safety advice on TBN is excellent. Good reading. And my neighbors also gave me plenty of tips. It's a good idea to read and read and read.

And go slow while driving in 4wd.

Good luck in your new adventure. Looking forward to your questions and experiences.

 

[3RRL]

Well, I've been reading this thread all along and decided to pitch in my comments. I too leave it 4wd all the time except on pavement and flat parts of my dirt road. I need it everywhere else on my property. Plus, I've already rebuilt the front drive gears once, so it's good for another period, but that's a different story, of course.

I like the added safety feature of have the driveline connected when braking to avoid skidding down those slippery slopes I have. I like not having to shift into 4wd all the time when I need it, which is of course, all the time. I'm not too concerned about tighter or larger turning radius because I too use my turning brakes a lot. I have found like Pat said, when pulling a heavy loaded boxblade, the tractor responds to turning better than in 2wd. I also noticed a big difference in traction while pulling upgrade, slipping in 2wd but pulling easily in 4wd. Traction, safety and getting the job done is what it's all about in my world, so that's my story.

Having said that, I envy the guys that can manage their terrain in 2wd. My post is not intended to sway the reader in one way of the other, as I believe most of us use discretion when operating and know when they need to be in 4wd. Yes, I had it in 2wd when I first got it, but soon found I really needed 4wd. I'm so glad I bought one with that feature.
BTW, I have a 250cc Arctic Cat ATV with dedicated 4wd. There is no 2wd option on it.

 

[D7E]

Of course! That's my whole point. Everything is different! Size, weight, usage patterns, 4wd systems, HST's, all that. How many of these big Ag machines you're talking about have bevel gear front drive systems? I doubt such a system is applicable to big heavy machines.

The whole time ive viewed these forums i've preeched that an older ag tractor is a better buy ...?
And had the arguement that kubotas and such are just as good..OK...So if they are as good ..Should the rules be different....(Horses for courses...Which last the longest)..Regardless of the work load (which is heavier for farm tractors) ..What hours do we expect from our tractors...?
Personally i don't expect to see re-occuring problems for at least 5000hrs and as previously posted i have tractors which are running in the 10-15000hr bracket which have had no more than 1 clutch and 1 set of injectors.
But MF are a good example...The early -late 90's MF 300/3000's were fantastic tractors but suffered with front axle problems ..(All wheel breaking)...When you hit the breaks the fwd engages automatically,And when braking and turning you feel the crunching and grinding..?And loaders made it worse.
As posted earlier ..Why do ag tractors have a function that kick out the fwd and diff lock when you raise the 3pt.....To minimise wear and tear / Shorten the lock and hopefully achieve that 10'000hr benchmark that some brands have set...(Ford,JD,IH MF)Regardless of brand (with exception) it is possible...............................WHY SHOULD THE RULES BE DIFFERENT....?
Is an acreage tractor not capable of these hours.?..I don't see why ..????????

 

[Bedlam]

Well ya know the ags took it to that 11.2mph. The turfs were 9.5 mph. Maybe bigger injectors (haha), a turbo, an aero nosecone I can get it up to 13-14. Ahhh still can't outrun anything!!

Sounds like you might have do some welding to make a new 3 point hitch drag shoot.LOL

 

[N80]

As posted earlier ..Why do ag tractors have a function that kick out the fwd and diff lock when you raise the 3pt.

Well, first off, do ALL ag tractors have this feature? You make it sound like they do. I have no idea, the only ag tractors I've spent any quality time with are 2wd and at least 30 years old. But, if it is only some ag tractors that have this feature, then I'll shoot the question right back at you: Why would some big ag tractors NOT have this feature? Is the wear and tear going to prematurely kill all of them? Or is it maybe that they are built to handle using 4wd all the time?

Shorten the lock

We've kind of beaten this one to death. As amply documented in this thread the experience with CUTS is that 4wd either minimally increases the turn radius, leave it unaffected and in some cases shorten it. So while that may be an issue on certain designs of large ag tractors that you are experienced with, it seems to have little application to the utility and CU tractors we are discussing.

WHY SHOULD THE RULES BE DIFFERENT

Again, the rules are different because the machines are different. Do you really think a $16k 2500 pound 20hp CUT with HST, cup holders and bevel gear 4wd system that gets used for 4 hours every other weekend is comparable to a $60k 6000 pound 4wd ag tractor that gets used 12 hours a day year round? Apples and oranges.

And once again, my owner's manual includes one reference to taking the tractor out of 4wd, and that's on pavement.....because it "might cause excessive tire wear." The machine is made to be used in 4wd.