4 wheel drive all the time? or just when needed

[CobyRupert]

My 2019 NH WM75 goes into 4WD when you step on the brakes.

But only when stepping on both brakes?

 

[Cougsfan]

4wd, yes/no? Sometimes I get the feeling that the correct answer for one person isn't the correct answer for another.

 

[oosik]

I will not use 4WD on hard, dry surfaces where traction in 2WD proves adequate. Slick, wet, icy or downhill - could be a different story.

Also - know the area where you will be traveling. Into 4WD BEFORE you are in a mess. OR - in my case, just don't go into those areas during the wet season.

I only use my tractor on my 80 acres. After 40+ years - I pretty well know what can/can not be done.

 

[Ortimber]

Leaving your tractor in 4wd only presents an issue when working on hard surfaces such as pavement.

The “winding up” of front driveline components happened to me once, but it was in a pickup that had mismatched gear ratios in the front and rear differentials.

My dad leaves his tractors in 4wd all the time, and has for 45 years. Maybe he gets a little more tire scuff than usual, but that’s about it.

Leave it in 4wd and forget about it.

 

[deereman75]

4wd or not, you should never get going down a steep hill with your only plan being "my tractor has brakes"
Ideally you shouldn't even be using the brakes to descend a hill, that's what your transmission is for

Your bucket should also be ready to use to slow yourself before you get into trouble, not something that you drop in a panic once you're already out of control.

Some words of wisdom I picked up from an old equipment operator, "treat every machine as if it has no brakes"

 

[bearthebruce]

4wd or not, you should never get going down a steep hill with your only plan being "my tractor has brakes"
Ideally you shouldn't even be using the brakes to descend a hill, that's what your transmission is for

Agreed! I wished I done what I always had done in the past - check to be sure I was in 4wd - check that I had control. In a hurry, I got over-confident and I was lucky it ended well.

Your bucket should also be ready to use to slow yourself before you get into trouble, not something that you drop in a panic once you're already out of control.

Again, didn't have the bucket on. I had forks with a machine sitting on a pallet on those forks.. Using that rig to slow down seems to me to be asking for trouble. Didn't see it as an option. Even if I only put down the back edge, I was concerned about it catching something.

Some words of wisdom I picked up from an old equipment operator, "treat every machine as if it has no brakes"

Good words. I hope my lesson is now fully integrated and fully learned. I do not ever want to ride that 400 foot drop over a quarter mile like that again! One thrill ride was enough.

My point of telling the story was to warn the OP there is a time when 4WD is needed. Others chimed that they too had made the error. Those that say using 4WD is bad, well, my guess is they do not operate on hills. Little of our property is flat land. The gravel roads around the property are also hills with some steep inclines. We operate in 4WD more than we do in 2WD because the only place we are on pavement is at the top of the mountain, on the flat, around the house and barn. We choose 2WD on the pavement and to keep from tearing up the lawn.

The shame is all on me for rushing. I know better and still I failed. That my friends is the real lesson I was hoping Newbs like me would hear. Yeah I have over 300 hours in the seat now.. still I consider myself a newb. If I had thousands of hours in the seat, I would hope muscle memory would force me to test before going downhill, just like I was taught by my dad with old cars way back.. "You never start down a mountain without first testing the brakes at slow speed, dammit!" Right dad. Heard you as I was running out of control down that hill. You keep yelling dad! Maybe someday I will listen to ya!

 

[LD1]

4wd or not, you should never get going down a steep hill with your only plan being "my tractor has brakes"
Ideally you shouldn't even be using the brakes to descend a hill, that's what your transmission is for

Your bucket should also be ready to use to slow yourself before you get into trouble, not something that you drop in a panic once you're already out of control.

Some words of wisdom I picked up from an old equipment operator, "treat every machine as if it has no brakes"

Agree that you should treat it as if it has no brakes and use gearing/transmission to go down a hill.

BUT.....if the rear tires dont have traction....that engine braking isnt gonna do any good if you aint in 4wd

 

[BleedingOrange]

Nope, same idea as when to use it in a truck.

 

[Martin Roper]

Wait, wait, let me get this straight. You're in 2WD maneuvering in tight quarters, using the rear brakes, pedal unlocked, one wheel at a time to help the turns -- and it engages 4WD?

No they are not supposed to engage 4 Wheel drive with the pedals used independently but with larger tractors particularly with a loader on I do try not to manoeuvre using the independents unless essential.

 

[Martin Roper]

I don't understand why it's a debate either. The whole point of the discussion is in the name of safely being able to control the tractor on slippery surfaces or going down a hill.

The easy answer is 4wd. So why "some" people that think they are smarter than everyone else wants to argue about something that could potentially save the life of a rookie tractor operator reeding this? It ain't about how you "think" the mechanics of the machine work. It's about what happens in real life situations. Don't try and take away from the importance of 4wd on hills because someone feels like arguing on the internet today.

You may be a "super star member" but if you instruct a "rookie" to use 4 wheel drive all the time on a machine that is not designed for it they may find that it isn't there when they really need it. Every machine is different and needs to be operated accordingly so it is about how the machine works and how it is applied to real life situations with safety as a priority.

 

[cruz54982]

I have a bobcat 2025 (kioti) with 55 hours so far; got it this spring. I really only need to engage the front axle when moving dirt or slogging through muddy trails. All my mowing and manure spreading are easily done in 2wd. Any reason to use the front axle every once and a while? I don't really notice a difference either way; power or steering etc.

my take is use often enough to keep all moving parts free IE levers & links as they tend to stiffen or freeze from no use .

 

[LD1]

You may be a "super star member" but if you instruct a "rookie" to use 4 wheel drive all the time on a machine that is not designed for it they may find that it isn't there when they really need it. Every machine is different and needs to be operated accordingly so it is about how the machine works and how it is applied to real life situations with safety as a priority.

Maybe my "super star member" status has you awe-struck?

Pleas quote the post where I said to use 4wd all the time.....I'll wait.

 

[jfh0jfh]

I only engage 4WD when I need it (Kubota 5800; Kubota FS-30). I try to anticipate; I don't engage when a wheel is spinning.

 

[hube2]

I only use 4wd only when I need it, which is rarely when there's no snow and ice. I think I've had to put it into 4wd twice this summer because I pulled too far into the ditch along the road to get back out with only the rear wheels.

My rational for not using 4wd unless I need it is this: If something is going to go wrong it will happen when I need the tractor the most, it will happen when I need the tractor because I'll be using it at the time. My main concern is winter, it is my only means on clearing snow. I must have the 4wd in the winter for moving the snow. If I put unnecessary stress on the 4wd when I don't need it or use it when I don't need it then I am going to reduce the life of my front axle and more than likely this will leave me without my tractor when I need it the most when it breaks.

I don't get the down hill part, mostly because I was taught to move up and down hills with the load pointing up hill which means if I have my bucket full I am backing down the hill. I once had a job where I drove large fork trucks and other equipment for moving things around. It only takes one time trying to go uphill with a 20+ ton load in the wrong direction to figure out why it's wrong. Not to mention the hours and hours I had to spend in operator safety classes over the 17 years I had that job.

 

[bearthebruce]

I was taught to move up and down hills with the load pointing up hill which means if I have my bucket full I am backing down the hill.

That's helpful and makes sense. I have never thought about that. Was not a heavy equip operator and did not think about this. If backing down, all the weight remains on the back wheels.. as said, good point and helpful.

 

[ning]

That's helpful and makes sense. I have never thought about that. Was not a heavy equip operator and did not think about this. If backing down, all the weight remains on the back wheels.. as said, good point and helpful.

As long as the load is well-ballasted! (of course, not being well-ballasted is a huge problem going downhill as well, potentially worse than merely not being able to stop depending on the circumstances!)

 

[LD1]

In a perfect world yes, load always on the uphill side.

In reality it's not always practical or possible. Just depends on what you are doing

 

[rScotty]

With steep slopes, loose dirt, and needing to cross significant pavement often, I shift back and forth from 2wd to 4wd a lot. Maybe my next tractor will have a button to push instead of a lever that's often reluctant to go out of 4wd. Backing up 3' or so usually loosens it up but sometimes I have to raise the front tires off the ground with the loader.

Does the lever feel like it is stuck?
Why do you think it is sometimes hard to shift out of 4wd?

 

[rScotty]

I can see y. When in 4wd, are the front and rear axles actually locked together? On some all wheel drive cars they are Not. So maybe being in 4wd just hooks the front axle to the engine and not directly to the rear axle.

It is easy to see a question? If the front and rear axles are locked, that means there is no differential between them. Really? Could be, but easy to see such confusion?

Even if the brakes were not connected when in 4wd, being in 4wd would still help slow one down downhill because of engine braking.

For 99+% of compact tractors there is no question:

Yes in 4wd the front and rear axles are locked together.
No, being in 4wd doesn't hook the front axle to the engine. It hooks directly to the main transmission output shaft.

Correct. There is no differential between front and rear axle.
The brakes don't change in 4wd. What changes is that in 4wd the front and rear axles are solidly connected together; so the rear brakes are now braking both the rear tires and the front tires.

Engine braking works the same as friction braking, i.e. in 2wd it only brakes the rear tires. In 4wd engine braking works on all 4 tires.

 

[deereman75]

Well here's something to consider. My company does a lot of work for a large Kubota dealer near by, and their service manager is a friend of mine. I asked him today while I was there for something unrelated and his answer was "you can run a Kubota in 4wd all the time and not hurt anything"