4wd - 2wd limitations

[eee]

Mark,
There are a lot of hills where I live and a 2wd just will not do the job if the grass is the least bit wet and pulling a baler anything of size. The neighbors have a big Ferguson 4wd and they lock it in four wheel drive and it holds to the hills so much better pulling a baler or load of hay.
If it was not for the four wheel drive I would not get near as much done as I do.

 

[Todd_C]

I think a fel is also important to help one get out of a jam. This past summer one of the members of my hunting cabin brought out his JD 4310 to cut a few acres. After the cutting was done, he brought the tractor over to help us repair a foot bride over a small creek. As he pulled the tractor over it sunk to the axles. 4wd did not help and spinning only made matters worse. We could not get a truck close enough to help. He used the front end loader to push the front end up into the air. Luck was on our side because the front end loader was pushing against a large rock. Another guy hooked his Polaris ATV to the back of the tractor while the rest of us (5 guys) pushed. The front end loader really saved the day.

 

[eee]

I agree about the loader being a BIG help...but I think Lumberjack is interested in just the 2WD versus 4WD without anything else.

 

[fractal]

I think I can summarize what has been said, and my experiences by:

2wd
+ less expensive to purchase
+ less expensive to maintain
+ less expensive to operate
+ lighter
+ easier to manuver on good terrain
+ more gentle on good terrain (primarily due to weight)

4wd
+ better ballanced
+ more traction for equivalent weight
+ harder to get stuck
- harder to get unstuck

Basically boils down to traction. If you need it, you probably need 4wd. If you don't need it, then you can probably get away with 2wd. My machine is in 2wd most of the time. Only time I switch to 4wd is if the front isn't going the direction I have wheels pointed. Most of those situations could have been avoided with better planning. Not everyone lives where those options are available.