4WD or 2WD?

_RaT_ · Oct 15, 2003

"Besides you think so much of your 4 wheel drive, you need it to remind you, just how good your 4 wheel drive is for you."

Oh no, that memory of my spinning rear wheels sliding down my hill or being stuck is etched in my brain. Your right, I do have a incredibly high opinion of my 4WD. It certainly sounds though that what you have is certainly adequate for your needs and no reason to have 4WD. I do think it wise to inform folks that are asking about 2WD or 4WD the important facts. Many folks could easily purchase used large 2WD in their areas. I can, there are a lot. Of course living in the foothills does this. You have 4WD and it spoils you. I can do plenty with my 2WD, I can do plenty more with 4WD.

Bob_Skurka · Oct 15, 2003

4WD is simply better in MOST circumstances. You can get by with 2 in MOST circumstances.

But just like a gun, when you need it you need it NOW. So get the 4WD and you will not regret it. You may use 2WD 10% of the time or you may use it 90% of the time. But the fact of the matter is with the modern and fairly light CUTs, the 4WD is safer, easier and faster in MOST circumstances. And someone will always claim to be an exception, and for their case they are probably right, but again, they are the exception.

As for guns, I got my wife (sure, they were for her) a matched pair of custom beryillium framed Safari Arms .45ACP pistols one year. Serial numbers RJS001 and RJS002. One is the Enforcer cut down size similar to a Colt Officer's model. The other is the full frame size Matchmaster. Both shoot 3 round groups of 0.5" at 75 feet. Neither jam. I've got lots of others but those are the favorites. In my desk, and often on my hip is stainless Colt Officer's model, magnaported, custom trigger, extened safety. As accurate as a wheel gun. As reliable as a wheel gun.

But one thing that cannot be disputed because the numbers don't lie, the FIRST SHOT HIT POTENTIAL of John Browning's Colt Pattern guns has never been matched by ANY design and the FIRST SHOT is the one that counts the most. So I like the accuracy of my revolvers. I like the low recoil of the 9mm poodle-shooters. I trust my life to the Colt pattern guns because they are fast into action, reliable, accurate.

OkeeDon · Oct 15, 2003

The past 4 months we have had record rainfall. Everyone in the area had at least some of their land flooded. Mine hasn't been improved yet, so for much of that period I had at least 6" of standing water on 4 out of 5 acres. There isn't any "dirt" as most people think of it - just dirty sand. Some areas get like quicksand. Put a little weight on it, it "pumps" -- you go down, it goes up on either side.

My tractor would go through it just fine in 4WD, as long as I stayed "light" on the hydro pedal. One time I started through a low spot and the front end just kept going down - pumping itself deeper and deeper. Turns out my son-in-law had left it in 2WD. I shifted to 4WD and it came right out. I have no idea why he had it in 2WD - I haven't had it out of 4WD since I bought it - 265 hours.

There is absolutely no way a 2WD tractor could negotiate that soup, even if God himself was driving it, unless the front tires were 3' wide each. And, the heavier the tractor, the more it would have sunk. My land contractor wouldn't even bring in his dozer and trackhoe. But, that little 4WD has continued to handle it.

I can appreciate that in some cases, depending on what is being done, 2WD might be somewhat as good as 4WD. But, why suffer? That's like saying you enjoy beating your head against the wall because it feels so good when you stop.

SethO · Oct 15, 2003

The question is, if you have an option of buying a 2WD or a 4WD tractor for EXACTLY the same price, which will you choose?

_RaT_ · Oct 15, 2003

The question is, if you have an option of buying a 2WD or a 4WD tractor for EXACTLY the same price, which will you choose?

Or maybe replacing that 4WD tractor with a 2WD that weighs twice as much. Or maybe adding a second set of tires to the rear or maybe if you had 300,00 hours of experience you could then drive a 2WD anywhere a 4WD goes or maybe add 4WD to your .357 or even to a 9mm automatic. Lots to think about after reading this thread huh?

I think for simplicity it's easiest to now assume that the majority of folks would opt for 4WD everytime. At my dealer, 2WD is a special order item only unless you want a trade in 2WD.

NIXON · Oct 15, 2003

No doubt that a big ag 2wd will have at least as much traction as a 4wd cut . But will it fit the property and spaces that I need to use it ? My only experience with a 2wd tractor is with a ford 3000 .( a great tractor BTW ) It was about the same size as my 3130 weight wise . I don't believe it would have been as tractable with a FEL . If I had a lot of room ,and everything here was flat , I'd have gone 2wd .But that's not the way it worked out . JMHO, John

SethO · Oct 15, 2003

It is interesting to note that the presence of 4WD in any of its many iterations is what defines an OFF ROAD vehicle, yet we are arguing whether or not 4WD is better in a machine that lives OFF THE ROAD.

NIXON · Oct 15, 2003

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It is interesting to note that the presence of 4WD in any of its many iterations is what defines an OFF ROAD vehicle, yet we are arguing whether or not 4WD is better in a machine that lives OFF THE ROAD. )</font>

SethO . No offense .
I missed the point of your statement . Could you explain what You mean ? John

OkeeDon · Oct 15, 2003

He means that in many cases, the very definition of an off-road vehicle is that it have 4WD; in other words, if it ain't 4WD (or all wheel drive, however many there are), it ain't an off road vehicle.

Now, since tractors in some cases and areas have been around longer than cars, and since the concept of off-road vehicles is considerably later, and since tractors are the original off-road vehicles, I'm not sure I'd agree with the thought, but it is interesting in that it points out a certain irony. My own thought is that more tractors would have had 4WD all along if the technology had been as advanced as it is today.

Tractors that are doing primarily Ag work do that work primarily with the rear wheels. Often, the front wheels aren't doing anything more than keeping that end of the tractor up when at rest. I suspect the first use of differential braking was because the front wheels were so lightly loaded they wouldn't even steer the tractor. In those cases, 4WD doesn't add much. Put any weight on the front, however, or even reduce the force on the rear, and 4WD is worth its weight in gold.