4x4 power

TresCrows · Mar 23, 2002

If it is a tempoary loss of traction I step on the lock differential pedal. If I am doing loader work or boxblade work etc it is in 4X4, if I am mowing it is in 2WD and if I am hogging it may be in either depending on where I am.
I cannot beleive there is even the question as to the value of 4WD on small tractors, really big stuff maybe not but on a compact utility or even a utility tractor--yes and 20 or so percent increase---maybe 30 percent or more when the loader is on and filling with soil those front wheels have a lot of weight on them and therefore plenty of traction. It makes all the difference in the world. I like the bi-speed too.
Make mine 4X4.
J

hwp · Mar 24, 2002

Gee Jeff, I didn 't know manual locking hubs were still around, or do you have 4WD on your '65 TBird? Even my old 92 Ford 150 has automatic hubs. BTW, did you get your top problem on your TBird solved? If so, what was it, circuit breaker or pump?

The sequence I use on my Kubota F2400 is 2WD as much as possible. If I need to, I then sfift to 4WD. If I need even more traction, I use the differntial lock. I follow this even when I am plowing snow. I have turf tires and don't use chains but even so I very seldom have to use 4WD, but it sure is nice to have it when you need it. Where 4WD is really helpful is mowing the steep banks of ditches.

Jeff396 · Mar 24, 2002

I am fortunate that I have not had to buy a 4x4 since 1991 when I finally escaped the great white North. Up until then I only owned the manual lockout front hubs and wouldn't have had it any other way. Back then I seem to remember that the automatic ones could create more problems than they solved. Don't know what I'd do now if I were in the market...doesn't anyone still make manual locking hubs?/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

I got the T-bird top working though I don't have any idea how. I went through the troubleshooting section in the manual and used a few jumpers to check things out and viola...it started working. It's worked fine ever since. Go figure!/w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

I keep my tractor in 2wd while mowing. We have some pretty small but steep hills that I will shift into 4wd drive to mow but will put it back into 2wd once I am done with them. The only time I need the diff lock is when I'm using the fel. I always use the fel with 4wd and will occasionally run out of traction making using the diff lock necessary. I don't look at it as a headache. I think everything about using this tractor is just plain fun as long as I don't have to use it to make a living./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

EdKing · Mar 24, 2002

doesn't anyone still make manual locking hubs?

I know Toyota still offered them in '91, as I specificly asked for them on my pickup. I don't know if they still do, but if I have my preference, I will go with manual whem I get my next pickup.

hwp · Mar 24, 2002

...it started working. It's worked fine ever since. Go figure.
I think the problem is either in the hot wire connection to circuit breaker or the circuit breaker itself. Those old circuit breakers do get tired and stick. They are supposed to reset automatically but sometimes they don't. But when you use a jumper wire to bypass them they do reset. Anyway see how longs it goes until you have another problem. It could be years!

Jeff396 · Mar 24, 2002

We had and '84 Toyota 4x4 truck and an 85 Landcruiser. They were both on the crude side by todays standards which honestly I like better. The pickup didn't even have carpet but rather a rubber type floor covering. I really liked hosing it out when it got dirty. But I'll go you one better....not only do I want the manual locking front hubs but I also want the solid front axle for heavy duty playing. Who cares how it rides.....Oh yeah, I forgot it's now just a tall car. Kind of reminds me of that song The Day the Music Died. They need a song for the day they started making Cadillac, Lincoln and Lexus 4x4 extra tall station wagons....Geeeeees!!!/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif Just can't bring myself to call them a truck.

Jeff

Jeff396 · Mar 24, 2002

I hope you're right about working for years. Funny thing was it's not that it didn't work at all...it kinda pulsated when trying to raise the top. If it didn't work at all I'm sure I could figure out the culprit. It's kinda like my radio in the T-bird. It works fine for about a half an hour and then it starts to cut out on me. It was suggested to me to spray some cold stuff on two of the componants on the outside of the radio when it's giving me problems. One of these days I'll get around to it. The car really needs some electrical work but it needs some suspension work first. Too many projects and not enough time.

Jeff

EdKing · Mar 24, 2002

Just can't bring myself to call them a truck.

I here you there. The worst part about them is most people who buy them will never take them off road. They just buy them because they are a status symbol. Hey look at me, I drive a SUV. I also feel some of those comercials a just asking people to get into trouble with the stunts they pull. They cover thier a$$%$ by putting in the fine print at the end Stunt driver on closed corse, do not try this at home.

RanchMan · Mar 24, 2002

The worst part about them is most people who buy them will never take them off road

Agreed!!! That drives me nuts!!! Sorry, if someone has a 4wd and has never used it, I loose a lot of respect for them because it is painfully obvious that they are in it simply for the "cool look." If someone's that vain, I probably don't want them as a friend anyway...

hwp · Mar 24, 2002

Jeff:

How quick was the pulsating and what was the temperature? My suspicion is that the brushes in your pump motor are almost worn out and shorting under heavy load (i.e. if it was on the cool side the motor would have to work harder to build enough pressure to work the lift mechanism). This could overload the circuit breaker and make it cutout, but it would take a few seconds before it reset. If the pulsating was fairly rapid, then this is not the problem. The pump motor in my '59 really grunts in cold weather. I've forgotten, but doesn't your '65 have a transistor radio? Your symptoms sound like a gassy tube but I don't think your radio has tubes.