Front end goes out again!!!

[JWR]

There's a lengthy thread going on now about when to use 4wd. The answer is there is no simple answer. As operator expertise rises use of 4wd declines. You'll have to find your place.

Sometimes. There are a lot of variables in the decision as to whether to use 4wd or not. Generalities are always going to fall apart in some cases and be great rules of thumb in others. There are definitely times when experience (and expertise) call for more use of 4wd, not less. I find a significant variable is steepness of the ground you're on, moisture, and of course the load and implement. Because I operate a large % of the time on steep ground and land where the mowing operation goes over a lot of variation in both soil type and steepness I use 4wd a lot more than I would on other terrain and no doubt a lot more than people with different terrain. The use of 4wd declines as expertise rises only in some circumstances (and that may well be a statistically large set of users) but use of 4wd increases with experience and expertise in other cases.

 

[PILOON]

In once had a front differential failure on my Mitsubishi. The cause turned out to be the 8
bolts that attach the crown gear to its hub (?) were all sheared and found them looking like bearing balls as they were rather mashed.

My take was that they were not properly torqued and the flimsy flat tabs failed to keep them tight.
When I rebuilt that front differential I used Locktight and as well drilled the heads and wire locked them in pairs.
So far so good. (8 yrs later)

 

[Phillip w]

Your post brings back memories for me of trying to keep up with the flatbed while tossing little rectangular bales and doing everything fast enough to not miss any bales. Boy those bales got heavy very fast<smile>. We took turns tossing or stacking. Hard work and I wasn't very good at it. Long time ago. I haven't thought of those times in years but the memories are still there in vivid detail. Never ran a tractor until i was in my twenties.
I was comparing current models of small tractors not yesterdays tractors to the new MF and the new ones appear to me to be well built. I'm not crazy about tiny engines but that's the name of the game in our modern world. But we all tend to use tools for what they are not intended from time to time which can lead to catastrophic failure.

I look back now and I cherish those memories. however, being 10 years old and a dad that was pretty tough, didn't seem like fun. A jd 730 was light on the front end and dad had the clutch set pretty tight. It was a hand clutch and it was all I could do to pull the clutch out when the baler would start choking down. Thus the baler would shear a pin and then another chewing out. Then try to get going again and the old tractor would be a little jerky as I would push the clutch in. You guessed it, another chewing out. Then I'd have a problem steering now and then, I'd miss part of the windrow. Another chewing out. One of my favorite lines of all time came from my dad on one of the baling miss cues. He said "son, you couldn't drive a greasy stick into a goat's a**! Kind of funny now. I ended up with that old 730 and she had over 20k hours on it when I sold it. Some guy wanted to restore it and make a show tractor out of it.

 

[bfloyd4445]

DL,

Waiting for the tractor to "tell you when" you need to be in 4wd may work if you are always on flat land. But if you are in areas with hills, you don't have the luxury of waiting for the tractor to communicate to you. Jeep experience won't help you in hilly areas if you are going down hill on a tractor because your Jeep had 4 wheels of braking and many tractors only have 2 wheels of braking. In addition, Jeep experience doesn't include outrigger issues that tractors do, like front end loaders.

Driving a hydrostatic equipped transmission tractor of any size in hilly areas is far more complicated than a jeep or motorcycle or atv. . . . Far more.

All tractors I've seen have brakes on their rear wheels but I've not seen tractors that have brakes on their front wheels. . . Have you ?

If you are going down a hill in 2wd and your rear wheels get "light" . . . You are out of control and at the mercy of gravity. If you have a fel on at the time it will either increase the pull of gravity, or create a "pole vault" potential for a flip, or if the hill is gradual enough. . . Give you a risky chance to slow yourself.

In 2wd in a hydrostatic system you have no no no engine braking if the rear wheels get "light".

AxleHub, good advice.
I don't own any hydro static tractors yet but your advice would hold true for conventional geared tractors as well. I try to remember to always use 4x4 on slopes. Going down scares me more than going up hill but both can be very dangerous even on a gentle slope

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Flatlanders just can't seem to understand what it's like to work on really steep property.

Since when I'm working my tractor, I am always under load, forward/backward/turning this way and that, and always on hills, in loose dirt, over bumps/stumps/rocks, and over rough trails tighter than a tick's @ss, plus creeks and ravines, with never the luxury of cruising around on flat ground.... not to mention if I forget to switch to 4WD before going DOWN the hill (40% grade) I could easily flip and die, mine is always in 4WD.

If I ever decide to go on a paved road (not likely) I'll put it in 2WD.

 

[plowhog]

^^ What she said.

Except the part about the ticks ...

 

[ovrszd]

I use 4 WD when I need it. I used it more on the 1720 and less on the WM 50 due to weight, FEL capacity, and wheel base. Only use it on the t4.75 when lifting heavy loads.

Yep....

 

[ovrszd]

Actually operator expertise would indicate a great deal of awareness and acknowledgement that 4wd usage vs. 2wd would depend on things more than assumption - not only on land configuration, condition, and type . . . . but also on size of equipment. Skilled operators recognize that opinions can not be based on only their unit and only on their piece of land - because they are aware of more needs than just theirs.

jmho

I agree.

 

[ovrszd]

For me I tend to stay in 2wd until tractor tells me whatever I am doing is not going to happen and I need to be in 4WD.... Experience comes from a lot of rugged backcountry with JEEP and trying to avoid winch use as much as possible.....

Dale

I call that situational awareness. Practiced that skill yesterday afternoon for a few hours of wheeling with Mary Jane, my Jeep Buggy.

 

[ovrszd]

DL,

Waiting for the tractor to "tell you when" you need to be in 4wd may work if you are always on flat land. But if you are in areas with hills, you don't have the luxury of waiting for the tractor to communicate to you. Jeep experience won't help you in hilly areas if you are going down hill on a tractor because your Jeep had 4 wheels of braking and many tractors only have 2 wheels of braking. In addition, Jeep experience doesn't include outrigger issues that tractors do, like front end loaders.

Driving a hydrostatic equipped transmission tractor of any size in hilly areas is far more complicated than a jeep or motorcycle or atv. . . . Far more.

All tractors I've seen have brakes on their rear wheels but I've not seen tractors that have brakes on their front wheels. . . Have you ?

If you are going down a hill in 2wd and your rear wheels get "light" . . . You are out of control and at the mercy of gravity. If you have a fel on at the time it will either increase the pull of gravity, or create a "pole vault" potential for a flip, or if the hill is gradual enough. . . Give you a risky chance to slow yourself.

In 2wd in a hydrostatic system you have no no no engine braking if the rear wheels get "light".

Your points are mechanically accurate.

With that said, I assure you Dale and I are more competent and knowledgeable tractor operators because of time spent offroad in our Jeeps. Our expertise at analyzing the situation and forseeing a problem is much sharper.