FWA? or is it?

[Heath568]

So I bought a tractor at an auction this last summer. It was bigger that I wanted, but I’m building a house on some acreage and I have lots of dirt to move. It’s a Case IH 1594 (85hp) with the front wheel assist. I got into leveling a site for my pole barn and then it rained overnight. Yesterday it was obvious that the front wheel assist wasn’t working when I was in the clay muck. When I finish this project I will look at what might be wrong this winter.

I know… don’t tell me…. That’s why it was at the auction. Buyers beware as usual.

But my question would be… So you’re at the auction and want to verify that a 4wd or FWA is working… How would you do that?



Thanks

Heath

 

[BB_TX]

Assuming it has an FEL or some type guard on the front, pull it up against a large tree, engage 4wd, put in lowest gear possible, ease out on the clutch, see if the front wheels turn. Preferrable in loose dirt, grass, or wet ground. Don't try on pavement.

 

[MetalChicken]

Good way to check is to disengage 4wd and then re-engage it while applying full steering lock when driving on a hard surface - you will see the front wheels scrabble for grip which they don't do in 2wd.

 

[MetalChicken]

I'm not very familiar with that model (older than mine), but if you engage the 4wd with a switch it could well be just a blown fuse. That's the good thing about electronically controlled functions - quite often they're simple to fix and don't require a strip down of the linkage (in this case).