Has this happened to you?

[mars1952]

Front axle lead (or slippage) is necessary on front wheel assist tractors in order to realize the benefits of front axle tractive assistance. Desired front axle lead is expressed as a positve increase in front axle speed over that of the rear axle, usually in terms of percentage (ideally +1%-+5% for most front wheel assist tractors). Lead percentages outside of this range will lead to problems such as accelerated tire wear, difficult steering, loss of tractive assistance from the front axle as well as increased drive train wear with premature failures. Negative lead (or slippage) will, from the outset, totally negate any potential advantages offered by front wheel assist.


I copied this from a tire info site awhile back..it goes on much longer...I don't know about your situ..but i'd think in reverse a dominate front drive wheel could cause one rear wheel to lift in the right (or wrong) circumstance.
I'll never find the site again but I have alot of it copied if anyones interested.

tim

Hi Tim: Here is a link to a page that has the same text on it. They may have just used text from the same site that you got it from, I don't know.
Can I use a different size tire on my 4wd tractor?

When I load my JD 4300 MFWD on my trailer I put it in four wheel drive. I have noticed that the front wheel spin a little faster than the back wheel in this case. For a few years GM sold 4X4 pick-ups with different gear ratios in the front and rear axles (3.08 in the front and 3.07 in the rear). This proved to be too hard on the drive train of trucks that were driven on paved roads even when the roads had some ice or snow.
Good Luck, Marshall

 

[mars1952]

It's really pretty simple...always keep the tractor pointed up hill when you have a load in the bucket. Go backwards down hills and forwards up.

The center of gravity of a tractor on flat ground is further back than a tractor pointed down hill. When the center of gravity moves too far forward the rear will become unstable. Usually one wheel will lift off the ground before the other, after that the tractor can easily tip over.

Hi Steve: Backing down a hill with a loaded bucket seems to make sense to me. That is what I have done in the past. However, experts recommend going forward down hills even when the bucket is loaded. They also recommend a lot more rear ballast than most people use. Check out this thread and follow some of the links.
Tractor Rollover Myths and Facts
Good Luck, Marshall

 

[irwin]

Thanks Marshal, that is the exact link thanks.
tim