daTeacha
Veteran Member
Addressing a couple of points here: YES, the ratio between front and rear rolling radius is pretty critical when using 4wd. Tractors with small front wheels are actually considered front wheel assist, not four wheel drive. They are geared so the fronts move a little faster than the rears when the tires are new, and as they wear (fronts will wear faster), they eventually get to moving the same speed or a little slower. Changing the ratio puts a whole lot of stress on drivelines and can be very expensive.
The different tire types are intended for different purposes. The ags are narrow and sidewalls are stiff to put maximum pressure on the lugs for maximum traction. Turfs are wide and sidewalls are soft to mimimize pressure on the lawn. R4s are a compromise. The width and sidewall structures require different rims, sometimes with different bead profiles. It's done that way to fit the different functions of the tires and make the tractor work best in a particular application, not to sell tires and rims.
I somehow missed page 2 when I wrote this up, almost deleted it, but decided to leave it for clarification.
MOF, I'm pretty sure you have a front diff in that Dodge pickup. There would have to be one or you'd tear things up in a big way whenever you turn the wheel. It won't be a limited slip like you can get in the rear diff, but there's a diff in there somewhere. Think about the different distance the inside and outside front wheels travel when going around a corner.
You used to be able to get a manual lock for the center diff on some serious off-road 4x4s. With modern electronics controlling things, multiple clutches, traction control, computers controling the braking and power to each wheel thousands of time per second, etc. etc. a center diff is pretty much a thing of the past. You don't see it much unless someone builds their own off roader.
The different tire types are intended for different purposes. The ags are narrow and sidewalls are stiff to put maximum pressure on the lugs for maximum traction. Turfs are wide and sidewalls are soft to mimimize pressure on the lawn. R4s are a compromise. The width and sidewall structures require different rims, sometimes with different bead profiles. It's done that way to fit the different functions of the tires and make the tractor work best in a particular application, not to sell tires and rims.
I somehow missed page 2 when I wrote this up, almost deleted it, but decided to leave it for clarification.
MOF, I'm pretty sure you have a front diff in that Dodge pickup. There would have to be one or you'd tear things up in a big way whenever you turn the wheel. It won't be a limited slip like you can get in the rear diff, but there's a diff in there somewhere. Think about the different distance the inside and outside front wheels travel when going around a corner.
You used to be able to get a manual lock for the center diff on some serious off-road 4x4s. With modern electronics controlling things, multiple clutches, traction control, computers controling the braking and power to each wheel thousands of time per second, etc. etc. a center diff is pretty much a thing of the past. You don't see it much unless someone builds their own off roader.
