Is Full Time Use of 4WD a Problem?

[Bluegill2]

My brother busted the pinon gear in the front axle on our old L3750 in a situation where the rear had no traction and the front axle was doing all the pulling. Only cost $1200 in parts to fix...

 

[TripleR]

Yes Sir, more tractors would be nice!

My younger brother has all of our 2WD tractors out at our family farm, some with ballast in the tires and some not in addition to our MFWD MF375 with FEL, cast centers in addition to his Kioti compact. My other brother lives across the ditch from him and swears every one of them was used one day.:laughing:

 

[IgroRockwell]

My MX5100 has a huge power-to-weight ratio and the only way to get that power to the ground is in 4 wheel drive. In 2wd, in my heavy glacial till soil, it struggles with a two-bottom plow with lots of wheel slippage and operator cussing. Put it back in 4wd and it's almost like the plow isn't there anymore. It's literally close to twice the tractor in 4wd. My 4wd lever is there only to take it out when roading any distance. Just my $0.02.

 

[Bluegill2]

My MX5100 has a huge power-to-weight ratio and the only way to get that power to the ground is in 4 wheel drive. In 2wd, in my heavy glacial till soil, it struggles with a two-bottom plow with lots of wheel slippage and operator cussing. Put it back in 4wd and it's almost like the plow isn't there anymore. It's literally close to twice the tractor in 4wd. My 4wd lever is there only to take it out when roading any distance. Just my $0.02.

FEL on or off? Loaded tires? Wheel weights?

I agree most of these tractors are twice the tractor in 4WD. But little or no traction at the rear puts too much strain on the much smaller front end...

 

[Bluegill2]

My younger brother has all of our 2WD tractors out at our family farm, some with ballast in the tires and some not in addition to our MFWD MF375 with FEL, cast centers in addition to his Kioti compact. My other brother lives across the ditch from him and swears every one of them was used one day.:laughing:

If ya got em, run em!

 

[LD1]

I think we can conclude that there is no single right answer for everyone. Just depends on what your doing and where.

The "only use it when you need it"" is fine for level ground work. But in the hills, 4wd is as much about safety and stopping as it is about traction and moving. And in those cases, by the time you need it...too late

 

[RoyJackson]

I think we can conclude that there is no single right answer for everyone. Just depends on what your doing and where.

The "only use it when you need it"" is fine for level ground work. But in the hills, 4wd is as much about safety and stopping as it is about traction and moving. And in those cases, by the time you need it...too late

That's basically it...it helps if one looks over the situation they're about to get into and make a decision about using the front wheel assist.

 

[RaydaKub]

That is exactly the lesson I learned. If you want to eat them fast use 4wd all the time. The wear gets exponentially faster as the fronts lose height as well. If you need 4wd use it. If you don't then don't. 3000' gravel driveway here.

If you could stretch out the miles in a linear fashion, the wear on the fronts and rears might be the same. But with the smaller circumference, the same wear amount chews toward the center faster.

 

[Fordman1981]

I think we can conclude that there is no single right answer for everyone. Just depends on what your doing and where. The "only use it when you need it"" is fine for level ground work. But in the hills, 4wd is as much about safety and stopping as it is about traction and moving. And in those cases, by the time you need it...too late

On my T5050 it will engage 4wd when you apply the brakes even in 2wd. I wonder when features like this will be applied to cuts?

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Echo everything everyone else has said about tire and component wear.

Also, being in 4wd all the time has a tendency to tear up the turf more. That's not a problem on hard surfaces, or when plowing; bu it can be a problem when mowing, haying, or just transport over groomed landscape.