John Deere 855

[techwrtr2]

No need for a clutch on a hydrostatic machine. Also, you may have be rolling in order for the gears to mesh and allow you to shift into 4wd. Generally you have to back up just a little to "unload" the gears to allow you to shift back into 2wd.

I shift on the fly all the time. One thing I avoid is if I'm spinning the rear wheels, I don't slam it into 4wd unless I'm making good headway. I don't like the idea of torque hitting the front end like a BFH hitting a finish nail.

 

[Mechanos]

Instead of stopping and backing up to relieve gear-bind, I've also notice that I can unload the gears by turning. So, when I'm mowing the field and come across an area where I want 4WD, I engage it. Then when I don't need it anymore, I will wait until I get to the end of a row where I'll be turning and apply light pressure to the shift lever. As the turn progresses and the gear-bind unloads, the lever will drop back to 2WD easily.