New 3032!

[hwks1]

Just got a new 3032! Really like this machine, right sized for me. If I had went on specs alone I would have bought a Mahindra 2816. I was more comfortable with the JD dealer. Paid $15385 Plus tax.

Question about the 4wd.... this is my first 4wd tractor. Wondering about just leaving it in 4wd all the time? I would never be on the road, always working on dirt, grass or gravel drive. The manual says 2wd for transport but they really don't say you should not leave in 4wd?

The reason I ask is when I am not in 4wd I get occasional slipping in variety of circumstances and have to put it in 4wd most of the time anyway. Its also not very easy to tell if the selector is in 4wd or not...there are no lights or indicators that its engaged or not.

What do you do?

 

[RoyJackson]

I leave my tractors in 2WD unless 4WD is necessary. No use putting more wear and tear on the front axle.
The position of the lever indicates if it's in 4WD (or 2WD). All ya gotta do is look.

 

[msmud]

You know, it is kind of hard to tell with this tractor. When I test drove the 3038E I found myself looking down at the floor trying to tell if the ball handle was pulled out or pushed in. It's easier to tell standing alongside the machine than sitting in the seat.

For an average user who may put 50 - 100 hours per year on his tractor, is leaving the machine in 4wd really going to be a problem? If you avoid hard surfaces, and change out the front axle oil more frequently than the manual specifies, are you really going to wear out the front axle?

 

[JD755]

I use 4WD a lot but only where necessary. As soon as I am clear of the area I shift back to 2WD. If I forget it becomes very obvious at the first tight turn when I cannot turn as sharp as I expected. I then back up, shift to 2WD and restart the turn. Fortunately my MFWD lever is at the left side of the seat and is very convenient to use. Full lock tight turns with MFWD engaged is a high stress condition for the drivetrain unless it is a slick surface. Grass is not that slick.

 

[bxowner]

That lever was one thing I noticed looking at the tractor last week... after having a 2320 that had a nice dash light to indicate 4wd, it's hard not to want that feature. I wonder with those #s of hours and being a new tractor to you, if you couldn't change your thinking pattern: switch from the mentality of "will I lose traction here? Better put it in 4wd" to "do I really need 4wd here? I'll switch it out" and just keep it in most of the time. At 50 hours/yr. "excessive wear" on the front end has to be a relative term.

 

[msmud]

This whole thing could be tested with oil analysis. You could come up with a "study design" as follows: go first 50 hours or so with tractor only intermittently using 4wd, send transmission oil off for analysis; change axle oil, go 50 hours in 4wd only , send oil sample off to see if there is any increase in metal fractions. If you really wanted to be scientific you could save some of the new oil from the 50 hr change to send off with the 100 hour sample as a control.

My guess is you might actually see a drop in metal % with the second oil set given the initial wear on the new axle has already occurred with the 1st 50 hours.

This whole question comes up, as I see it, because the E series tractors need a lot of weight as well as R1s. I think it also important not to over-inflate tires, which reduces traction. HWKS1, I think I would set your rear tires to the minimum pressure in the manual, or even 1 - 2 psi below it. The Goodyear Ag handbook points out that for speeds less than 5 mph, tractor tires can bear as much as 80 - 90% more load than the official 25 mph tables.

 

[Cocre]

I leave my 3320 in 4wd all the time except when on pavement, which is not often. For the type of tractoring I do it just works better in 4wd.

 

[deere4320]

On my 4320, I only engage 4WD when it is necessary (i.e. Wet grass, mud, loader work on dirt or wet grass, etc.) But my tractor has an indicator light on the dash that tells me when my 4WD is engaged. Good Luck and Congratulations on the new tractor!!!

 

[Ray_Fort_White]

With my 3038E in 4WD it chews up the yard on tight turns.

When I feel wheel slippage I lock the differential.

 

[Nitro-Fish]

If extra weight will not be a problem, I would fill the rear tires, this will make the tractor a bit less dependant on 4 wheel drive.