Noob question 4 wheel drive

[Alien]

I would use the bucket to push myself out if I got stuck. 4 wheel drive can make it worse in my soil. It just digs you in further.

 

[rockcanyon]

Hi everyone! First time tractor owner here and I’m trying to learn as much as I can. I have a 25hp Branson and live in Florida. I’m using the tractor for mostly bucket and grapple work. My land is pretty sandy but not enough softness that I get stuck in. i do feel the tractor bog down frequently. I run my RPMs 15-1800 when working the two implements. Is this the sweet spot to run RPMs and also should I be running it in 4x4 mode all the time or stick with 2 wheel until I get stuck? Thanks for any help! Mike

For what it's worth, when I bought my 35hp Branson the dealer told me I should run in 2wd unless I actually needed 4wd because of stresses on the various parts. When I plow I use 4wd.
I also agree with grsthegreat about using 2wd until starting to get stuck and I apply the same principle to my truck as well: When you get stuck in 2wd you can shift into 4wd and probably get out, but when you're already in 4wd when you get stuck you're screwed.

 

[arrow]

First off, the devil is in the details.
Guys with cabbed tractors have at least a quarter ton more weight over their rear axle so look at people avatars of what they use for tractoring to gain where they're coming from.
Also, look at the size tractor that is being operated as to giving the advice as to whether or not to stay in 2wd and shift to 4wd when needed. Larger, heavier tractors do very well in 2wd.

Running on hard surface, always 2wd.
Working the loader for a smallish open station tractor with some ballast , always 4wd is how I do it.

As far as rpms, I never set my tractor at a given rpm. I am off idle all the time and my foot governs rpms by what is needed to accomplish the job.
Longer you have your tractor the better you'll get at this.

 

[gtunney]

Agree with comments to read the manual for recommended operation. We have a 29HP New Holland TC29D with an HS transaxle. The manual states to use 4WD whenever doing loader work and pushing up the RPMs when operating with a load which I believe for that machine is a minimum 2500 with the rated RPM being 2800. My dad used to run it lower all the time and you could here it bogging down at times when working heavy loads so I was finally able to convince him to follow the manual recommendation.

 

[Cougsfan]

Based on all the comments made so far, it is pretty clear you can either use or not use 4wd all the time. Personally I use both, sometimes I leave it in 4wd until I notice I am tearing up some grass in tight turns and then I take it out. It stays out of 4wd until I get to a situation where the rear wheels are slipping, then I put it back in 4wd. Might stay in one mode or the other for the next few weeks. It goes back and forth like this.

 

[Denco54]

Hi everyone! First time tractor owner here and I’m trying to learn as much as I can. I have a 25hp Branson and live in Florida. I’m using the tractor for mostly bucket and grapple work. My land is pretty sandy but not enough softness that I get stuck in. i do feel the tractor bog down frequently. I run my RPMs 15-1800 when working the two implements. Is this the sweet spot to run RPMs and also should I be running it in 4x4 mode all the time or stick with 2 wheel until I get stuck? Thanks for any help! Mike

Hi Ebb. I have a 16hp hydrostatic Kubota. You would not believe the work I get out of it. My lot is flat with an incline to the river. This is an ancient lake bed so it is clay. I am always on 4x4 & when I work it hard I shift it to low gear. I rarely get stuck & I rarely stall out. You have it, use it. After all you are not driving to alifornia.

 

[MHarryE]

I farm. Pulling a tillage tool in 2wd, my go’s will read significantly less than the displayed ground speed. Press the 4wd button and I’ll notice several things. First, the tractor rises slightly but noticeable because the rear wheels are no longer pushing the fronts through the dirt.the engine speed will increase slightly once again because the fronts are pulling, not being pushed. The gps reading will now show a faster speed than the tractor speedometer. My largest tractor will automatically shift out of 4wd at something like 7 mph - my smaller ones I need to manually shift out on roads. Same thing with diff lock - when set, it will lock when the fronts are going straight but disengage once the wheel angle reaches a certain angle. So for my case, tractor is more efficient in 4wd on soft ground. Even if you aren’t pulling a heavy load, if the fronts are sinking in, the rears are doing more work to push them. My largest tractor has the instrumentation to be able to display the numbers precisely.

 

[WKTEDDYBEAR]

I run almost constantly 2wd. I only use 4wd when I’m on real hilly or slippery ground-which is pretty often for me. I do not like to run a 4wd unnecessarily on flat ground or pavement as it creates wear on components which are not needed. I kind of recoil when I see tractors run on hard ground and cutting & chunking tires and ground in a tight turn..... cant imagine the stress on front axle components and tires.
However, I wouldn’t wait “until you get stuck”, either. Survey the ground conditions, then use 4wd when you sense that you’ll need it. 4wd is a big plus when doing loader work since you are losing weight on the rear wheels and reducing rear wheels traction.

I agree

 

[Grandad4]

I've seen you mention this a couple times over time on this forum and you've been corrected before, yet you keep claiming that the brakes won't apply to the front axle in 4WD.

Can you explain why you think that way?

Looking forward to reading this explanation also!

 

[Hirascomo]

I have a few tractors, and all react a little differently to having the 4WD engaged. I have a little Yanmar 2210D that just eats up the lawn when making tight turns while the 4WD is engaged (also due to AG tread on the tires), so that tractor stays in 2WD mostly. My TYM stays in 4WD more than not, it has industrial treads and does not bind up as badly as the Yanmar does. However, all run in 2WD when on dry pavement. My Massey is rear wheel drive only, and it makes me appreciate having 4WD on the other tractors when I get stuck and have to use the FEL to work my way back out of a situation.