Should I even think about 2 wheel drive

[timbatrader]

4wd is expensive for what I need a tractor for I am not going to pay the premium for it. I use it as a power source for a firewood saw, splitter and chipper. 4wd is of no advantage there I often haul a 5 ton tip trailer around spreading gravel on tracks the trailer is loaded to put as much weight as possible in the drawbar to aid traction so the front wheels get light and steering is via the brakes 4wd would be no advantage there either my advice is if you are buying an old 2wd tractor going up a weight range into a 70 hp tractor doesn't cost much more and that gives a lot more pulling power than going 4wd and much bigger lifting capacity

 

[mo1]

Thinking about a slightly larger tractor than my BX2230, mainly to pull logs, power a chipper and maybe bushhogging. Limited budget of course. Looking at some 40-50 hp tractors like a Massey 150, but the two things that concern me are- one-our terrain is fairly steep, as in for a lot of it I back the BX up the hill and mow down, just not comfortable turning around on top, and the top is not that steep.I think the larger tractor may be more stable but I'm not sure. And two, will the 2wd have enough traction. I do plan on a winch in the future, so traction may not be an issue. Most of the trees I am harvesting are 22"+, so a 16' log is around a ton. Not going to hook that to the BX going down hill, even with chains and filled tires. SO, am I crazy even looking at 2wd, or try to talk my wife into spending 2-3x for a 4x4(going to be a hard sale. I have been around tractors a lot, but would value other ideas.

You are not crazy at all. A larger tractor will be more stable and have more pull than a smaller tractor, particularly if you get a full-sized utility tractor with filled ag tires and are going up from a subcompact. The amount of additional pull a MFWD tractor will give over an otherwise identical 2WD tractor is about 10-15%, but figure for each extra ton of weight you add, you get about 1100 lbs in extra pull on dirt with ag tires. That is why a larger/heavier 2WD tractor will outpull a smaller MFWD tractor. Going from a subcompact to a full-sized utility tractor will be an enormous difference. Also you will be able to get a lot more PTO HP for the dollar for a 2WD vs. a MFWD tractor as MFWD does not increase PTO performance one iota- this would be relevant for running a chipper or rotary cutter.

A loader is certainly usable on a 2WD tractor. I have one and it does a perfectly fine job with it in doing things like handling round bales, bucketfuls of gravels, and such. I don't farm the side of a mountain but it is somewhat hilly and several springs and thus soft/marshy spots between the hills so it's not a dry pancake either. The main difference in using a loader on a 2WD tractor is it will let you know right away if you do not have adequate counterweight by being too light in the back. A MFWD tractor will let you get away with too little counterweight for some period of time, until front driveline parts break. Having a MFWD tractor with broken front driveline parts is no fun, been there, done that.

 

[/pine]

Folks got by for decades without 4WD tractors...
What 4WD has mostly done is make operating on grades more forgiving...

 

[redman135]

Loaders tend to be dispropotionatly expensive to retro fit. Try to get a tractor with loader if budget allows.
Front end loader? go 4x4. you will be amazed at how little it takes to get stuck with a load on the front. Been there, didn't like that (MF178)
One thing I didn't see is hydraulic capasity. These older tractors have small pumps meant only for 3ph and are slow on loaders.

2 or 4wd, set the rim to MAXIMUM track for stability, or go DUAL wheels, the stability gain is HUGE. If going down hill (2wd)and you have a runaway, and get sideways, you will slide, and are way less likely to roll.

I did an image search for your area, and it looks similar to mine, I reccomend 4X4 on a wide track, or 4X4 on duals, budget permitting.
I have hauled logs with a MF135(45 hp), and think you will struggle.

TIP, if you think you will slide going downhill engage DIFF LOCK, as this significantly shortens the slide when you take off.
Good Luck

 

[Egon]

TPH subcompact tractors weigh 1,200 to 1,700 pounds.

A 4-WD subcompact tractor should pull a 500 pound tree trunk without strain, especially if half of the 500 pound trunk is elevated SLIGHTLY off the ground using a TPH Cross Drawbar, reducing trunk friction with the ground.

3-Point Hitch - Tractor Three Point Hitch CROSS-DRAWBARS

Unlike a tractor rear/center drawbar, Photo #8, which is attached directly to the tractor frame/chassis, a tractor cross-drawbar, Photo #1, mounts through the "bullseyes" integral to the left and right Lower Links of the Three Point Hitch. An inexpensive fitting, known as a drawbar lock, Photo...

www.tractorbynet.com

And then there is the backflip if it’s not done properly!

 

[Egon]

Something no one has mentioned yet...if you use a front end loader, 4wd is a big help. When on soft terrain, if you pick up a bucketful of heavy material, good luck on being able to back up the tractor if it is only 2wd. Had that experience many a time with my old 2wd John Deere. That heavy load out in front of the tractor lifts most of the weight off the rear tires and it just sits and spins. That even happens with my 4wd Kubota if I forget to engage the front end.

Same with going down a steep incline with a load in a bucket with a 2wd tractor. Found that out a few years ago on a gravel road with my John Deere. Though the rear wheels were turning they weren't providing much hold back. My ground speed was probably twice the speed of the rear tires. I should have backed down that road!

Dropping the bucket just may slow you down!

moment of inertia, in physics, quantitative measure of the rotational inertia of a body—i.e., the opposition that the body exhibits to having its speed of rotation about an axis altered by the application of a torque (turning force). The axis may be internal or external and may or may not be fixed.

let’s not forget the effect of the operator leaning into the hill or planing-cross hillside paths utilizing the effect of engine torque!

 

[hornett22]

The Massey 150 is bigger than the 135 I'm use to, will have ballast in the rear tires, weighs 5-6000. Hopefully it will have loader sometime in the future. Probably 16' logs will be the max, that's all my sawmill can handle. More concerned about stability than anything.I'm looking at what I would call a small to medium size, 35-50 hp. The BX2230 takes care of the small stuff. Just started looking, still deciding.

You better see if the loader is actually available before you buy the tractor. Many people have that plan and find out afterwards that there is no loader available.

I understand being frugal but no savings is worth injury or death.

 

[Fordy20]

Looks like your BX2230 weighs 1300# according to TractorData. A 50 hp utility will weigh in the 6,000# area with two wheel drive. I would far rather have the heavier tractor in two wheel drive. To me, nicer to operate, and little to no front end maintenance. I just bought a new 45hp tractor for the cost of 15 year old 2000 hr. 4wd compacts with loader I see advertised.

 

[JasperFrank]

A 4WD will pull you where you want to go. A two wheel can only push you there.

 

[Williy]

A couple of times I had to use 4wd got stuck I usually
run in 2 wd but having 4wd sure is handy when you
need it. I am very thankful that I do have 4wd as you
never know when your going to need it. Its worth
every penny. 4WD has saved me some long walks
and time by just pulling a lever. Don't get 4WD and
you will be kicking yourself in the rear when you need it

willy