When do YOU use 4WD?

[OkieNCognito]

I own three 4WD vehicles, a jeep, a Dodge Durango, and best of all...my 28 hp Mahindra. The owners manual and windshield visor for both the jeep and Durango STRESS, I repeat STRESS, not to use 4WD for an extended distance or especially on dry pavement but the tractor manual doesn't seem to be as explicit.

I seldom have the tractor on pavement, my land is flat and unless I'm using my box blade traction does not seem to be an issue 90% of the time. I understand that there is a significant difference in speed of travel and surface conditions, but since there is apparently risk of damage to the front drive train, is it better to keep the tractor in 2WD unless the added traction is needed?

It seems steering is a little lighter while in 2WD but what does everyone else do.....keep it in 4WD needed or not, or do you switch to 4WD only when needed?

Kelly

 

[Will_C]

Kelly;
I keep my BX in 2wd almost all the time. I use 4wd all the time when I am using the FEL, however. Mowing, almost never, only when I go through the neighbors septic system drain-off (another story). I find the tractor steers better, and it has to be saving some wear and tear on the front case.
Will

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I have a pretty simple rule of thumb for 4WD whether it's one of the trucks, my Tahoe or my tractor. If I'm off road I use 2WD unless and until I feel a lack of steering using the FEL or some slippage anytime. When I'm on the road (usually not an issue with the tractor), I use 4WD in the high range if road conditions warrant (snow, etc., on the road). I use 4WD in the low range only if I'm stuck myself or pulling someone out who is or I've just hooked up to a heavy trailer I'm trying to get moving.

Please understand I'm not saying all or any of this is right and ought to be followed by all but rather that it's what I do based on years of operating 4WD on various vehicles because it seems to work for me better than anything else I've tried.

 

[Alan L.]

I use 4WD almost all the time on my tractor. With the cutter on there I find myself spinning tires almost every round if I'm in 2WD. The manual doesn't say anything about 4WD being a problem, or not to use it. If using it will cause something to break or wear out prematurely then it ain't worth much.

My wifes Yukon XL manual doesn't say anything about limiting the use of 4WD other than stressing that you don't use it on dry pavement. When we are on ski trips in Colorado we drive at highway speeds on snow almost exclusively in 4WD. I also use the automatic 4WD feature quite a bit.

 

[Hawkflyer]

I keep mine in 4wd most of the time except on pavement, in grass, or when I am running in high range to get someplace faster. When i am carrying a load in the FEL it helps the steering on loose surfaces. By the way tractors are a little different in this respect than cars and trucks. The wheels are not all the same size and the speeds are a lot slower. The machine will tell you when it wants to be in 2wd.

 

[MDSteve]

My property is not flat by any means so I keep it in 4wd most of the time. It helps stop the tractor from breaking loose going down the hills.

Steve

 

[Boondox]

Once, when I had to drive thru the village, I switched to 2WD. The rest of the time, considering the steepness of my land, is 4WD.

 

[GarageSmoker]

I have been running the tractor in 4wd constantly. Unless it is going to do some damage I don't see any reason not to with the work I am currently doing, which is primarily box blading and FEL work.

GS

 

[rockyridgefarm]

Mine stays in 4wd. I see a noticeable differance in fuel economy, and hear a differance in the engine's workload/ overheating in 2wd. But that's an 18hp...

I work with a bunch of Jeep/tractor mechanics, and my understanding on this is as follows:

The problems on pavement have to do with the stresses placed on the drivetrain by the varying rate of speedat the axels - not a problem off road.

MOST 4wd problems are actually caused by DISUSE. 4wd is never engaged until completely necessary, and fails under stress. I have been encouraged to run in 4wd on my Jeep from time to time just to keep the system up.
)I have seen them torn down where the gears have been left half out of the gear oil so long, that one half is completely rusted...)

I am just learning, but I hope that helps...

 

[Bird]

Kelly, as you can see, different people do it differently depending on preferences, terrain, tractor usage, etc. In '95 I was looking at a B7100 rental unit the dealer wanted to sell and noticed it was in 4WD sitting on their lot. The salesman told me they leave all their rental units in 4WD all the time. I'm one of those who shifted back and forth quite a bit. My tractors were always stored inside a building with a concrete floor, so I always put them away in 2WD. And I left them in 2WD just to go somewhere, to mow, and to run the tiller, but shifted to 4WD anytime I was pulling a plow, using the box blade, or using the FEL. I agree that the 4WD should be used; not left in 2WD all the time, and I sure wouldn't worry about leaving it in 4WD if I weren't going to be on any hard surfaces where there wouldn't be any tire slippage at all.

 

[bsauter]

I use 2WD most of the time but switch to 4WD when I drag the arenas, work with the box blade or use the loader for heavy loads or anytime I feel some slipping. I don't need it for cutting or bushhogging.

 

[Mosey]

I don't use FWD unless I need it. If I have it in FWD while finish mowing it tends to scuff more. I do use FWD when finishing mowing on steep hills, since I have trouble getting traction with just the rear wheels in a couple of places and the brakes work much better going downhill in FWD, so it's safer. I shift in and out a lot when mowing my back yard because I need FWD on the hills, but I shift out when turning around to avoid scuffing the grass. Otherwise I use FWD when I'm doing anything on hilly ground and/or in the mud, when plowing, tilling, using the dirt scoop and grader blade, and of course whenever I start loosing traction doing whatever.

Since there are no lock out hubs, the front drivetrain is always turning anyway. As long as you're not on a hard surface, there's not much stress (if any), so if you're not worried about scuffing you can just leave it in FWD all the time. The main thing is to avoid having it in FWD for extended periods of time on a hard surface, especially if you have a front end loader full of something, since then the front tires won't slip very much.

 

[BKColeman]

I've got SuperSteer so I can leave it in 4wd all the time and it disengages when it needs to. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

I've locked into full-time 4wd a couple of times and into full-time 2wd once, mostly to make sure they worked.

 

[tdenny]

OkieNCognito,

I usually keep mine in 4WD all the time as well. If and when my finish mower ever arrives I will most likely not keep it on when I do my mowing as I do notice that when in 2WD it definitely turns a little easier. I was recently moving 10 yards of crushed rock to "dress up" along my newly asphalted driveway and I noticed while on the asphalt the tractor handled better in 2WD.

 

[RoyJackson]

I don't use FWD much...not as much as I use to when mowing. Now it's used when I'm backing up and down a fairly steep slope I mow.

For traction when using the back blade, I find the differential lock works better.

 

[TimSullivan]

I own a Ford 250 with FWD and only use the FWD when I am off the road or drive. My land is very hilly so I usually put it in low range too.

My 4300 HST is in 2WD while mowing but I have to slide it into FWD at least three or four times to back under a tree or get up a steep slope. When using FEL, rear blade or anytime I am near the very steep dropoffs I have it in FWD. I also feel better when I am in the woods to have it in FWD.

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

My land is exceptionally hilly, and I do alot of woods and loader work, but I generally stay in 2WD. I attribute it to R1's, proper ballast and Cub Cadet.

 

[frank_f15]

i will engage 4wd when doing fel work, but if i have a long way to travel i will shift back to 2 wd.u will get the hang of it, when to use 4wd. the tractor will let you know.

 

[chim]

Always in snow or a low-traction application. Usually with the FEL. When running sidehill on a decent slope. When running on dry dirt or blacktop, the drivetrain gives feedback that there's a load on it on sharper turns. I generally avoid using 4WD if not needed to reduce wear on components...............chim

 

[Scott_in_WVA]

MY JD 4400 hydro R-1 tires I have it in 4wd 95% of the time.