Why FWD

[looch]

In my (perhaps overly-simplistic) way of looking at it, 4WD is simply making up for lack of PSI exerted on the ground by our smaller tractors, and a smaller diameter drive wheel.

 

[MossRoad]

Exactly. You can do more with a small tractor if it has FWD. That is a fact that can't be disputed. So is it worth it to you? I don't know, but it is worth it to me.

 

[looch]

Definitely worth it for me. I pull a moldboard through 20 year old, compacted soil with my turf tires - no way with without 4WD.

 

[ric]

Wonder what's different here...? What ever it is probably does not matter what matters is using what works for you. But I do wonder why do I not need to use 4wd and you would not be without it? My tractor was built in 1979, does not have power steering, does not have filled tires, does not have rear wheel weights, weighs about 2600 pounds with the fel installed and has R3 tires. I never use chains, don't have any, never needed them. I pull a 6 foot box blade (scarfers down) or grading blade forward or reversed and use the fel for loading, scraping, dumping etc. I usually pick up the box blade when I use the FEL. I never use the 4wd and never get stuck and I have never tipped or rolled the tractor. I also have a 6 foot LMC finish mower I use occassionally. My brother in law has 30 acres he works, mostly mowing and tree farm. He has a 24 year old Kubota B7100 with 4wd and he has never used the 4wd for anything. His tractor has turf tires too. His property is twice as hilly as mine and he mows nearly 12 acres of the 30 he owns. About two years ago a friend of mine was working on something and decided to shift into 4wd only to find he was already in 4wd and had been for several months without realizing it. It took us two hours to finally get it to shift into 2wd. He has an older crash box tractor like mine and supposedly you are not supposed leave them 4wd all the time. My next tractor will likly be 2wd, over 40 horse with an FEL and a cab or a bobcat with a cab, sure like bobcats. ric

 

[looch]

<font color=blue>Wonder what's different here</font color=blue>

Let's see...
I don't have a box blade so I can't say whether I'd need 4WD to use one. I don't yet have a FEL, so likewise.

<font color=blue>I never tipped or rolled the tractor</font color=blue>

Not sure how that relates to using 4WD.

<font color=blue>he mows nearly 12 acres</font color=blue>

I don't use 4WD for mowing, so we're even on that one.

Have you ever pulled a mold board with your tractor? How about blowing snow?

I am a firm believer of doing what you can with what you have. All I need to do is think of those farmers that worked the land without a tractor. On the other hand, there is no question in my mind that you can get much more done, more easily with 4WD.

 

[DVerbarg]

Ric,

Normally speaking 4wd does not add much to my tractoring experience. It has made a significant difference in two types of situations. The first is snow removal. I'm a little handicapped by the tires being industrials instead of ags and not having chains. The second situation is doing heavy FEL work. 4wd allows me to add at least 25% more to each bucket load without digging holes with the rear wheels. 4wd also helps when the bucket load is too heavy and the rear tires too light. Could buy a heavier rear weight but why bother putting more weight on and off when I can just flip a lever and keep traction while going up and down slight grades.

 

[MossRoad]

My IH2500b is around 8000lbs with industrial tires that are filled. It is 2WD with a loader. I have had a box blade scraper or a 55 gallon barrel full of concrete on the back for counterweight. My soil type is tyner A, B, C and D(sand on flat to steep slopes) along with adrian muck. I have gotten it stuck on numerous occasions. I have gotten it unstuck one of two ways; by using the FEL to push myself backwards or by hooking my 85 Chevy 1/2 ton 4wd to it with a cable and pulling it out from solid ground. I've had several 4WD tractors through there, including the farmer that used to plant it, and they said that they would never be able to work it without 4 wheel drive.

(I cut this paragraph out, sorry.)
I think that is about as good an argument you can get for 4WD.

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya
well with being a bit bigger and driving a few other tractors 2WD FWA and true 4X4 (all wheels the same)here is a bit of a run down ,on firm ground with right tires and set up right for the job in hand a 2WD will do all a FWD will do, even better as a FEL tractor with a heavy axle or FWD axle ..now FWA what most of us have being compact ,agri ,lawn mower will pull better than 2WD in soft or lose condishans(?)as for being a better loader tractor or more stable NOT true, if needing FWA to carry loads the prob is with the back end being to light there are many cases of axles braking gears by being over loaded many be not so common in smaller tractor but 70Hp plus it happen more than alot of dealers would like to let on ..4X4 don't realy come in to this forum..bottom line is 4X4 and FWA let tractors get more traction ,better use of fuel it should not be used to over come poor set ups
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[ric]

pbenven,
I never tipped or rolled the tractor
Not sure how that relates to using 4WD.
*I was responding to someone elses reference in the thread that somehow this might occur if 4wd was not used in certain situations.

Have you ever pulled a mold board with your tractor? How about blowing snow?
*To me, moldboards are multi-bottom plows used to break ground for planting. The smallest one of these I ever pulled was a 6 bottom unit the biggest was a 10 bottom unit and I always used a large 2wd tractor, with no problems. I don't think my little 4wd tractor could match the Oliver or Deere I used. I use my grading blade reversed to remove snow, don't need a blower we don't get alot of snow here.

ric

 

[woodmills1]

just have to jump in. you really want to get stuck on flat dry ground 4x4 or not. then load your ten foot trailer with too many 18 foot logs so there is negative tounge weight. whoops the thing wouldnt even go. take off long and put on some 8 footers and back to reality haha.

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya
i get the feeling ya talking about the backend coming right up off the ground .i have done the same on hills with a bale on a FEL and last bale on bale feeder behind axle i turned down hill and stoped dead in my tracks ,gut feeling was thing are wrong here got off and yep top side was 4 foot of ground bit of a restack and off we go againg ...would FWA help in this case NO it would have pulled the front down hill making the angle worse
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[MossRoad]

I think we're mixing apples and oranges here. We can't compare a 2 wheel drive tractor that is capable of operating a 6 bottom plow to a small compact utility tractor. But if we take the same compact utility tractor in both 2 and 4 wheel drive models, both equally equipped, I'm pretty sure that the 2 wheel drive model will spin the tires well before the 4 wheel drive model. The key words here are "equally equipped". That is the only fair way to compare them. To me, the 4 wheel drive option is well worth the additional cost for someone that often operates in poor traction conditions, such as snow, mud, wet grass or loose soil.

 

[ric]

MossRoad,
When I was a kid (9 to 12)I lived on a large farm. One of my many jobs included keeping the feed lot used by the cows and hogs clean and everybody fed. I had two old 2wd Ag tractors to work with, an Oliver and a Deere. One had a loader and the other a plow mounted on the front. My number one job was not to cause a problem that would bring somebody out of the fields to fix. Those feed lots were always a mess and muddy and the stock was always around where you were working. Learned alot, never got stuck, slid around alot, never killed or injured anything and did learn how to pull one tractor with another. Only had to go to the fields once when one of the cows layed down and would not get up. Looking back I don't know that 4wd would have helped all that much in fact it might have been a liability due to sluggish steering in tight quarters.
Anyway 2wd worked for me. ric

 

[jdkid]

Hi MossRoad
the 4 wheel drive option is well worth the additional cost for someone that often operates in poor traction conditions, such as snow, mud, wet grass or loose soil.
yep thats where they come in to there own only thing is FWA (what 99%of us have )is not true 4X4 the main thing this helps with is over coming rolling restionce(??)it will give better pulling too i'll give ya case in mind
a guy i used to work for had a 70 Hp agri tractor full wieghted, good agri tries pulling a tiller with 15 tines ,never got stuck(i added that meaning did not go where ya would get stuck ) used brakes to help steer in soft dirt .... ok he sold that tractor and got a new one with FWA he added 4 more tines to his tiller ,had less wheel slip,used less fuel to do the same job,less wear on brakes as front axle pulled tractor around ....even tho his 2wd could do the same job ,the added cost of FWA was more than coved by better outputs per day
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[frank_f15]

could not imagine having a compact tractor without 4wd. the added traction needs only to be felt once. the difference is amazing.

 

[TresCrows]

What sluggish steering do you refer? Just a question.
J

 

[ric]

4wd tractors do not steer as well as 2wd when they are in 2wd due to the resistance of the front drive train. When you engage 4wd the resistance is enhanced making the steering sluggish. My 4wd tractor does not have power steering so you can really feel the difference. The 2wd tractor I have in the same family of tractor does not have power steering but steers like a sports car. Once a year I rent a 40hp JD compact 4wd with an 8' bush hog to clear as much more of my property as I can cut down in 8 hours. This is a super nice tractor and steers nice(PS), the only draw back is it has R4 tires and I did manage to get it stuck once in a soft spot in 4wd. Unstuck it with my wife driving the 245 in 2wd with the R1 tires. The rental guy said this happens alot with this tractor the next one gets R1's front and rear. I sure like his Deere, runs and drives great I've rented it several times. I've also rented bobcats from the same place many times. I can do in two days what it would take to do in a month on the tractor. Runs great, ride is horrible and they do get stuck, pulled one out twice with my tractor over the years. ric

 

[TresCrows]

Kubota has bispeed for the 2410, NH has supersteer, in any case neither my BX or 2410 has sluggish steering in 4WD. It does steer differently but still with just one pinky on the wheel. Small tractors with out 4WD are severely handicapped--it is like adding a 1,000 lbs and 10 horsepower -- my opinion. J

 

[frank_f15]

agree here with trescrows, my b2400 with ps steers so much easier that my ford 2n. don't really notice any diff whether i am in 2 or 4 wd. it still steers easy.

 

[Bird]

Hmm, maybe there was a difference that I just didn't think about, but I don't recall ever noticing any difference in the steering in 2WD vs. 4WD in either my B2710 (with power steering) or my B7100 (without power steering). Of course, I could sure tell a difference in the steering on the B7100 if I had a load in the bucket, regardless of whether it was in 2WD or 4WD./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif