4x4 Pick up truck vs. tractor?

[JB4310]

Yea I don't completely agree that low gears is the answer to all pulling applications, we all know low gearing is the most efficient for heavy work, but even if you took those two equal 4x4 vehicles, say 2 f-250's hook em up to each other (with what ever means your comfortable with) put one in low and the other in high. Now I'm not 100% sure about this but I think once both trucks tires start breaking loose then the one in high gear is gonna pull the one in low gear all over the place, momentum has something to do with it.

Look at those modified truck/tractor pulls, they're putting out high HP and spinning their wheels all the way down the run trying to gain momentum.

I've owned 4x4 vehicles for 30 years but never hooked up 2 of them and went in opposite directions! recovered plenty of them, usually start in low but often end up resorting to high range when things don't budge.

 

[carpenter383]

Yea I don't completely agree that low gears is the answer to all pulling applications, we all know low gearing is the most efficient for heavy work, but even if you took those two equal 4x4 vehicles, say 2 f-250's hook em up to each other (with what ever means your comfortable with) put one in low and the other in high. Now I'm not 100% sure about this but I think once both trucks tires start breaking loose then the one in high gear is gonna pull the one in low gear all over the place, momentum has something to do with it.

Look at those modified truck/tractor pulls, they're putting out high HP and spinning their wheels all the way down the run trying to gain momentum.

I've owned 4x4 vehicles for 30 years but never hooked up 2 of them and went in opposite directions! recovered plenty of them, usually start in low but often end up resorting to high range when things don't budge.

Provided you have the power wheel speed will help alot in dirt and especially mud if you don't dig holes.

 

[dmccarty]

Sounds like a question to ask Myth Busters to test.

I would guess that my JD 4700(48HP) weighs about 5,500-6,000 pounds with the FEL and box blade. My F350(275? HP) SRW is 7,500 ish empty. Even in 4x4 low on the F350 I think the 4700 is going going to pull the truck. The tractor just has more traction. Last spring I was bringing in 1-2 yards of mulch in the truck. I backed it into one place that was slightly downhill but wet. I had to put the truck in 4x4 to get it out because the tires just could not get traction. The tractor did not have any problem in that same spot. The truck rutted up the mud pretty good. I used the tractor to unrut the ruts.

Later,
Dan

 

[chh]

I heard from a pair of acquaintances that tried this a few years ago. An about 70ish hp IH tractor(2wd, no fel, so so tires) and a lifted late 70's F150 with large tires. They came to a draw sitting in the middle of a dirt/gravel road. The F150's bumper was higher than the tractor hitch and could cause the tractor to break traction, the tractors higher weight and steady pull could get pretty much offset that advantage. They dug rather large ruts in the road and never really settled the issue.
However, slightly altering either vehicle or the sobriety of the drivers might bring different results. I wish I had seen the actual event and not just the holes dug in the middle of the county road as evidence of this conclusion however.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

two of my buddies....

one had a 99 dodge 3/4 , standard trans, with the turbo cummins and a few minor mods at the time....don't recall the tires size but he always puts a couple of sizes bigger than stock

the other had a 2000 3/4 chevy, auto trans, with the 5.9 turbo, no mods that we knew of (he's secretive) and i'm pretty sure stock tires...

they hooked them up on dry pavement (yeah, hooking up 80k worth of trucks is real smart, especially on dry pavement)......the chebbie guy talks a lot of crap and the dodge buddy is quiet and reserved......well, the dodge did have to pull up a very slight grade...........they only got to pull two times......one time the dodge pulled the chevy and one time the other way around......however, on the second pull the chevy made a noise.....

that buddy had a roll back come and get it and take it to his garage (he does all his own work).....he later claimed that it only bent the torsion bar but who knows if he was telling the truth? he sold the truck not to long after that for who knows why.....like i said, he's secretive...

of course we dogged him pretty good.....something about.....when a truck has to go home on a roll back it's like a boxer getting knocked out and having to get carried out on a stretcher...

oh yeah, the dodge, a few months later, lost the standard trans...it was taken to the dealership under warranty and was found that the drain plug was missing......the dodge buddy doesn't do hardly any of his own work and the truck had too low of miles on it to have had the trans oil changed, so probably a factory problem....dodge covered the trans under warranty...

edit: the dodge doesn't get driven much but it's still on the road with it's original owner...

we've grown up a lot since those days

 

[carpenter383]

I debated on posting this cause I know alot of you are big into saftey and may find this to be dumb of someone to try. But for those of you who may also be known to do odds and end redneck type activities just for the heck of it here you go.
I was bored and thought I'd finally put this to the test, The scenario is a little different than what I posted when I started this thread. Here it is Kioti dk40se W/fluid filled tires. vs. full size chevy half ton 4x4. I was by my self so the truck isn't actually pulling. It's in 4x4 low and in park. The tractor drug the truck pretty easilly even in two wheel drive (with diff locked) So I thought I may as well hook my 1 ton 4x4 to the half ton and see what happens. Well The tractor in 4x4 would only drag both trucks with the 1 ton in two wheel drive. (454 over the front tires on 1 ton) Now I'm sure things would have been a little different if the pick-up was actually pulling. But based on how easilly I could drag one truck by itself I'm pretty sure the tractor would have still won hands down. View attachment 129131

View attachment 129132

View attachment 129133

 

[Dmace]

Nice!

What I would do is use the 1-ton truck as dead weight and pull just that truck with the tractor, mark the spot and then try and pull it with the 1/2 ton truck from the same starting spot and see which pulls farther, the tractor or the 1/2 ton truck.

Kind of like a sled pull.

 

[Dargo]

.

we've grown up a lot since those days

Now it's been a few years back but we chained a D10N Cat back to back to a D11R and had a pull off. The D11 only had about a 50 hp advantage, I think something like 700hp vs 750 hp) but the D11 had an additional 60,000 pounds of weight. The 'little' D10 only weighed about 70 tonnes and the D11 tipped the scales right at 100 tonnes. Out of 5 pulls we broke the chain once and the other 4 times the D11 pulled the D10 backwards. It sure made a big pop when that 1 1/2" chain broke that one time. Holy cow!! But, hey, we had already been told we were losing our jobs. We had to do something for entertainment and keep morale up. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

It never quite turned out so well when we chained the trucks back to back in the parking lots. It always seemed like someone broke a front u joint and dropped a drive shaft!

 

[carpenter383]

I think I see what you're saying, but the only thing is the tractor would basically pull it as far as I want. (on the driveway) But that gives me an idea. I could see if the 1/2 ton will even pull the 1 ton truck, which would be a good indication of which one pulls more. Based on what I've learned so far from this scientific study I'm betting on the tractor. lol

 

[Dmace]

I think I see what you're saying, but the only thing is the tractor would basically pull it as far as I want. (on the driveway) But that gives me an idea. I could see if the 1/2 ton will even pull the 1 ton truck, which would be a good indication of which one pulls more. Based on what I've learned so far from this scientific study I'm betting on the tractor. lol

Now I like what I am hearing! This time get it on video.