2WD vs 4WD Food plot and slopes

[sirrobinhood]

Hello all,
I am still trying to decide on a tractor. Money is key, I dont want to spend over 11K.
Anyway, I live in IL and have about 5 acres of my farm that I will plant in beans/corn and some small 1/2 acre areas of clover. The food plots will be on flat ground. I will use a bush hog,tiller,disk, and 3 row planter to work the ground. All of this will be done in drier conditions. I think the 2WD tractor would work fine.
The other use of this tractor, I will need to drive the tractor into my bottom ground which is dry ground but there is about a 20-30 degree slope to get down there. In these bottoms, I will clear some logs, push some brush and work some ground down there. Which is flat also.
I would think a 2wd would not be smart going down these slopes after a rain...But in dry conditions, would a 2WD work? I think in the 11K range I can get a 25hp-30 FEL...while a 2WD I can get a 35-40hp in a 8-10K range
Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[lreops]

Here's my 2 cents worth. Even though most of the use is on dry, flat ground, you also mention moving logs, pushing brush, and there is probably many more tasks not thought about yet. Even with what you mentioned, I would like to have 4WD available. It's the things that pop up unexpectedly that you'll be glad it there when you need it. Personally, I wouldn't have a tractor if it wasn't 4WD. It's helped me out of some jams, not a lot, but when needed, it was there.


Ron

 

[MikeInEburg]

Fifty years ago, the vast majority of all tractors were two-wheel drive. They were heavy and had AG tires. And they worked just fine in most conditions. I love four wheel drive, but if I had relatively flat land to work, I wouldn't sweat it. Buy a mid 70s 45 HP Ford diesel and put it to work.

 

[newbury]

I've been going thru a similar decision process.
One of my critical requirements is to be able to lift about 1 ton on the 3pt.
Lot's of good tractors with 2WD and FEL in the 40HP+ range for < 15K. Very few w/4WD. Few tractors much less than 40HP will lift a ton (= about a 10' x 24"DBH log) on the 3pt.

However I'm in the "hillls" of northeast Mississippi and virtually none of my land has extents of "flat" (that's probably why I got so much so cheap). This section of topo is just west of one of my parcels. Lot's of up and down.


If all you have to do is go up and down a few slopes between large expanses of flatland you might get by with 2WD if you make good trails, and carry a good winch. But try and spec out how much you will hav to lift or drag.

 

[whistlepig]

If a slope is so steep that my tractor can't negotiate it in two wheel drive taking on the same slope in four wheel drive might be me pushing things a bit too far. I have slid a tractor down a steep slope or two. With a two wheel drive tractor the front will still steer while the back tires are sliding because the fronts are still rotating. With four wheel drive the fronts will be sliding along with the rears. Front tires that are locked in four wheel drive and sliding don't steer very well.

 

[jenkinsph]

If I had this issue with the slopes in and out of the bottom land I would fix the problem. That is a good use for a tractor imo. Reminds me of the people with rough lawn areas thinking they need a tractor to mow with, fixing the lawn area and smoothing it out is a better answer.

About the tractor selection I would suspect a 25 to 30 hp 4x4 tractor will pull about the same as a 35 to 40 hp 4x2 tractor. The higher hp 4x2 will be able to operate in the fields with the same or similar draft loads at a faster pace. That said I would not recommend driving down a slope with a fel on a 4x2 tractor as this makes the rear end light and no brakes on the front axle. If you think about it a little the 4x4 with fel is a better choice. For most of my tractor work I really prefer a tractor without a fel as I find them cumbersome.

 

[sirrobinhood]

All are good pionts! So do all 4WD tractors have brakes on the front axles? I was looking at a 35HP Kioti also. I dont think I paid tooo much attention to the brakes.

 

[hodge]

All are good pionts! So do all 4WD tractors have brakes on the front axles? I was looking at a 35HP Kioti also. I dont think I paid tooo much attention to the brakes.

I don't know of any with front brakes, although I did read lately about some high end models with them. They are technically not needed, though. Because both the front axle and rear are mechanically linked when in 4WD, applying the back brakes slows and stops the drivetrain- as the back wheels slow down, so will the front wheels.
4WD does help. But, as was stated, tractors have been used for many years with 2wd, and still are. We live in the mountains, and until the last 10 years, never had a 4WD tractor. We used 2WD tractors for the same tasks that we now use a 4WD. You use common sense, and know the tractor limits and the tricks to using them. A 2WD will work fine, a 4WD will give you an extra measure of safety. It is your money and your call, but given your land and needs coupled with a budget, I would think that higher horsepower and weight would benefit you more than 4WD.
As far as going down the hill with the loader, you can have balast on the back, and if you start to slide, you can always lower the loader to the ground. Again, you learn the tricks to use what you have.

 

[94BULLITT]

Since you have steep ground and want a loader I say you need a 4WD, it is not fun sliding down a hill on a tractor. Since you have steep ground a tractor with a ROPS would be a very good thing to have.

 

[vabiker23518]

I'd go with the 4WD. I have 30 acres of hunting property with 2 large food plots (less than 1 acre each). Originally, I had a good, used 2 wheel drive Bolens tractor that worked well, but would not pull a plow point. With a newer 23 hp TYM T233 4 wheel drive and FEL, it pulls the plow point with no problem. You're not using a plow so might not need. I do feel safer with the 4 wheel drive however.

 

[sirrobinhood]

Thanks for all the replies...Would a 30HP 4wd tractor pull a 5-6 foot disc and or 5-6 ft tiller?
Also I have a 3pt corn/bean planter 3 Row planter. Would a tractor of this size pickup this planter (AC model 74)

 

[EddieWalker]

Both have their advantages. 2wd is cheaper for the same HP, 4wd has more traction but will add to the cost for the same HP.

I have both and I can tell you that if it's wet out, or has been wet out, or their is an spot that is wet, the 2wd tractor will get stuck. If you have the time to deal with getting unstuck, and you don't have a limited amount of time to do what you want because it's too wet out to do anything, then getting a 2wd tractor makes sense. There are many days that I just can't use mine, and many days that I shouldn't have, but did and spent the day getting it unstuck. Nothing ruins a day like getting your tractor stuck, then trying to figure out how to get it out.

My 4wd tractor goes through just about anything. I take it out in the rain, and I use it to pull cars out of the mud who wonder off of my roads, or sometimes parked on the dirt when it was dry, but then needs to move but can't because it's too muddy. I can mow or bush hog just about any time after a rain, but usually wait for it to dry out enough not to cause ruts. The 4wd is 35hp and less then half the power of the bigger tractor. Power has nothing to do with traction.

If this is something that you plan on having for many years, it might be a good idea to consider waiting another year to save up more money for what you really want.

Having both, I will never buy another 2wd drive tractor again.

Eddie

 

[nybirdman]

Thanks for all the replies...Would a 30HP 4wd tractor pull a 5-6 foot disc and or 5-6 ft tiller?
Also I have a 3pt corn/bean planter 3 Row planter. Would a tractor of this size pickup this planter (AC model 74)

I had a L3130 Kubota(31HP) 4WD with the 723 loader.This did all I wanted,two bottom plow,small disc roto-tiller,6ft.snow plow.It isn't just the HP,tractor weight has a lot to with it also.Four wheel drive is like adding ten HP.I traded up for a cab but still use the same implements.

 

[bucktaker]

I am going to disagree with the 2 wheel drive getting stuck all the time I cleaned my barn lot many years with my mf 35/with FEL and I never got stuck in mud/manure almost up to the frame. I ran loaded R1 tires and if I started spinning I would just lighten the load. My L5740 4wd with r4's doesnt have near the traction my old MF.
To the OP
You can go old iron and do everything you have described with a 2wd Massey Fergusen or Ford tractor .plenty around with FEL for 4-6k You will be hard pressed to find a modern compact 4wd with loader that will work as hard or do as much for your budget. just my thoughts

 

[tessiers]

If you need 4x4 to bush hog, disc, plant or most anything else you ain't doing it right. I run 2 wheel drive tractors all the time and if you need the 4x4 you are ruining something. I can't remember the last time I got a 2 wheel drive stuck, get the 4x4 stuck all the time, mostly pull it out with a 2 wheel. I have a massey 135 diesel (45hp), I paid $3000 for no loader. 2 things to remember with 2 wheel drive tractors, ballast, and brains. The rears are where the work should be done 2 or 4 wheel, that takes ballast. I have several thousand dollars in front seals and final drives to prove that. Time needed to get 2 wheel un-stuck is offset by time spent fixing 1/2 acre of ruts made by 4x4. Key here would be stop going deeper when you start sinking. Stop, and back out, its not rocket science, or as they say at NASA, come on guys this isn't drywall. As for hp for the disc, way too many variables, disc diameter, pitch, 1 gang or 2, sandy soil or clay. I don't think you are gonna run a 5 to 6' tiller seriously with 30 hp. I feel underpowered with a 5' behind our 45hp, of course thats an old heavy tiller tilling hard ground. I think you would be fine pulling the planter as long as you could pick it up.

Just my 2 cents, probabbly worth a penny.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

2x

I agree if 2WD will not do these tasks neither will a smaller 4WD. In most of the applications that I see 4WD trucks and tractors are wants and not needs.

People flip out to learn our Blazer and Escalade are only 2WD. The Escalade even has the tow package with hooks and all.

 

[super55]

Thanks for all the replies...Would a 30HP 4wd tractor pull a 5-6 foot disc and or 5-6 ft tiller?
Also I have a 3pt corn/bean planter 3 Row planter. Would a tractor of this size pickup this planter (AC model 74)

I'll add my two cents on this since the majority of the use of my tractors is for food plotting and the exact same size implements that you are looking at. I have a 2wd oliver super 55 (35 hp gas) and a kubota L2500 4wd 27hp deisel with bucket that I use for my food plotting and both work great and each has there advantages.

Oliver +'s: 1. extremely short turning radius can set rows with my corn planter way easier 2. Width/height, since it was created as an ag tractor it is much better suited for spraying/cultivating crops set at a 30" row 3. The gear selection just seems better suited for plotting than my kubota.

Kubota +'s: 1. With it being deisel, 4wd, and with ag tires the little tractor can pull. I run a 6 1/2 foot disc with 400# additional weight on the back of it to help it cut and it has zero issues at all. The oliver just doesn't have the torque curve that the kubota has.

That being said the oliver handles the seed drill, planter, cultipacker, flail mower, tiller, sprayer and spreader and the kubota gets the grunt work with the disc or plow. If I only had one choice I would still take the Kubota but the one I love to be on is the oliver. If tractors could smile I know the old oli would be grinning ear to ear when I get it out in the fields.

 

[jenkinsph]

Thanks for all the replies...Would a 30HP 4wd tractor pull a 5-6 foot disc and or 5-6 ft tiller?
Also I have a 3pt corn/bean planter 3 Row planter. Would a tractor of this size pickup this planter (AC model 74)

In my experience a five ft tiller would be a good choice for a 30hp tractor, you should be able to run fast without lugging the motor in most cases. The tiller if it is the popular forward tine rotation type will push the tractor forward if not held back, so pulling it is not an issue.

I use to use a several 6' 3PH disks behind the old 30 to 40 hp tractors which were alot heavier than the modern 4x4 compacts. Today I use a 5' Howard and a 6' Deere tiller and find that for most jobs I get better results than the old disks. I think once you get into larger heavier tractors with heavy disks they work great, especially behind a chisel plow or turning plow. So for a light weight 4x4 compact with higher horsepower to weight ratio the pto driven tiller would be my choice.

 

[Gary Fowler]

For all you are doing, sounds like a 40 HP 2 WD tractor will work fine. You wont have the traction of the 4WD when using the FEL but put plenty of rear ballast and it should handle a fair size load.
I think the first thing I would do with it is build a ramp down that 30 degree slope you mentioned. Just start at the top and start pushing in some dirt and digging down. Dig down from the top and fill in toward the bottom with the spoils. It shouldnt take long to cut it down if you dont have below grade rocks or granite ledges.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for all the replies...Would a 30HP 4wd tractor pull a 5-6 foot disc and or 5-6 ft tiller?
Also I have a 3pt corn/bean planter 3 Row planter. Would a tractor of this size pickup this planter (AC model 74)

I've never used a tiller, so I can't reply to that.

I have found that the trick with a disk and small tractors is that you have to keep going over the soild many, many times. At first, with hard packed, never before worked ground, it takes awhile to break throught the crust. Once you do, then it goes pretty good. Then after that first time, each year, it goes real easy and you will wish you had a bigger disk.

I have a 5 foot disk on a 35hp 4wd tractor. It was $300 for the disk, so I'm not going to be able to beat that deal, and since I only use it twice a year, it's not worth buying what I really want. If I didn't alreayd have this disk, I would be looking at an 8 foot disk with a box frame. That's what I really want!!

Eddie