Compact 4wd v. Larger 2wd utility tractor?

[agsanders]

Well, I think I will stick to either JD, Kubota, or Mahindra. Those dealers are close by. I'm not at all opposed to used, but I'm not about to drive 400 miles to look at potential candidates. Time to spend some money.

 

[sdkubota]

While I admire your inventiveness, there have been MANY times I have tried to move a large rock with the FEL on my Deere and if I didn't have MFWD there was no way I could move it. Now, about your counterweight...you don't state how often you actually have it on your tractor or for what purpose you use it for. On my tractor the MFWD option adds 300 lbs. of weight and I cannot remove it. HOWEVER, it is ALWAYS available, I don't have to (bleep) around installing or removing it, and best of all I still have the option of installing an implement (blade, plow, disc, etc.) on the rear 3 point. And as far as fuel economy goes, I would rather haul around 300 extra lbs. all the time than 1,000 pounds some of the time, especially when I don't have to waste time installing and removing a rear counterweight.

I only attach it when digging or lifting something fairly heavy with the loader. I almost tipped my tractor on day two of ownership lifting an object that was heavy enough to prevent any traction on the rears and got into a bad situation. Yep its heavy and I wouldn't advise anyone to carry that kind of weight around when not needed. However, when attached I can boil dirt out of the front bucket as the rear get tremendous traction. Cost me $50 to make...maybe slightly heavy although it lifts it easily. I am positive 300 or 600 lbs wouldn't give me the same traction.

 

[yeogene]

I have about 15 acres of woods with a equal amount of hay lot. I own a 4 wheel Farmtrac Compact and a Ford 5000 The Smaller Farmtrac is much more useful in the woods, especially with the 4 wheel drive. Someone mentioned that you don't need 4 wheel, they do not use the tractor in slippery conditions with a loader. My Ford never goes in the woods unless it is dry, I use the Farmtrac for almost everything that does not require the HP

 

[lutt]

I have about 15 acres of woods with a equal amount of hay lot. I own a 4 wheel Farmtrac Compact and a Ford 5000 The Smaller Farmtrac is much more useful in the woods, especially with the 4 wheel drive. Someone mentioned that you don't need 4 wheel, they do not use the tractor in slippery conditions with a loader. My Ford never goes in the woods unless it is dry, I use the Farmtrac for almost everything that does not require the HP

Welcome to the forum! LUTT

 

[WinterDeere]

One trip downhill on slippery grass or mud with any sort of weight in the bucket and no front wheel drive or brakes will make you quickly realize why 4wd is very desirable for operating a loader on hilly terrain. Once a little weight comes off those rear tires, due to the load in the front bucket, a 2wd machine can free-wheel down the hill with no brakes or power.

 

[buddd]

Hi, Just bought a new 12-7-13 2013 Massey Ferguson Garden Compact " G.C. 1710 " tractor, loader, back hoe 4x4 with locking rear axle , king kutter sub compact 48 inch gear driven tiller from e.t.a. $ 16,500 for TLB & $ 1,650 for tiller . I have already put over 50 hours on the clock on my 2 acres making repairs to my land & houses using this little tank . There is nothing a 65 year old retired person can't do with this subcompact tractor . This machine will get you off your 6 an back in good health soon. No more weeks waiting for pulled muscles to heal as this machine pulls those ole hedges up ,digs up all those stumps,loads wood chips , spreads manure , lifts anything & everything without pulling a single mustle !! My wife & I love our subcompact tractor that fits in our garage after use & will go in the smallest most compact piece of dirt you have to do those little jobs . The tiller tilled my neighbors new gardens in 20 minutes making the fresh dirt look like a smooth road .Take a look at a subcompact tractor. my thoughts . Eldred

 

[JDgreen227]

buddd...welcome to TBN. Glad you are so happy with your tractor but I cannot help but wonder: Your two acres must have been REALLY rough if you need a CUT with a backhoe to care for them. :laughing:

 

[kiotiken]

All I can say is that my tractor would be very close to worthless with only 2wd. I rarely take mine out of 4wd.

Interesting, I rarely use 4wd on my DK45, are your tires loaded? Of the 3 tractors I've owned, I've found I need 4wd less and less as the tractor gets bigger and heavier. Still, when you need it, you need it.

 

[GManBart]

Interesting, I rarely use 4wd on my DK45, are your tires loaded? Of the 3 tractors I've owned, I've found I need 4wd less and less as the tractor gets bigger and heavier. Still, when you need it, you need it.

My LS is almost always in 4WD....I'd have gotten it stuck at least a dozen times in the past couple of months without it!

 

[rjwerth]

Interesting, I rarely use 4wd on my DK45, are your tires loaded? Of the 3 tractors I've owned, I've found I need 4wd less and less as the tractor gets bigger and heavier. Still, when you need it, you need it.

Yep. I work in mud in the summer and snow and ice in the winter. The R4s get caked up real quick with wet clay and turn into slicks.

I've also found that the tires do a whole lot less damage going up grassy hills in 4wd than 2wd (more tires pulling the weight). Then when you go back down the hills, I'm much less likely to start sliding and skidding when in 4wd. Turning on the lawn is obviously better in 2wd though....

No, I haven't loaded the tires. Though it would help in certain tasks, I'd just sink faster in the mud and wreck even more havoc on the lawn.

 

[JDgreen227]

Yep. I work in mud in the summer and snow and ice in the winter. The R4s get caked up real quick with wet clay and turn into slicks.

I've also found that the tires do a whole lot less damage going up grassy hills in 4wd than 2wd (more tires pulling the weight). Then when you go back down the hills, I'm much less likely to start sliding and skidding when in 4wd. Turning on the lawn is obviously better in 2wd though....

No, I haven't loaded the tires. Though it would help in certain tasks, I'd just sink faster in the mud and wreck even more havoc on the lawn.

Only time I ever engage 4wd on my tractor except when moving snow is when I am going upgrade (about a 16% slope) to the upper level of my big barn. Even with the MMM installed, one of the rear turf tires begins spinning on the grass halfway up. And that is moving forward, trying to back up means it loses traction at the bottom instead of the middle. I doubt if there would be much difference if the tires were a different tread.

 

[sd455dan]

Only time I ever engage 4wd on my tractor except when moving snow is when I am going upgrade (about a 16% slope) to the upper level of my big barn. Even with the MMM installed, one of the rear turf tires begins spinning on the grass halfway up. And that is moving forward, trying to back up means it loses traction at the bottom instead of the middle. I doubt if there would be much difference if the tires were a different tread.

We needed the 4x4 on the tractor just this last weekend when one of our old pygmy goats had to be put down/ the goat had to be buried, and I dug a bucket wide incline ending in a 4 foot+ hole also had to dig thru about 8" of snow to get to the dirt. Anyway 4x4 is more than nice to have, it really doesn't seem to get in the way when not needed and is virtually mandatory when it is needed...

 

[troutsqueezer]

The bottom line? 4WD is a must and buy a bigger tractor than you think you'll need because you will end up needing it.

I could say the opposite. When you have lots of landscaping, you need to maneuver around without taking down hedges, greenhouses, etc. In these instances, you will end up needing a smaller tractor, not a bigger one. Best thing I ever did was buy a smaller one.

 

[Notforhire]

Well, I think I will stick to either JD, Kubota, or Mahindra. Those dealers are close by. I'm not at all opposed to used, but I'm not about to drive 400 miles to look at potential candidates. Time to spend some money.

To the OP.
You may want to ask with your dealer about a rental return. JD rents to a business for a short time, like harvest time, then sells the tractor. The tractor is sold as new, with full warrenty, and 0% financing.
I am in the process of buying a JD 5055E with 30hrs on it. My future tractor came with a loader, but here is an example of a similar machine. http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7298289, and another http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7500857.
I saved a ton of money and got a much bigger/better tractor than I could have afforded, had I bought a non rental.

Good luck, Bill:thumbsup:

 

[Ted Summey]

From some of the previous posts about 4x4 it seems some of you guys are operating your tractors in awfully slick (non snow) conditions and using your tractors in ways the OP didn't list. Taking a sliding trip down a wet grass hill with no rear traction or brakes and a loader full of whatever makes me think the tractor should be in the shed until it is dry. That isn't sound justification for 4x4. It is a recipe for disaster if new users are convinced that the front end of a 4x4 tractor is going give 100% control in slick hilly conditions. My BIL has a Kubota M5700 4x4 with FEL it has taken more than one of us on one of those trips in DRY conditions on grass. Safety whether wet or dry should always be a concern. To a new user the perception given that 4x4 provides added safety is misguided. A new user needs a bit more respect for wet and slick conditions.

I will agree that 4x4 gives added traction in some situations (like moving snow) but to call it essential for a hobby farmer is a stretch. Many of you certainly believe for your use (like skidding logs and working firewood in the woods) that 4x4 is essential and I am sure justifiably so. And I am equally sure that I am in the minority that believes 4x4 isn't a requirement in South Georgia (the OP's location) any more than it is a requirement in these red clay hills in Stokes County NC. When it is wet, the tractor stays in the barn here. Operating in wet conditions does more damage here than good -4x4 or not.

It is understood that some of you don't have that option and you must work in wet conditions-I say engage the 4x4 and carry on!

 

[pjbci]

To the OP.
You may want to ask with your dealer about a rental return. JD rents to a business for a short time, like harvest time, then sells the tractor. The tractor is sold as new, with full warrenty, and 0% financing.
I am in the process of buying a JD 5055E with 30hrs on it. My future tractor came with a loader, but here is an example of a similar machine. http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7298289
I saved a ton of money and got a much bigger/better tractor than I could have afforded, had I bought a non rental.

Good luck, Bill:thumbsup:

I didnt know they sold rental tractors that way. Last summer i bought a new dzr and my JD dealer told me that they sold rental rental returns this way. He said however much money the dozer had rented for, that this much was taken off the purchase price and still sold as new with new warranty. Too bad they didnt have the size i wanted.

 

[Notforhire]

I didnt know they sold rental tractors that way. Last summer i bought a new dzr and my JD dealer told me that they sold rental rental returns this way. He said however much money the dozer had rented for, that this much was taken off the purchase price and still sold as new with new warranty. Too bad they didnt have the size i wanted.

Another interesting thing. JD is offering (on some models) $1,500 off if you buy two impliments with the tractor. If you are already getting a loader, add a middle buster for $200 and get $1,500 off.

"Too bad they didnt have the size i wanted."
A tree farm had rented several tractors, most of the were rather large. The 5055 was the smallest rental in the contract, so I was lucky.

"Safety whether wet or dry should always be a concern. To a new user the perception given that 4x4 provides added safety is misguided. A new user needs a bit more respect for wet and slick conditions."

I will agree that 4WD isn't a must have. I have owned several 2wd machines. However 4WD does give you four wheel braking and added safety as a result. Going down a muddy slope isn't a good idea no matter what your operating. There is safer, and there is safe. I would say that under those conditions 4WD is "safer".

Best, Bill

 

[sd455dan]

Another interesting thing. JD is offering (on some models) $1,500 off if you buy two impliments with the tractor. If you are already getting a loader, add a middle buster for $200 and get $1,500 off.

"Too bad they didnt have the size i wanted."
A tree farm had rented several tractors, most of the were rather large. The 5055 was the smallest rental in the contract, so I was lucky.

"Safety whether wet or dry should always be a concern. To a new user the perception given that 4x4 provides added safety is misguided. A new user needs a bit more respect for wet and slick conditions."

I will agree that 4WD isn't a must have. I have owned several 2wd machines. However 4WD does give you four wheel braking and added safety as a result. Going down a muddy slope isn't a good idea no matter what your operating. There is safer, and there is safe. I would say that under those conditions 4WD is "safer".

Best, Bill

Another reason to purchase a 4x4 tractor that I don't believe has been covered yet is re-sale value the OP could by a 2 wheel drive, and it may serve his purpose, but 4x4 just seem to hold their value and if someday he should want to trade up or sell, the demand is generally higher on the 4x4 machines, There is an exception of course, the price of older 2 wheel drive tractors makes them a great candidate for a more limited- buy in budget and is the reason I started with a 2 wheel drive myself... By the way, Wonder How the OP search is going

 

[Piston]

Best thing I ever did was buy a smaller one.

Blasphemy!
Those words are NOT to be spoken on TBN!

 

[troutsqueezer]

Blasphemy!
Those words are NOT to be spoken on TBN!

I said smaller, but not cheaper....hence the B21.

Here's what my "smaller" B21 drug up the hill this past week.

This is part of the slope I was working and believe me, I needed 4WD. See the poison oak in the circle? The whole area I cleaned was just like that crop, only filled in solid. 4WD helps me drive over it going uphill when first knocking it over.