First off Coyote, let me say I'm not being argumentative. I appreciate your input and have read much you have posted in this forum.
If I'm up on the level road using the fel to move the snow banks from point A to Point B and I don't need the traction wouldn't it be OK and maybe efficient to use 2wd and high range (the tires aren't slipping and the engine/HST aren't straining or stalling)? I thought the HST would go into relief (right term?) or start to stall the engine if I was overworking it. For pushing snow and heavy lifting I use low range and 4wd if I lose traction. I don't have a plow on the tractor; I plow with the quad and then move the piles out of the way with the FEL.
The last thing I want to do is damage my tractor but I also want to work efficiently. Each storm I end up doing at least 2 neighbors driveways and road frontage. Most with the plow, some snow moving/pushing with the tractor.
Thanks for all the input. I really like my little Kioti and don't want to mistreat him.
Buggs67,
Not to worry; I'm not seeing your wanting to know how to best use your tractor as being argumentative in any way.
I made a mistake about your tractor's ranges and wanted to correct my error. Thanks for pointing it out TB Donnely; otherwise I would have mislead you, Buggs67, and possibly others. And I don't want to do that, obviously, it serves no one well.
FWIW, seems I read TB Donnley's PM to me, in my email, and thought it was Buggs67 correcting me on the no High range; which is why I erred when trying to correct my original error, yikes, I got this whole thing so messed up...
thanks TB for the correction).
Here's what I suggest. Send us some pics of what you're doing and where, and let us see the terrain, etc.
Meantime, I personally would use 4wd to push snow to keep from possible sliding/slipping, etc. that might occur if only in 2wd. Consider this: 4wd is for use on non-dry surfaces, or mud/snow, etc. where extra traction is needed. You HAVE 4wd; I say use it to give you an extra margin of error to protect your tractor and yourself when using it. Why not? You have it, use it. It won't hurt anything, so long as you're not using it on dry surfaces, hard surfaces which are clean, (no snow/ice/mud).
Rather than wait until you're slipping to engage 4wd, or low range, go to 4wd first, then engage low range, if needed for extra control. The relief will kick in if you attempt to go beyond the relief setting while doing whatever work. I would again see what works best in terms of range and especially throttle speed/RPMs and let the relief take care of itself. Try to work within its limits and not try to work to its limit. The more hours you use your tractor the less you should hit the relief limit. Hope this helps.
for instance, I am in 4wd almost all the time in winter; I have long steep curving driveways, gravel under packed snow and ice, and my use of 2wd is therefore almost non-existent. I also use aggressive chains, when needed to keep me from slipping off the roadbed into the ditch, which I did last winter because I was too lazy to install the chains yet and was plowing alongside my road between my properties and got a rear tire over the embankment, with my backhoe and plow on. That was it for a day & 1/2 of digging by hand, and trying to pull her out with a pickup - no chance; and eventually having to ask for help from my down the road neighbor with a smaller Kubota. He was very helpful, but even so it was a major effort to get me back up the embankment and onto the road.
Guess I didn't heed the complete message though; so far I'm still without chains this winter, and have yet another storm coming tomorrow that could make me regret this decision.
:confused3:
Do as I say- not as I do!:laughing:
