Comparison XR3135C

[davidvercher]

Hey Guys, Have a couple of questions? Dealer told me to only run off-road diesel because the road diesel (Yellow) has Ethanol mixed in and can cause problems. Is this a big deal with the new Tier 4 engines. I know ethanol goes bad a will gum up if not used. Also, he told me not to use 4wheel drive unless you need it. He said leaving it in 4wheel drive running down the road can cause it to overheat and damage the front end. Is this true?

 

[skidsareforkids]

Can't answer the 4WD drive question but I can't see why you'd leave it in 4WD when it's not needed. As far as the diesel question off-road and highway diesel all come from the same refineries and are processed the same. Off road diesel has a dye added to it so the tax man can make sure you're not using it in a highway vehicle. I run highway diesel in my LS with no issues. I'd assume most guys do. For the little bit of diesel I use in the tractor on an average weekend (@ 10 gallons) it's not worth it to seek out off-road diesel when I can just fill up two cans when I fill up my truck. The $4 I'd save in taxes isn't worth going out of my way to get it.

 

[davidvercher]

Thanks for the advice, I was thinking the only difference was a dye, but I wasn't sure. I like to keep mine in 4wheel drive while in the woods and while "bush hogging" (I know that's a brand), on my hunting lease which consists of 1,000 acres. So I was planning to leave it in 4wheel drive the entire time due to the terrain.

 

[George2615]

I've never seen E-diesel (diesel with ethanol added) in my area.
#2 diesel at the pump and #2 off road diesel is the same in my area. Only difference is the dye.
The thing to make sure of is, does the diesel you buy have less than 15PPM of sulfur. The new tier 4 diesels require ultra low sulfur (ULSD). Some states still sell low sulfur diesel which has 500PPM sulfur.
I run home heating fuel which is #2 dyed diesel in my LS. When they fill up my HHO tank I have them put some in my tractor fuel storage tank.
We also have #1 diesel (AKA kerosene) and some places sell a mix of #1 and #2 for HHO use.

Use of 4WD on hard surfaces such as pavement or cement is not recommended and can cause drive train binding between the front and rear axles. On most tractors the front and rear tires are different sizes and they turn at different speeds. Gear ratios F&R of course are different. Tractor 4WD should only be used on soft ground.

 

[Fallon]

Tractors only have rear brakes, so if you aren't in 4wd you don't have front brakes. Can be an issue in some situations. I wouldn't ever use my loader at all without 4wd (a 100lbs gate & a slick hill while in 2wd left nasty skid marks under the rear tires & on the seat, improper/no ballast was a contributing factor). I'd leave it in 2wd for most roading stuff though.

 

[DK35vince]

Tractors only have rear brakes, so if you aren't in 4wd you don't have front brakes. Can be an issue in some situations. I wouldn't ever use my loader at all without 4wd (a 100lbs gate & a slick hill while in 2wd left nasty skid marks under the rear tires & on the seat, improper/no ballast was a contributing factor). I'd leave it in 2wd for most roading stuff though.

+1
If my loader is on I leave it in 4 WD.
If I'm working on hills I leave it in 4 WD.

 

[paulfun9]

Using 4 wheel drive as substitution for proper ballast and proper direction of travel going up and down hills is a bad habit that any good operator would recommend against.

 

[DK35vince]

Using 4 wheel drive as substitution for proper ballast and proper direction of travel going up and down hills is a bad habit that any good operator would recommend against.

If you want to risk the tractor taking off down a hill because the rear wheels lost traction in 2WD with no braking from the front go ahead.
Done that, I will continue to use 4WD on hills thank you.

 

[DK35vince]

Using 4 wheel drive as substitution for proper ballast and proper direction of travel going up and down hills is a bad habit that any good operator would recommend against.

My tractor has loaded rear tires and won't hold the hill in 2 WD mowing the hill. Your saying I should mow the hill with the mower lifted ?? How do you mow like that ?
I often take my 300 gallon water trailer up and down the hill. Won't hold it in 2 WD without sliding down the hill. To hold the hill instead of simply using 4WD I should lift the trailer somehow ??
I'm still trying to make any sense of your post ..

 

[Fallon]

Using 4 wheel drive as substitution for proper ballast and proper direction of travel going up and down hills is a bad habit that any good operator would recommend against.

Very true. I was just moving a gate that weighed maybe 100lbs (1000lbs capacity on the loader) so I figured I didn't need to bother putting my box blade or anything else on. It wasn't that steep of a hill going down to the back of my barn at all either. But the skid marks & pallet fork sized holes in the back of my barn tell a very different story. Pretty sure I had the rear tires loaded at that point too.

I let off the HST & kept going. Puckered up & hit the brakes. Puckered up even more & stabbed my barn with the forks.

I'm sure I'd have been fine with either proper ballast or being in 4wd. Modern CUTs are balanced way differently than old 2wd iron. Although that old iron really wasn't designed for loaders much either.