2wd vs 4wd

Anonymous Poster · Mar 10, 2002

I am in the process of purchaseing a yanmar tractor.. but how do you decide which to get a 2 wheel drive or a 4.

EdKing · Mar 10, 2002

If you have any hills, wet spots, plan to remove snow, or any other traction concerns, get the 4wd.

Ed King

Harv · Mar 10, 2002

This topic has generated some interesting discussions in the past. You might want to amuse yourself by reading the and <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=photos&Number=97849&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post97849>Why FWD threads.

JTD · Mar 10, 2002

MFWD is the cheapest way to increase the "size" of your tractor. It's like adding 1/3 bigger engine and 1/4 more weight (and you never have too much of either).

Bob_Trevithick · Mar 11, 2002

...how do you decide which to get a 2 wheel drive or a 4. 

Very simple.. if you can afford 4WD, get it. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bob

Golfgar4 · Mar 11, 2002

I guess I'd ask the question - why WOULDN'T you want 4wd? You can always run in 2wd until you need 4wd, then you've got it. Yes, it is more expensive, but you sure can't add it later! As much as the extra cost is probably a concern, IMHO I'd be willing to give up a few hp to make sure I had 4wd. Just my $0.02 worth! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Anonymous Poster · Mar 11, 2002

To me no matter where you live you might as well buy a 4wd. The price difference is usually around $1000 sometimes less (depends on size). One big upside to 4wd is resale value. Around here if it ain't 4wd you ain't selling it.

pennwalk · Mar 11, 2002

If you were just going to mow fairly flat land then you wouldn't need 4WD. If you are going to want to use ground contact implements then 4 WD is a big help. If your land is hilly or you have wet spots 4 WD is a big help. If you are going to plow snow 4WD is a big help. Older farm tractors managed to pull plows with 2WD but they were much heavier machines. With light weight small compacts 4WD is.....A BIG HELP.

Chris

Anonymous Poster · Mar 11, 2002

Flip a nickle. Then go buy the 4wd. nuff said. Dola

CSAW · Mar 11, 2002

kket56

Have you noticed any trend here? I have to agree with all the 4wd people, being one myself. It is a lot easier to pull a lever than to pull a tractor. This WILL happen. If you are considering a loader 4wd is an absolute necessity. If you are digging loose dirt 2wd is fine. If you try to push into compacted dirt or dirt with roots and such in it you need the 4wd to push into the pile. Many times I have picked up something heavy with loader then tried to back up just to have the rear wheels spin. (I know I should have balast but I don't always.) Just put in 4wd and back right up.

Going across a wet lawn in 4wd keeps the wheels from spinning and tearing up the grass. The 4wd also gives you additional wheel braking in real slippery conditions. You can pull more.

Best of all you can pull your 2wd friends out and 4WD tractors really LOOK COOL. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Youare · Mar 11, 2002

If you are going to have a FEL then you want 4WD.
If you live where the ground turns soft and muddy once in a while you want 4WD.

If you are just going to mow the lawn you may get by with 2WD.

4WD makes your tractor look like it has muscles/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif.

I have a 2WD Ford of about the same HP as my Kubota with 4WD. The difference is between the two is more than I thought it would be. It's like the difference between 4WD vs. 2WD in a pickup.

It's better to have it and not need it than to wish you had it./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Randy

ericksaircooled · Mar 11, 2002

Living here in North Carolina I have nothing but flat land and really hard red clay in my yard. 2wd is all I need. Have a 2210 and it is pretty heavy. I do spin my little rice tires everyonce in a wile but that is ok. I cut grass mostly or in my case weeds and was afraid of tearing up the weeds with the front tires of a 4x4 model. Also the guy I got mine from did not have a good 4x4 model at the time and i got the best 2wheel one he had. If you go 2wd go with at bigger tractor and add weights. If you can go 4wd than by all means do. Later, Erick

mah · Mar 11, 2002

I have a ym2000 2wd and have done a lot of box blade grading and have been mowing two acres for seven years with no problems. Just my experience.

Mike

TonyC · Mar 11, 2002

Very simple.. if you can afford 4WD, get it.

I have a different twist on that. If you can't afford it wait until you can ! Four wheel drive is the single best thing I have ever done after years of owning 2WD tractors. It is indispensable as far as I'm concerned.

JeffRey30747 · Mar 12, 2002

The one benefit of not having 4WD comes when it is time to replace the rice tires that come on the greys. You don't have to keep the circumference ratio in mind when switching tire sizes since there is no driveline windup to worry about.
That said, my little Yanmar is 4WD. My opinion is that the benefits far outweigh the costs and disadvantages here in my hilly, squishy Georgia clay.

roger_scotty · Mar 12, 2002

Erick has a good point about mowing and 4wd. I've noticed that my 4wd can cut the turf with the fat front tires. That doesn't happen with the thinner implement-type front tires on the 2wd models.
Most of my land is very hilly and snowy so 4wd is a necessity on the compact. The larger farm tractor weighs so much and has such large diam. tires that 2wd is all it needs. Also its weight is distributed more over the rear wheels than a compact as well.

quailman115 · Mar 18, 2002

If you can get a 4WD, do yourself a favor a get one. Don't be like me wishing you had - very happy with my 2010, but would be very, very, very happy if I had gotten a 4WD. Still trying to convince the wife I need to trade!

fasteddie · Mar 18, 2002

Ok, I will weigh in for the 2wd bunch. I went through the same decisions as you are. In the end I purchased a 2202 in 2wd. Where I purchased my tractor the 2wd appeared to be in better shape I'm not sure they are used the same way in Japan as the 4wd units. I was actually able to purchase a much larger tractor in 2wd for the money but I would definetly buy 4wd in a smaller size tractor.
I use my Yanmar for mowing and snow removal. It will plow 6 to 8 inches of snow with no problem (thanks to the rice tires). I plan on changing to some sort of turf tire in the future to make less impact on the lawn in the summer

roger_scotty · Mar 18, 2002

Eddie, I run turf tires. THe chains go on in Novenber and stay till May. For my conditions, the traction with turfs+chains is better than ags without. Don't know about the rice tires, though.