4 wheel drive all the time? or just when needed

[RalphVa]

I have a bobcat 2025 (kioti) with 55 hours so far; got it this spring. I really only need to engage the front axle when moving dirt or slogging through muddy trails. All my mowing and manure spreading are easily done in 2wd. Any reason to use the front axle every once and a while? I don't really notice a difference either way; power or steering etc.

All the time except when running a distance on pavement. With 2WD, you only have 2 wheel brakes. Go down a hill and the rear wheels will just skid. Could skid sideways and turn over.

 

[SmallChange]

The tractor I daydream of inventing, in this ever more electrical and electronic world, would control all the motions of all four wheels all the time. Not like a differential that LETS the wheels rotate according to their travel over the ground. No, full time intelligence and geometry calculation and control that FORCES the wheels to rotate according to what their travel over the ground is supposed to be. You could stop and start this tractor with any two of the wheels on wet ice, and rock it back and forth, and there'd be no slippage, until you got even the wheels on dry pavement to slip. I've never heard of any vehicle doing this, but it could definitely be done. I have done multi axis machine control with stepper and servo motors, and this is absolutely doable. Maybe, as electric vehicles continue to become more common, we will see it.

 

[stevem5215]

The Steiner 4wd system is very close to what you describe in operation. I have driven it up my icy driveway that I could not walk on without falling. It's an awesome 4wd system on it.

 

[K Arno]

My machine tears up the ground when the front "assist" is on so only when I need it.

 

[CoyPatton]

Only when needed.

I will add that if you live in an area with hills....use 4wd when going down hills.

Tractors dont have front brakes only rear. By engaging 4wd you are mechanically coupling the front and rear axle together. So when you hit the brakes, all 4 tires are trying to stop the tractor and not just the back two, which with a loader on and nothing on the rear coupled with down hill could be bad if only in 2wd.

Other than that, if you dont need the front for pulling traction or for braking traction....leave it in 2wd

I agree engage 4WD when going downhill. I agree it it mechanical (somewhat) couples the front to the rear (it is not a 1:1 as the axles turn at different rates of speed unless front and rear tires are the same size)
I disagree that you have front brakes as you have coupled the front and rear. You fid not magically add the mechanical function of brakes to the front axle by putting the tractor into 4WD!
Still 4WD going down hill is advisable as you will gain the mechanical advantage of power to control speed going downhill. However put ballast on the rear of your tractor to maintain ground contact with your rear tires!

 

[Max Power]

I have a bobcat 2025 (kioti) with 55 hours so far; got it this spring. I really only need to engage the front axle when moving dirt or slogging through muddy trails. All my mowing and manure spreading are easily done in 2wd. Any reason to use the front axle every once and a while? I don't really notice a difference either way; power or steering etc.

only when needed or you expect to need it. i.e. if there is a possibility of getting stuck it is better to be engaged beforehand.
for all other times it is harmful to have 4 wheel drive engaged.
1) it increase fuel consumption.
2) it increases wear on drive components and tires.
3) it will tear up lawns or sod more then when not in 4X4.
4) it can and will damage front axle drive components under some conditions such as hard surfaces.

 

[LD1]

I agree engage 4WD when going downhill. I agree it it mechanical (somewhat) couples the front to the rear (it is not a 1:1 as the axles turn at different rates of speed unless front and rear tires are the same size)
I disagree that you have front brakes as you have coupled the front and rear. You fid not magically add the mechanical function of brakes to the front axle by putting the tractor into 4WD!
Still 4WD going down hill is advisable as you will gain the mechanical advantage of power to control speed going downhill. However put ballast on the rear of your tractor to maintain ground contact with your rear tires!

This gets debated more times than it should.

IT doesnt matter WHERE in the system the "physical" brake pads are. Everything mechanically coupled to it will now "brake" when the brakes are applied.

So YES, engaging 4wd adds front axle braking. I wouldnt call it magic, but YES it adds the mechanical function of braking to the front axle.

 

[BubbaLouie]

I have a bobcat 2025 (kioti) with 55 hours so far; got it this spring. I really only need to engage the front axle when moving dirt or slogging through muddy trails. All my mowing and manure spreading are easily done in 2wd. Any reason to use the front axle every once and a while? I don't really notice a difference either way; power or steering etc.

Mowing or bush hogging on smooth flat land use 2WD.
If the field was previously a crop field with bumpy rows, 4WD works better for me.
74 HP Case, 84 inch bush hog.

 

[k0ua]

I would agree that only use it when you need 4wd. However, I am in the Ozarks. Nothing is flat. If you take it out of 4wd, you better know when you will need it before it happens. My road is steep and gravel. After all the times and all the work I have done on the road, I should have remembered when I took it out of 4wd. I put a gas generator (200 pounds) chained to the front bucket. I did not attach the box blade as usual. Went slowly down the road, decided to slow down a little, couldn't. Applied the brakes - slid 18 feet before getting it stopped. Couldn't put the bucket down to the ground - hauling the generator on chain hooks. I thought to myself - Damn idiot - will you never learn? I know it increases wear on the front axle gears, but maybe that is the price of operating on hilly property. I have liquid in the tires. .

Same here in Branson. We only have up and down. There is no flat. In 4 WD about 98 percent of the time here. I am in 2WD on the pavement portion of the drive way when turning or on the "lawn" to prevent tearing up the grass. But as noted you need to be in 4WD most of the time or you will end up in the creek.

 

[jacspath]

As Mr. crap-in-his-pants above has so well illustrated, keeping ones mind on all of the variables when in hilly terrain can put you in a serious situation at sudden unthinking moments. I leave mine in 4 all the time except when on pavement [which is maybe 5% of my typical week]. I prefer to risk getting stuck than risk getting dumped.