Traction 4WD BROKE?

[dickfoster]

Excellent advice!
Fronts always are 10-15% 'faster' than the rear so the front literally drags the whole (heavy) tractor around, and that being said the front is simply not really up to the job on its own.
Only when the front threads are well worn down do both front and rear pull equally.

Best is to only engage frt drive when you lose traction with rears, otherwise do not engage the front.
And in passing that also goes for 4 x 4 trucks, (busted a few axles over the years)

Take up rockcrawling and you'll become a regular axle bustin, gear strippin, driveshaft snappin and fixin expert. LOL The real fun starts when you have to do it out in middle of the boondocks somewhere, cause AAA ain't commin.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Excellent advice!
Fronts always are 10-15% 'faster' than the rear so the front literally drags the whole (heavy) tractor around, and that being said the front is simply not really up to the job on its own.
Only when the front threads are well worn down do both front and rear pull equally.

Best is to only engage frt drive when you lose traction with rears, otherwise do not engage the front.
And in passing that also goes for 4 x 4 trucks, (busted a few axles over the years)

Front lead tractor specs top out at around 7% ... With greater steering nimbleness increasing with lead. It stresses the front drive a bunch tho, so keep it in the area of 5%.

 

[DavesTractor]

Excellent advice!
Fronts always are 10-15% 'faster' than the rear so the front literally drags the whole (heavy) tractor around, and that being said the front is simply not really up to the job on its own.
Only when the front threads are well worn down do both front and rear pull equally.

Best is to only engage frt drive when you lose traction with rears, otherwise do not engage the front.
And in passing that also goes for 4 x 4 trucks, (busted a few axles over the years)

3-5% lead (as opposed to lag) by the front axle is my understanding, at least on compact tractors. I agree though that the front axle is much less able to handle large loads and is only an "assist".

...breaking 4x4 pickup axles? You and DickFoster need to make a club.

 

[DavesTractor]

Spyderlk....we must have been typing at about the same time. And again we are on the same page.

 

[oldpilgrim]

I was using my tractor one day, all day last week, trenching and moving dirt and stone, pretty much non stop for about 6 hours.

The job was about 1/2 mile from home and so I drove it there.

When I left the job site, and went on to the paved road, in H gear and at about 2000 rpm, I noticed that the tractor seemed very loud. At first I chalked it up to me wearing ear protection all day and not when driving home. The tractor was VERY noisy, sounded like heavy gear meshing. Then it dawned on me that I was in 4wd. Flip the lever and finished the drive normally.

I can sure see how 4wd on hard ground could seriously damage something in the drive train.