Tight turning with 4WD on

   / Tight turning with 4WD on #21  
I use the individual brakes on my MFWD tractors regularly and have since I bought my first one. There's never been a problem doing so, so I see no reason not to continue.

Of course, I don't have the front wheels engaged on hard surfaces either.

SR
 
   / Tight turning with 4WD on #22  
There is alot of give and take about turning brakes and 4x4. These discussions never end well.
Drove 2wd tractors for over 50 years before driving my first 4wd tractor, and using turning brakes to make a short turn on a slippery surface was and still is automatic. But the first time I tried it with the 4wd engaged the resulting noise from the front end told me it was a very, very bad idea. Now, I don't use turning brakes on that tractor even when in 2wd.
 
   / Tight turning with 4WD on #23  
I looked at the owners manual for my TC45DA and it does NOT say not to use the turning brakes when in 4WD.
Just remember, your manual was provided by the folks with high dollar replacement parts for you.
 
   / Tight turning with 4WD on #24  
I have a JD 5055e. I know it's not good to turn sharp in 4WD in vehicles. Is this also true with tractors or should I not be worried about it?

TIA
Turn however sharp you need and leave it on unless going a long distance on paved surfaces, for safety. No 4WD? 2w brakes, only on rear. You'll skip going downhill.
 
   / Tight turning with 4WD on #25  
Turn as sharp as you want on loose/slippery surfaces. No issue. Since front axle of tractor generally runs a few % faster than rear tires, front axle helps you turn. Can't run 4wd on hard surface (high traction), even in straight line

Pickup truck 4wd can run on hard surfaces in straight line since front/rear turns same speed, turning will bind it bad.
Running in 4 on trucks, on hard surfaces, wears ring and pinion out. I've seen it wear them out or shear the bolts holding ring gear to diff. Seen both many times.
 
   / Tight turning with 4WD on #26  
Running in 4 on trucks, on hard surfaces, wears ring and pinion out. I've seen it wear them out or shear the bolts holding ring gear to diff. Seen both many times.

Something has to give somewhere, either the tires slip or something else does.

Perfect straight line and identical gearing/tires there isn't anything to bind up.

I had an older truck with manual hubs & manual t case, you easily could shift in and out of 4x4 with zero lever effort 50 MPH on pavement since there was no strain on the gearing. Moment you turned a corner you could feel it bind. No reason to run 4x4 on hard surface anyways. Just usually a pain pulling off a snow covered road in 4x4 and having to make a 90 on bare pavement.
 
   / Tight turning with 4WD on #27  
Something has to give somewhere, either the tires slip or something else does.

Perfect straight line and identical gearing/tires there isn't anything to bind up.

I had an older truck with manual hubs & manual t case, you easily could shift in and out of 4x4 with zero lever effort 50 MPH on pavement since there was no strain on the gearing. Moment you turned a corner you could feel it bind. No reason to run 4x4 on hard surface anyways. Just usually a pain pulling off a snow covered road in 4x4 and having to make a 90 on bare pavement.
My understanding is that the front wheels on a compact tractor are geared to run as much as 5% faster than the rear wheels. This tends to put things in a bind on hard surfaces such as pavement.
The RPM of the front wheels is much more than 5% greater than the rears but smaller diameter so MPH is within the 5% or so.
 
   / Tight turning with 4WD on #28  
With my R4 tires, it becomes very obvious on the grass if I forget to take it out of 4WD after getting through a wet spot. The front wheels mark up the lawn more than a little bit if I turn too sharply.
 
   / Tight turning with 4WD on #29  
My experience is the tractor will practically pivot on one rear tire in 2wd, but in 4wd since the front tires are locked to the rear, the front tires can't speed up faster for the turn so it holds you back. I rarely have the brake pedals split on the 4wd unless I am in real tight quarters, or using my semi mount drill (tractor in 2wd to seed)

The 2wds I use turning brakes routinely.

Kubota has/had a bispeed front axle om some models that when you turned sharp in 4wd, the front axle upshifted and pulled you around.
2wd will lock the inside rear wheel, so all power is to the outside rear. The inside front does not stop in a turn (it is slower than the outside, but not to the degree of the rears). Using brakes as a turn aid on 4wd with open front diff will cause the outside front tire to rotate too fast, and the inside front to drag, creating wear on the drive train and tires that is not value to work. I THINK, that is why I only use brakes as a turn aid with or in 2wd. I do look forward to a definitive answer if I am off.

best,

ed
 
 
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