Why FWD

[jdkid]

Hi ya
i get the feeling ya talking about the backend coming right up off the ground .i have done the same on hills with a bale on a FEL and last bale on bale feeder behind axle i turned down hill and stoped dead in my tracks ,gut feeling was thing are wrong here got off and yep top side was 4 foot of ground bit of a restack and off we go againg ...would FWA help in this case NO it would have pulled the front down hill making the angle worse
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[MossRoad]

I think we're mixing apples and oranges here. We can't compare a 2 wheel drive tractor that is capable of operating a 6 bottom plow to a small compact utility tractor. But if we take the same compact utility tractor in both 2 and 4 wheel drive models, both equally equipped, I'm pretty sure that the 2 wheel drive model will spin the tires well before the 4 wheel drive model. The key words here are "equally equipped". That is the only fair way to compare them. To me, the 4 wheel drive option is well worth the additional cost for someone that often operates in poor traction conditions, such as snow, mud, wet grass or loose soil.

 

[ric]

MossRoad,
When I was a kid (9 to 12)I lived on a large farm. One of my many jobs included keeping the feed lot used by the cows and hogs clean and everybody fed. I had two old 2wd Ag tractors to work with, an Oliver and a Deere. One had a loader and the other a plow mounted on the front. My number one job was not to cause a problem that would bring somebody out of the fields to fix. Those feed lots were always a mess and muddy and the stock was always around where you were working. Learned alot, never got stuck, slid around alot, never killed or injured anything and did learn how to pull one tractor with another. Only had to go to the fields once when one of the cows layed down and would not get up. Looking back I don't know that 4wd would have helped all that much in fact it might have been a liability due to sluggish steering in tight quarters.
Anyway 2wd worked for me. ric

 

[jdkid]

Hi MossRoad
the 4 wheel drive option is well worth the additional cost for someone that often operates in poor traction conditions, such as snow, mud, wet grass or loose soil.
yep thats where they come in to there own only thing is FWA (what 99%of us have )is not true 4X4 the main thing this helps with is over coming rolling restionce(??)it will give better pulling too i'll give ya case in mind
a guy i used to work for had a 70 Hp agri tractor full wieghted, good agri tries pulling a tiller with 15 tines ,never got stuck(i added that meaning did not go where ya would get stuck ) used brakes to help steer in soft dirt .... ok he sold that tractor and got a new one with FWA he added 4 more tines to his tiller ,had less wheel slip,used less fuel to do the same job,less wear on brakes as front axle pulled tractor around ....even tho his 2wd could do the same job ,the added cost of FWA was more than coved by better outputs per day
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[frank_f15]

could not imagine having a compact tractor without 4wd. the added traction needs only to be felt once. the difference is amazing.

 

[TresCrows]

What sluggish steering do you refer? Just a question.
J

 

[ric]

4wd tractors do not steer as well as 2wd when they are in 2wd due to the resistance of the front drive train. When you engage 4wd the resistance is enhanced making the steering sluggish. My 4wd tractor does not have power steering so you can really feel the difference. The 2wd tractor I have in the same family of tractor does not have power steering but steers like a sports car. Once a year I rent a 40hp JD compact 4wd with an 8' bush hog to clear as much more of my property as I can cut down in 8 hours. This is a super nice tractor and steers nice(PS), the only draw back is it has R4 tires and I did manage to get it stuck once in a soft spot in 4wd. Unstuck it with my wife driving the 245 in 2wd with the R1 tires. The rental guy said this happens alot with this tractor the next one gets R1's front and rear. I sure like his Deere, runs and drives great I've rented it several times. I've also rented bobcats from the same place many times. I can do in two days what it would take to do in a month on the tractor. Runs great, ride is horrible and they do get stuck, pulled one out twice with my tractor over the years. ric

 

[TresCrows]

Kubota has bispeed for the 2410, NH has supersteer, in any case neither my BX or 2410 has sluggish steering in 4WD. It does steer differently but still with just one pinky on the wheel. Small tractors with out 4WD are severely handicapped--it is like adding a 1,000 lbs and 10 horsepower -- my opinion. J

 

[frank_f15]

agree here with trescrows, my b2400 with ps steers so much easier that my ford 2n. don't really notice any diff whether i am in 2 or 4 wd. it still steers easy.

 

[Bird]

Hmm, maybe there was a difference that I just didn't think about, but I don't recall ever noticing any difference in the steering in 2WD vs. 4WD in either my B2710 (with power steering) or my B7100 (without power steering). Of course, I could sure tell a difference in the steering on the B7100 if I had a load in the bucket, regardless of whether it was in 2WD or 4WD./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif