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2WD vs. 4WD


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How much more effective is 4WD over 2WD? Maybe a hard question to answer but I'm beginning to question the ability of my 2WD tractor to climb certain slopes on my property. While the tractor is barely able to climb a section without attachments, it doesn't make it with a dozer blade installed.
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Don't know about 4WD but do you have fluid in your rear tires and/or weights? Fluid in the tires worked wonders for my B-1 when climbing hills/slopes.
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quote:
Originally posted by Roy
Don't know about 4WD but do you have fluid in your rear tires and/or weights? Fluid in the tires worked wonders for my B-1 when climbing hills/slopes.
No they don't. How do you go about doing that? Is there some special fluid to use for it? And what about corrosion on the inside part of the rims? I don't have to worry about freezing being in the Southwest if it makes a difference in the type of fluid used.
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This is kind of a 2 sided answer. First, if you add weight to the front end you remove weight from the traction of the drive tires and add resistance to what the rear tries to push. I normally add a rear attachment to help replace the traction. Of course this is greatly amplified when trying to climb an angle. Adding more weight on the rear would continue to help, and haveing 4 wheel drive would certainly provide superior traction I'd be cautios of gaining to much traction and climbing an angle too steep to maintain stability and control. Too much of a good thing and so on. I'd recommend as much traction as you can make for pushing, working and so on But I'd really use caution in gaining traction for climbing. If you can't control the tractor going sideways across the hill, I wouldn't want to climb it as if you were to get sideways you would run the risk of flipping over. This being a general rule of thumb.
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quote:
Originally posted by Beeser
How much more effective is 4WD over 2WD? Maybe a hard question to answer but I'm beginning to question the ability of my 2WD tractor to climb certain slopes on my property. While the tractor is barely able to climb a section without attachments, it doesn't make it with a dozer blade installed.
Be careful that you don't climb at an angle greater then the oil pan can safley lubricate the crank and other vital parts. When you have only a couple of quarts of oil to do stuff, you are limited on what kind of mountain goat you can have.
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Along with the warning on getting sideways and having it tip over, I have had the front come up and flip all the way over backwards with the blades turning. That was a ride. I acidentally let my foot slip off the clutch on a manual tractor while I was slowly braking it backwards down the hill. Pop. I just hung on to the steering wheel with a death grip to stay on the topside of the tractor. I already have enough missing body parts from mowers. This was when I lived in town, I think the neighbors were convinced I was a nutjob. As long as a person is slow and careful, counterweight with your body as much as possible, and stays tuned in to what the tractor is doing you should be ok.
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Beeser, Can you define "it doesn't make it" as per your initial post? I'm wondering if you are spinning tires or engine bogging down or clutch slipping or ??? I'm assuming you're spinning, and if that's the case your front dozer blade (it is on the front, right?) has created enough weight to balance the weight of the tractor to the front, thus decreasing available downforce (gravity) on the rear tires. Oh, wait, just read Dave's post....what he said. Couterweight the rear, just be cautious as 2burning wisely pointed out, it can really be easy to flip one. Found that out myself when I tried to pull something once...wheels stopped, tractor kept a goin' up and up and....ouch. Do you have wheel weights on this tractor? I am leery of adding fluid to tires, have two Power King rims completely rusted out as a result of water in the tires, but others swear by it. Has to go in an inner tube, though, from what I've been told, to keep it from leaking and rusting out your rims.
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I have a 4x4 AGCO 2027 Diesel and like it so much better over AGCO -Allis 918 when mowing on slopes in my yard. The 918 would do a Great job mowing ,but when i would mow side ways on the slopes the rear tires would spin.The same holds true on the AGCO 2027 when in 2 wheel drive.As soon as i put the tractor in 4x4 the tractor has more traction all the way around.I am waiting to get more snow so i can compare with summertime use.I have the weightbox on the tractor to use with the loader when plowing snow or moving dirt or mulch.I like 4x4 alot better for mowing on slopes or moving dirt than i do 2 wheel drive on my AGCO 918. You pay more for the tractor but can do more with it.
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Working on a hills and slops or maintainting hilly yards I hope your talking about just mowing the hill sides. It is best to drive stright down the hill and then backing up the hill. It takes a lot longer but so dose healing from a accident. Your question about 4 wheel drive? Well it may help some to try four wheel drive, but a 4 wheel drive or 2 wheel on a hill the laws of gravity are the same. To much slop over she goes. I know many a guys buy a 4 wheel drive trucks and get stuck just as much as befor. Of the many odvious differnces with the tractors talked about with this club, the one most forget it the width, it is like only 34 to 36". Compaired to the new expenceve or cheeper tractors out today the wheel width are like 40" and wider. Also the same with the PowerMax versies todays compact tracots. If I had a lot hilly yard to mow, I'd add some fluid to the back tires and maybe add a set of duals to the tractor {to help in traction and add width) allso get all ag lug tires. And when in dought about driving up a steep hill I' be safe and back up the hill. I feel you would get just as much done with this kind of a setup 2 wheel over 4 wheel tractor. But you mentioned a dozer blade on a steep hill. Any hill will have washouts and if you are asking if these tractors can grade up hill to replace the washout? well your talking a hole diferent story. Best there would be to pick up the washed out dirt from the bottom of the hill. Then take it back to the top and let it fall/roll back into the washout. Good luck and be safe.
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Speaking of 4w drive, as I enterd the club site, the member in the spotlight was acken and a picture of his B110 4wd project. What ever happend with that?? Is he still around?? I don't remember seeing or hearing any more about it. Elon
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Morris - The wheels spin. As for weight balance, I was hoping the rear wheel weights would compensate for the extra front dozer weight. Dozer's weight (225 lbs.) at about 30 inches forward of the front wheels = 6750 in. lbs. Extra weight (160 lbs.) at about 55 inches rear of the the front wheels - 8800 in. lbs. Based on the above calculations, the rear wheel weights should've more than compensated for the dozer weight. I'm now leaning in the direction of Dave's answer about the front wheels diggin in. Thanks for your comments Chad. I may have to rethink whether this Pmax that I have will be useful enough to keep. I have other slopes on my property that are more challenging than the one first encountered.
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I had a 620 Allis Chalmers that i sold,because i needed something that had 4x4 plus the AGCO 2027 Diesel can do more for me than a 620 could have.The 620 was going to cost me more to get a loader and to restore it than i could have spent on a new subcompact AGCO tractor.I sold the tractor after i bought the AGCO 2027 and am glad i did.You need to think about the upkeep on the unit .My Diesel has filters and such but i in the longrun will get more hrs out of the tractor than i would on a 2 wheel drive.
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Beeser, While 4wd will definately outperform a 2wd tractor in the traction department, you can do some things to help out before you give up on your tractor. I also have a P'Max and have been quite impressed on how much traction the thing does have with turf tires and no weight. As the other guys said before, you can add fluid to the rear tires. If you were to use windsheild washer fluid, it won't freeze up on you and will not rot out the rims. My Legacy has this in it's rear tires and has really helped while cutting grass on my hill. There are no tubes in these tires and so far nothing has leaked out. Also you could mount lug tires on the rear. (Something I'm doing to my Max this winter) This would make a huge difference for you. Yes you have to be careful on the hills to not flip it over, but these PowerMax's are quite a bit longer and heavier in the front than a normal GT. Plus you will have a blade hanging on the front so I think you should be fairly safe. Of course, I haven't seen your "hill". There's no mountain goats hanging around are there???
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