Oh, there's no question it adds value, new, but it's also something else to go wrong. Just the mechanics of pivots and seals and gears and u-joints and engagement mechanisms... On the best of units, it might last one half of what a 2wd will go without extensive maintenance. And if not properly maintained, that front assist can cost buku bucks to fix or replace. Is it "needed" for loader work? In most cases, no, but without a 3pt ballast box, it sure does help. Is it needed for field work? They sure do help when applying 150 or more horses to dry ground, especially without duals. But in my book if it's wet enough to get a 2wd stuck, you're either desperate to get a crop off, or messing up ground you shouldn't be on.
I have a hay field that takes a long time to dry out, which was cut and round baled with a MFWD 10 years ago that still has ruts from that cutting. I borrowed a neighbors 30hp MFWD (w/loader) to pull loads of hay off that field, and the extra weight on the front of that tractor (with the axle engaged) was cutting up the field faster than my 2wd with the same load in tow. Not worth it here.
And you haven't really been "stuck" until you have your MFWD throwing mud from 3 or 4 corners and not moving. I've found it a whole lot (several orders of magnitude) easier to get a 2WD un-stuck than a 4WD. Especially since I got rid of my dozer with the winch about 20 years ago.
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Today's Featured Article - The Day Mom Drove the 8N - by Brian Browning. My Dad was wanting to put in a garden but couldn't operate the 8N and handle the old horse drawn plow he had found and rigged up to use with the tractor. Well, he decided to go get Mom out of the house and have her drive the tractor while he walked behind the plow. You got to understand that while my Mom is a hard worker who will always help whenever she can... she had never operated farm machinery before that day. Dad got her out there, explained how the clutch was the same as in our o
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