John deere 3050 advice

[John087]

Hi.. I brought a john deere 3050 last week and have started fixing it up... had an issue with putting into reverse but this was down to the high box not disengaging correctly before moving over to the low 1234 section... The one issue that I am having is when I brought the tractor the front wheels were badly worn compared to the back... what it appears to be is in 4 wheel drive the front wheels are spinning slight quicker than the back wheels..even on a pencil passage you can see where the front wheels are actually digging the passage..It is very visible in the field where it is pulling a slurry tanker on a hill...I would really appreciate any advice that anyone might be able give me to understand how this could happen.. I am not a mechanic.. but just love working on this lovely tractor..regards

 

[solo]

In 4wd the front wheels are supposed to run faster than the rear by about 7%. This is how 4wd works on tractors. The only other thing that can alter this ratio is using different tyre sizes. The manual will give you the correct tyre sizes for front and rear to get the ratio right.

 

[haybob]

I remember those tractors well and they did seem to bite when you switched 4wd on. Tyre wear might just be a coincidence or the tracking a bit out. Are the front wheels original ? Are the front guards on it? Or have they been removed to allow for some dodgy big front wheels??

 

[John087]

Thanks so much for the replies... I really appreciate it...
The mudguards are in place but most definitely now I am going to get the tyre specs for back and front..

Just in a related question..does that 7% deviation put a lot of pressure under the 4x4 transmitting system...some tractors have the facility to switch off the 4x4 over a certain speed..would you think has the John deere 3050 got this facility as when you are spreading slurry on hilly ground you always have it activated for safety reasons....my speedometer is not working at the moment is this how the cutoff speed is monitored..

So sorry about the above questions... just nice to get a bit of information from people that really understand this suff...

Thanks so much again for above.. it really has put my mind at rest

 

[Sharpy]

Standard tyre pairings on a 3050 were
16.9 38 and 12.4 28
18.4 38 and 13.6 28 or 16.9 24

 

[haybob]

I don't think those tractors had a auto disengagement unless the 4wd switch has AUTO written on it ? Not sure if the late models had a auto 4wd switch

 

[John087]

Thanks so much Sharpy that is really appreciated... that is great... just at work cannot wait to get home and check...

 

[John087]

Thanks Haybob... it has a toggle switch on the dash with an icon of a circle around the front tyre and an arrow pointing forward... ..

 

[Frankzy]

Just in a related question..does that 7% deviation put a lot of pressure under the 4x4 transmitting system...some tractors have the facility to switch off the 4x4 over a certain speed..would you think has the John deere 3050 got this facility as when you are spreading slurry on hilly ground you always have it activated for safety reasons...

A slong as you're driving on something with a bit of give in it the speed difference won't hurt anything in the transmission.

50 series is too old to have conveniences such as automatic 4wd engagement..

 

[solo]

4wd will be fine on forgiving surfaces. When in the road in 2wd and you press the brakes it will brake the rear axle as well as a disc brake on the prop shaft to the front axle. It's worth checking those brake pads periodically. Modern jd tractors engage 4wd on braking apart from the 50k ones which actually have hub brakes.