Switching From 2WD to 4WD on the Kubota BX2380 ....

[TheKubotaKing]

Good morning everyone,
first - I did check the official manual, and there is absolutely zero info on how / when you can engage the
4WD option. The manual is actually very sparse in regards to the info on 4WD drive, there's no alert saying not to use it on pavement etc....

That said, yesterday I tried to get my BX2380 into 4WD, and the little lever would not go. I remembered from a YouTube video you can press on the gas pedal and this can help it go into that 4WD drive mode ( by the way, the tractor was OFF while I was doing this ) I pressed the gas pedal, and bingo, it slid into that 4WD mode, or so I thought.

I started the tractor and drove it out onto the gravel driveway, and it didn't feel different. So I put the front loader bucket down on the ground, curled it, and got the front wheels to lift slightly and then gave it a bit of gas by pressing on the pedal, and the front wheels did not turn at all. So I have a feeling it didn't go 100% into that mode with the little lever.....

I guess my real question is ..... how do YOU engage your 4WD mode ? ... do you do it while the tractor is NOT moving ? or is it OK to do this while the tractor is moving very slowly forward ? I can't find any good info on this anywhere. Thanks for your thoughts on this !

 

[hagrid]

Like any unsynchronised system all the splines and teeth need to line up for the shift into 4WD. If the shift lever wont fully engage then move the tractor forwards or backwards a little until the lever moves through its complete stroke... never half way.

 

[dirtydeed]

Most times you simply need to step on the treadle pedal slightly in forward or reverse (sometimes, you won't even need to move) to get the 4wd engaged. If you still can't get it to engage, shift the tractor into neutral and step on the treadle lightly (forward or reverse). It should drop right into 4wd.

The other method that works quite well is to slightly lift the front wheels off the ground with the loader, this usually removes the bind in the driveline and allows 4wd to engage more easily.

You should notice that engaging 4wd will get easier over time...but it will take a while.

 

[85Hokie]

Dirtydeed nailed it ...........
some days it will slide right in..... some days you need to move back and forth a bit.
the neutral trick usually works perfectly.

I find that any incline will cause a tough engagement - then again it really is a flip of the coin.

 

[i7win7]

Mowing with the BX2370: When mowing thru standing water, I shift into/out of 4wd on the fly. However, I can use this roller a few days later if needed.

Yeah sort of a redneck

 

[ctfjr]

On my previous L3400HST and on my current L3800HST I found that moving the steering wheel one way or the other slightly, while depressing the clutch, worked every time.

 

[NCL4701]

The advice about wiggling the steering wheel, lifting front wheels off the ground, and moving the driveline a little in neutral are all good.

Every selectable 2WD/4WD anything I’ve ever had: trucks, 4 wheelers, tractors; every one of them had some fiddly way to get pressure off the driveline to get all the splines to line up enough to get it in or out of 4WD. When you first get one, you have to mess with it a little bit to figure out what it takes for that specific machine. For my L4701 HST sometimes it goes right in/out, sometimes the neutral thing works, lifting the front wheels with the loader works every time. If the loader wasn’t on it I wouldn’t have a lot of confidence I could get it to shift without 10 minutes of fiddling with it.

 

[Mlarv]

The big thing after all this, the tractor needs to be running. It may or mayn't shift into 4wd with out it running. I always star my 2380 roll forward under power or not and then select 4wd. The handle should slide in pretty easy doing it this way. I have rolled it backwards and selected 4wd a few times as well. The other problem you will run into is going into turtle mode. I always select neutral while going slowly forward then let my foot off and slide the handle into turtle mode. Same for coming out of it. Plat with it a bit you will get it.

 

[Henro]

Mowing with the BX2370: When mowing thru standing water, I shift into/out of 4wd on the fly. However, I can use this roller a few days later if needed.
View attachment 51851
Yeah sort of a redneck

Wow, that is a really cool device. Combo box blade and roller?

I can not imagine your being able to use it with a BX for much more than a roller though...not enough weight/traction to accomplish real work. With my BX pulling my 5x8 dump trailer with ton or more of dirt in it, I soon lose traction if going up a bit of a slope...

[typed this a while back and just noticed I did not post it... ]

 

[i7win7]

Wow, that is a really cool device. Combo box blade and roller?

Does a number on mole hills & runs. Have 40gal of hydro oil in drum as a rust retardant. 2 larger tractors to "work it" weighs around 1 ton. Small roller about same weight.