Kubota 4WD tractor vs Nissan 4WD wagon

Same i think you should treat all machinery as dangerous and use them only for what they are made for. Know of a friend who was recently thrown out of a tractor which resulted in him being run over and rear wheels becoming stuck on his foot while still spinning tore half his foot off. Had to crawl along way for help and was flown away to have foot removed. Couple of days later a bloot clot formed from result of the injury and went to his brain causing him to fall into a coma. Meanwhile other leg hasnt healed and had to be amputated also. His chances of waking from this coma are not very good and even if he does he will be brain damaged and wont have any feet. A very awful accident that really has turned the life of himself and family and friends upside down and inside out. He is a very experienced machinery operator and i had worked with him for many years. I really hope he does pull through and that everything turns out to be ok, but its all in gods hands now. You really dont wish this upon anyone who is just having a play in a machine but accisents can happen so easily.

Craig, A very sensible reply IMHO. ( IF STABILITY IS IMPORTANT THEN WIDE AXLE TRACTORS WOULD BE MORE SUITABLE) As a machine operator for years, I ihave seen that many accidents its not funny!!. The problem is with bloody Kubota tractors is that they are in no way at all designed for hilly country Full stop!!!. I work along side a massey Ferguson 390 4wd tractor every second week, in areas that are so steep That a landrover in reverse can't get enough fuel...LOL. What the bottom line is, knowing the the capabilities of the machine your operating.


Cheers Axle.

Sorry Pete , No Way will a 4by out perform a DECENT 4wd tractor in steep country !!, especially one with a implement on the back eg, ( Grader Blade).

Cheers Axle.

Sorry Pete , No Way will a 4by out perform a DECENT 4wd tractor in steep country !!, especially one with a implement on the back eg, ( Grader Blade).

Cheers Axle.

Have to agree with Axle, there are ways to tackle a steep hill in a tractor safely, it is far more capable a climber.

I still have the T2, almost 400,000 kms now & still going strong.
What model diff lock do you ave fitted?
I have heard that the rear diff is the same as a Patrol, not sure which model Patrol though.

Hi Shaker,

The RD78A ARB locker can be fitted to the T2 H233 B rear diff.

It's the same locker as with some Y60 and Y61 GQ and GU Patrols.

Interestingly, the T2's rear diff (with possibly some mods) serves as the front diff on those Patrol models. Some Navaras and Pathfinders also have the H233B fitted to the rear.

Apart from one leak from the air comp, I've had no probs. T2 has been trouble free too. Good luck with your T2. I' m sure you crack the 0,5 million mark with no hassles..!

What size tyres are you using?

30 inch, and a well used set of 31 muddies with rims that I managed to get from a wrecker.

I didn't think 31s would clear, are they on Toyota rims?

They have actually scraped a bit on full lock upwards but I think that's because there is more suspension flex built into the rear. Wheel spacers are illegal, so you need rims with more offset, but I haven't really looked into which rim would suit.

I spoke to a guy recently who had 31 coopers on the T2, and he said no scraping issues. I have trimmed the front flexible plastic guards a bit for clearance. My 31 rims are Navara steel rims I think, from a wrecker.

A 4WD (ute) can actually do many jobs safer than a tractor and I would use the ute every time it is possible.

Imagine trying to pull someone out of a bog using a snatch strap with a ROPS tractor. If the shackle on the other end lets go, it may well hit you in the back while you are pulling the bogged vehicle out while riding your tractor. Tie a metal plate onto the headboard on a ute covering the back of it, and you are much safer behind it.

Also, I wouldn't pull anyone out of a bog at an angle tying the rope to the back of the tractor as the pull may lift the front of tractor into the air. I've actually seen this happen. Just use a ute or a fourby. A tractor pulling a trailer to a job requiring some traction on a paddock is much slower than a 4WD ute.

These are just some of the examples where a fourby can do the job of a tractor (and vice versa).

I am comparing the 4WD capabilities of a compact tractor to a capable 4WD wagon. But I need the tractor to do jobs like FEL and backhoe work digging electrical cable runs and sewer runs etc.

I am actually very much safety conscious and I think if should be evident from my postings such as this.

There are thousands of maintenance company managers, private contractors and operators etc who compare and evaluate tractors vs fourbys as a part of their job or business.

Go to alpine regions of Australia, America, Canada, Northern Europe, for example. You'll see heaps of F series 4WD trucks etc. pushing snow plows there instead of a tractor, in Northern Europe it's usually the Hilux ute with a snow plow in the front. The reason is obvious: Best return for money, tractors are just too slow to get ridden from job to job. But if the jobs are near each other, they may use tractors with FEL's or plows, or a Bobcat.

Slashing is possible by towing a petrol powered slasher behind a 4WD on a paddock. Even log splitting is possible by utilising the PTO from the gearbox of an older 4WD to run a hydraulic pump (if you only using a tractor for slashing, this is a cheaper option for you, a decent Rocky will cost you a couple of grand, but you can't get a decent tractor for less than around 5-10 grand)

I was curious to know what difference a higher centre of gravity, unlimited approach and departure angles, and bigger tyres with agricultural tyres on a compact 4Wd tractor would make offroad. But the only answer is death or serious injury. Lucky my property is all flat. But further by that logic, any car without a padded roll cage, rally seats, 4-point linkage rally seatbelts, a helmet, and ice hockey knee pads would mean death or serious injury too. I might actually buy an ex-rally car for careful public road use. After all, I used to race them once.

Roll Over Protection System

Dunaruna

Many thanks

Cheers

Brian (Gold Coast)

Legal requirement Australia wide although exemptions are available in special circumstances.