Your truck is 4 wheel DRIVE and is driving all four wheels (but usually only two) through a transfer case and two differentials while the JD X304 is all wheel steering and is not driving all four wheels.

justalurker,

i thought of that, but on the tractor, the power is to the rear wheels. and the rear wheels are turning. how is that any different than on a truck where power is at the front wheels (in addition to the rear wheels) and the front wheels are turning? it seems to be the same principle, but different set of wheels.

what made me think of this is that when i'm going full speed and turning hard on my x304, i can feel there is some wheel slippage because the wheels are turning at a different rate.

The front wheels on the X304 are free wheeling and can turn at the speed they turn rather than powered and turning under power as they are on the truck with 4wd.

The slippage you feel on the X304 is from the crude and limited steering geometry of a L&G tractor. I feel the same slippage when turning on my front wheel steer X500 and it seems more like plowing than slippage to me. I've felt the same plowing in the front wheels while turning under power on all my L&G products.

i understand the concept at the front wheels...it is the same for 2ws tractors (x300)

but the x304 has four wheel steering...the rear wheels also turn just as the front wheels do (though opposite direction), so power is not being applied in a straight line, but rather to a set of turning wheels...just like on a turning 4wd truck.

Remember that the setup of the steering geometry on the X304 is CRUDE. No adjustment for caster or camber and toe in or out is rarely set properly.

Regardless of how the power is applied on the X304 the mass of the tractor IS powered from the rear and that has an effect on the steering in corners while the 4wd truck front wheel(s) are powered (at least one) and is (are) pulling through the corner while the mass of the truck is being pushed from the rear AND the steering geometry is more correct and the diameter of the truck wheels is far larger than the front wheels on the X304.

You are comparing two vehicles at opposites of the spectrum in general design, steering design, power train design, mass, and execution... apples and oranges.

so you're saying that the x304's significantly less power and weight makes binding a nonissue...?

The X304 is pushing the tractor through the turn with the rear wheel(s) while the truck is pushing with the rear wheel(s) AND pulling with the front wheel(s) and that alone is entirely different physics.

Then there's the difference in steering geometry.

You might want to go to your JD dealer and compare how your X304 steers in a corner with an X729 which is 4 wheel drive and 4 wheel steering.

The 4 wheel steer on my x534 is great , my yard is mostly turns . The tractor can not be beat for what it does although steering is sloppy., but not the same as a regular garden tractor. Personaly I wouldnt plow snow , or till and I do believe you can not till with it . For snow my sub compact does fine.