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jdemaris
04-16-2005 06:03:16
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Re: Wet clutch/dry clutch....Wet brakes/dry brakes in reply to mark, 04-15-2005 20:00:06
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Generally speaking, both systems have advantages and disadvantages. I don't believe wet is better than dry, or the converse. Rating specific applications on tractors is a different story. There are many good and bad systems for wet and dry. Depends on how underbuilt or overbuilt the system is, the materials used, expense of repair, etc., &c. Take one case-in-point. When Deere went to wet steering clutches and brakes on the 350 series crawlers. Dry systems suffered mostly from moisture problems and subsequent "setting up" after sitting idle. Also, at times, oil intrusion. But, the parts costs were reasonable, and often much could be cleaned up and re-used. Then came the wet system. We had many problems with it - and probably the worst one was the inability to examine parts and judge if they were usable or not. We had fairly new machines with slipping cluthes, we'd pull them apart, the parts looked like new. Even run at pressures higher than OEM specs. they'd still slip. Deere engineers claimed there were, most likely, micro-scopic wear patterns causing the problem. So, subsequently, in every job, all parts got replaced. It was obviously a bad system with an inadequate amount of surface area to be durable. Just plain underbuilt. Yet, the larger 450 series worked fine. Maybe they finally upgraded the systems - I don't know. I left the Deere dealership in 1991, and we were still having those problems. Now, take the 1010s or 2010s with dry brakes. They just about never worked, not even when new. Another very bad, inadequate system. And, the Deeres with wet brakes? 1020s had wet brakes and great stopping power -even when there were no brake linings left. Most work great - but God help you if you have a machine with full- hydraulic brakes as used in the 3020/4020s. Fantastic stopping power unless the engine dies. I had one of my legs just about removed from a little mishap I had with a 4020. Coming down a steep hill pulling a loaded wagon, SynchroRange trans. popped into neutral, engine died, all-of-a-sudden had absolutely no steering and no brakes - and starting gaining speed fast. I jumped off at a high rate of speed, lucky I wasn't killed. That's one time I would have rather been sitting on a 1010 with almost no braking power - but at least something.
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