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What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?
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Alberta Farmer
Posted 6/13/2013 01:05 (#3153012)
Subject: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?



West Central Alberta Coldest, wettest edge

Been playing in the mud with the new to me 4wd bend in middle tractor, and discovering that it isn't ever really stuck, until you can't articulate anymore, as I have (so far) wiggled my way out of a lot of mud, just steer back and forth.  Which got me to thinking about the Case tractors and the crab steering,  what would you use the crab function for?  If you drive along sideways, with both wheels in different tracks will it stay afloat better in soft ground since all wheels have undisturbed ground underneath?  I assume you can't get unstuck by the same method I use on the bend in the middle tractor?

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Orin
Posted 6/13/2013 01:18 (#3153015 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?



Nusbaum Farms LLC Bellfountain, OR		I think they worked a little better on sidehills than a articulated tractor. Point all 4 uphill slightly and tractor will hold the line.....tough to do with an articulated machine.

-Orin
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GM Guy
Posted 6/13/2013 01:28 (#3153021 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


NW KS/ SC ID		^that is the biggie I hear, good sidehill tractors.

I bet if you are sliding int a mudhole, like all the 2 track guys fear, the ol crabby case can steer away from the mudhole quite well.

IDK if they would work better for graincart or not, at the least less driveline angle on the cart, can edge up to the truck easy, etc.

check out I believe 9260 steigers. heard about them here on NAT. basically a CIH stieger built to keep the diehard case guys happy, made of steiger stuff though, so very unique.
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rHiNoBaLlS
Posted 6/13/2013 05:55 (#3153085 - in reply to #3153021)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


WC MN
GM Guy - 6/13/2013 01:28

^that is the biggie I hear, good sidehill tractors.

I bet if you are sliding int a mudhole, like all the 2 track guys fear, the ol crabby case can steer away from the mudhole quite well.

IDK if they would work better for graincart or not, at the least less driveline angle on the cart, can edge up to the truck easy, etc.

check out I believe 9260 steigers. heard about them here on NAT. basically a CIH stieger built to keep the diehard case guys happy, made of steiger stuff though, so very unique.


Yup, good side hill tractors. I was considering a CIH 9260 for a while because they are considerably cheaper than a 9250 or 9270. Then the thought of fixing wheel sensors told me otherwise.
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Glenn W.
Posted 6/13/2013 07:20 (#3153186 - in reply to #3153021)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


Southeast Washington		I loved our 9260 in the hills. Mainly just turned off the rear wheels from steering except for the sharp turns. That way when you wanted to turn up the hill just a little even for correction it went up the hill right then like an MFWD tractor . With an articulated tractor it will always go downhill just a little bit before it finally goes up the hill. A crab steer tractor would hold to the hills in wet conditions that the articulated rototiller tractors would only dream of staying on because as others have said one end of the articulated tractor will be wanting to go up the hill while the other end wants to go down the hill when you turn it up the hill trying to keep it on the hill..

The 4 wheel steer is much quicker and responsive to turns than an articulated tractor. There were a lot of things the tractor could do with a combination of steering functions between the front and rear axles. I wish they were still made and in a bigger frame for the things we do today.
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JohnW
Posted 6/13/2013 01:41 (#3153026 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


NW Washington		The four wheel steering gives you more control and is nicer in some situations. Crab steers main advantage in when working on sloping land or side hills when a few degrees of crab on the rear wheels will keep the tractor and equipment on the desired track. Another issue is that when on hillsides if you steer an articulated tractor up hill the front wheels turn up hill and the rear wheels turn down hill and guess which one turns the fastest and has the most affect. On steep ground if one is not careful he can end up pointed straight up hill. On the four wheel steer tractor the operator can turn off the rear wheel steering and just steer with the front wheels until they get to the end and need to turn around. This keeps the rear end from wagging and the rear wheels out of the furrow or whatever.

But this hillside advantage does not mean much to most folks who farm relatively level farm land and four wheel steering is more complicated, has many more moving parts, costs more to build and is more troublesome to maintain. So they are basically history. Belted tracks work well on hillsides except for some turning under load issues.
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slowzuki
Posted 6/13/2013 05:46 (#3153077 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


New Brunswick, Canada		Alot of heavy manure tankers etc crab steer in europe to reduce rutting of fields.

Alberta Farmer - 6/13/2013 01:05

Been playing in the mud with the new to me 4wd bend in middle tractor, and discovering that it isn't ever really stuck, until you can't articulate anymore, as I have (so far) wiggled my way out of a lot of mud, just steer back and forth.  Which got me to thinking about the Case tractors and the crab steering,  what would you use the crab function for?  If you drive along sideways, with both wheels in different tracks will it stay afloat better in soft ground since all wheels have undisturbed ground underneath?  I assume you can't get unstuck by the same method I use on the bend in the middle tractor?

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Prohay
Posted 6/13/2013 06:52 (#3153149 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


No Mans Land , Cimarron co. OK.		pulling several one-way plows at same time , worked great
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lilmule
Posted 6/13/2013 07:31 (#3153207 - in reply to #3153149)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


arthur , ontario		was told it works well while pulling a pull type forage harvester, every time you move an articulating steering wheel the drawbar will swing the harvester hitch either into or out of the crop! much easier to stay on the row?
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430Deere
Posted 6/13/2013 08:06 (#3153261 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?



Middlesex County - ON		Don't think that if you can still steer and articulated ("bend in the middle") tractor that you are not yet stuck! Not far from here, there was a very large JD 9400 that could still steer back and forth, but it wasn't going anywhere but down. Cat D9 had to come to the rescue! Can't get too close to those muck holes, especially when it's already kinda wet.
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davpal
Posted 6/13/2013 11:12 (#3153522 - in reply to #3153261)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


Mid Michigan		Thats because a JD 9400 is a 45000 lb pig with really close together duals and too much weight and bulk to ever go through any mud effectively. They are good at pulling huge draft loads but NOT to go through any kind of mud. Much like a big bud. The older Versatiles aren't much better. Log skidders and articulated 4wd's without duals can go through some mud.
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Rosco
Posted 6/13/2013 08:17 (#3153281 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


Galahad, Alberta		I used to have a CaseIH 4494, great little 4wd, pulled a 35' dt cultivator and 42' of Caseih hoe drills. I would use crab steering to get turned around quick on the headlands, and then switch back to front wheel steering for the pass, was less "twitchy" and I could steer it straighter. Was just thinking how nice auto steer would have been in that rig. They had the same issues as a 2wd when used on pt equipment like combines as the drive line would have a fair kink in it when turning short. Articulated tractors are easier on pto drive lines when turning.
Rosco
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scott nelsen
Posted 6/13/2013 08:48 (#3153333 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


Leeds, North Dakota
Alberta Farmer - 6/13/2013 01:05

Been playing in the mud with the new to me 4wd bend in middle tractor, and discovering that it isn't ever really stuck, until you can't articulate anymore, as I have (so far) wiggled my way out of a lot of mud, just steer back and forth.  Which got me to thinking about the Case tractors and the crab steering,  what would you use the crab function for?  If you drive along sideways, with both wheels in different tracks will it stay afloat better in soft ground since all wheels have undisturbed ground underneath?  I assume you can't get unstuck by the same method I use on the bend in the middle tractor?

Jordan, worked for a farmer that had the older case articulated was out in the field and off set it just to see, short wheel base, sure seemed weird to me, yes a articulated four wheel drive you can wiggle your self out, if, your quick on the hyds, Scott.
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IHforever
Posted 6/13/2013 09:15 (#3153388 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


Davenport, Washington		I drove crab steering for the neighbor in the 80's. Tried the crab steering a couple of times on a side hill in the spring. Owner of the tractor never used it in crab. Said not too. I found out that it really never helped, Just made bigger ruts and more of them.
I just realized you all are not going to understand what I just said. In order not to make smaller ruts, one should start high on the hill and let the tractor naturally side down hill a little when going along the side of it. Or go straight up and down. However with crab steering one can try and force the tractor up hill, this can and does make big ruts and cause seeding problems. Of course we pull 60+ foot implements out here.

Edited by IHforever 6/13/2013 09:28
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jeff gordon
Posted 6/13/2013 09:29 (#3153409 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?



Mather, Manitoba		It was for row cropping. Whereas you offset the tires on each axle into different rows so compaction isn't as bad.
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Rockman
Posted 6/13/2013 09:55 (#3153443 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors? PICS


Ignorance or humor in some of the above posts? I guess it doesn't matter.

One practical advantage is the shorter turning diameter versus it's 9250 sister.

The 9260 was probably the best 4WD I'd ever owned. If I could have bought a newer one, I would have ( I like to stay somewhat updated). The power to weight ratio was right and the economy was good.

Edited by Rockman 6/13/2013 10:16




(9330 9260 019.jpg)



(9260-765c 002.jpg)



(Panorama 6.JPG)



Attachments
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Attachments 9330 9260 019.jpg (57KB - 611 downloads)
Attachments 9260-765c 002.jpg (60KB - 681 downloads)
Attachments Panorama 6.JPG (34KB - 611 downloads)
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Standley
Posted 6/13/2013 17:40 (#3153885 - in reply to #3153443)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors? PICS


NW OHIO		Rockman is that a Studebaker pickup truck?
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Alberta Farmer
Posted 6/13/2013 10:24 (#3153471 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?



West Central Alberta Coldest, wettest edge		Thanks for the clarification.

So did the old IH 4 wheel steer have the option of crab steering too?
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JohnW
Posted 6/13/2013 10:44 (#3153496 - in reply to #3153471)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


NW Washington		I am fairly sure that the IH 4100 had a crab steer option like the JI Case 4x4's.



Edited by JohnW 6/13/2013 10:46




(IH 4100 tractor.jpg)



Attachments
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Attachments IH 4100 tractor.jpg (7KB - 571 downloads)
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jogl
Posted 6/13/2013 13:34 (#3153678 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?



SW Ontario		We have a 2870 that we use for pulling cultivator in vegetable fields. Can sneak into corners between headlands and planted with a 24' vator running deep and turn right out. I've never ran an articulated tractor so I don't know if it turns better or worse, but it works great for us.

We love that beast but I don't look forward to ever having to get into the engine, transmission or final drives.
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Red Painter
Posted 6/13/2013 14:41 (#3153738 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


I think the reason Case came out with their type of steering is they were using off the shelf components from their construcion loader. The 1200 was the first on built in 64 and it was a quick inexpensive project to get a tractor on the market to match the competition. I remember when our IH dealer said they were taking on the Steiger, as most of the bigger IH dealers did here, about not having crab steering like on the 4156 ( they were selling mostly 12 and 1456 row crop tractors with mfwd on the front then anyway) he said it was no big deal. Steiger took the country here in a short time. A Case dealer in SE Washinton state did put out alot of crab steering orange and white Case four wheel drives though most of the hillside tractors bent in the middle after 1970.

Edited by Red Painter 6/13/2013 14:43
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Big Ben
Posted 6/13/2013 15:33 (#3153789 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: RE: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


Columbia Basin, Ephrata, WA		Crab steering can be a handy thing to have if you find yourself in a bad place on a silage pile.

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Yoosta B
Posted 6/13/2013 18:01 (#3153908 - in reply to #3153012)
Subject: Re: What was the practical use for crab steering in tractors?


Hey Rockman, if you "like to stay somewhat updated", then it's time to trade pickups. Or maybe that's what you mean by 'somewhat'...



Edited by Yoosta B 6/13/2013 18:02
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