Would a 6x4 unit grip much better than a 6x2, i know you are doubling your drive wheels but does it double your grip or it makes so little difference its not worth seeking one out? When im talking grip i mean to drive off road into fields in the summer months, whenever i have loaded artics with straw the bloody things are a nightmare for no go. I would imagine you use more fuel and loose payload by a fair few kg’s with a second drive axle.
Yeah it will make a difference than a 6x2 but you realy have to weigh up how much of the time you are in realy tricky conditions to justify the extra purchase cost and it will be at least 0.5 mpg worse than an equivalent 6x2 . Also less manoeuvrable in a tight spot and I’m guessing you get in to those quite a bit if you are in farms.
I’d say a 6x2 tag axle would be the best of bet for what you are looking for.
You’ll definitely have a lot more traction and there will be times when you would have needed a tow in a 6x2 that a 6x4 would drive straight out of.
That said it’ll cost you more in fuel, more in tyres, and more in repairs (2 diffs to go bang instead of one, 4 halfshafts to break, etc).
Unless you need towing out of sticky situations on a daily basis then I wouldn’t bother to be honest. Purely on the fuel side if you went from, for example, 8.0mpg down to 7.5mpg then even on a relatively modest 60,000 miles a year and at 115ppl for your fuel it’s going to cost you over 2500quid a year more.
Paul
you can argue this point both ways , ask curryfart .
im not a fan of double drives because you can suffer grip problems with them , and yes ive driven both types .
the biggest problem with double drive is flotation believe it or not , they also suffer with understeer problems on soft ground .
i would much prefer a rear lift tag axle setup if it was me , you can then if needs be lift said axle a gain much more grip on the remaining one . sometimes its better to cut through the loose stuff and find grip deeper down something which you’ll sometimes struggle to do with double drive .
just a quick observation , a few weeks ago i was tramping in the highlands of scotland and saw quite alot of loggers on the road most of which had rear tags rather than double drives .
ive done quite alot of landfill work in the past with both types and believe me the double drive boys get stuck just as much as the single drive , if not more . the problem with double drive is that you have to play the hand you have with no options , at least with lift axles you can lift it and juggle it a bit .
wheres curryfart ?
bowser:
you can argue this point both ways , ask curryfart .im not a fan of double drives because you can suffer grip problems with them , and yes ive driven both types .
the biggest problem with double drive is flotation believe it or not , they also suffer with understeer problems on soft ground .
i would much prefer a rear lift tag axle setup if it was me , you can then if needs be lift said axle a gain much more grip on the remaining one . sometimes its better to cut through the loose stuff and find grip deeper down something which you’ll sometimes struggle to do with double drive .just a quick observation , a few weeks ago i was tramping in the highlands of scotland and saw quite alot of loggers on the road most of which had rear tags rather than double drives .
ive done quite alot of landfill work in the past with both types and believe me the double drive boys get stuck just as much as the single drive , if not more . the problem with double drive is that you have to play the hand you have with no options , at least with lift axles you can lift it and juggle it a bit .
wheres curryfart ?
Many thanks Bowser, that answers my question perfectly. It may be just better to put some type of skip lorry or landfill lorry type tyres on a 6x2 then, i have watched lorry and drags walk out of fields with a certain type of tread on the drive wheels and their mates who are on standard pattern need towing to get moving.
just remember though you can argue for both types , what suits one wont always suit the other . if carryfast was here he would give you the other side of the story … with both barrels . 
a lot of it is down to the driver more than tyres . you have to be gentle with soft ground and try not to stop , its not really down to speed its down to keeping it going but gentle like .
you could have the best equiped wagon on the planet but if you dont know what you’re doing … well .
and we all get stuck … alot … 
Carryfast, where are you Chap, this is your kind of thread get yourself on here & sort this out soonest 
Get a rear lift tractor with an over ride for the lift ya’ll not be stuck too often then…
Our double drive had steel springs and you would find that on a hard but undulating surface with loose stone you would loose grip as there was no flex between the axles,not such a big problem for us as we used to extract timber as well so had the cat or county to give a winch.
On soft surfaces I would say double drive has the edge but then with all the diffs in,you are just going in a straight line,thats when you wish you had a tag lift which would lift even when fully loaded.
Really think before you buy one and why and how often you think you may need it as fuel economy is horrendous too.
Swings and roundabouts.
We used to wire the rear cab light switch so that it would override the axle from automatically dropping. It would basically allow you to lift or lower it at will when required. This was on the Day XF’s 6x2’s. Worked a lot out of quarries and farms where you needed to lift the axle in slippery conditions. Also did the same for the lift axle on the trailers too, so if slipping you would lift the front axle on the trailer thus putting more weight on the fifth wheel and drive axle. All would work normally though so when tested there was no problems…
i think that the automatic assumption is if you have 2 driven axles you have twice the traction , in my experience ive never had it like that , in short i dont see the point of double drives . i have no doubt other people will have but i havnt …
fly sheet:
Carryfast, where are you Chap, this is your kind of thread get yourself on here & sort this out soonestGet a rear lift tractor with an over ride for the lift ya’ll not be stuck too often then…
Rear lift will put more weight down on the 5th wheel than mid lift? most trucks seem to be mid lift.
Tags can have problems coupling to some trailers and ride quality isn’t as good as a midlift but for anyone that does work that involves going off the Tarmac they are much better than a midlift.
Scania and Volvo are the most popular in this set up as it is popular in Scandinavia due to there weather nut I know daf and MAN offer it too.
kr79:
Tags can have problems coupling to some trailers and ride quality isn’t as good as a midlift but for anyone that does work that involves going off the Tarmac they are much better than a midlift.
Scania and Volvo are the most popular in this set up as it is popular in Scandinavia due to there weather nut I know daf and MAN offer it too.
Thanks, makes sense.
puntabrava:
fly sheet:
Carryfast, where are you Chap, this is your kind of thread get yourself on here & sort this out soonestGet a rear lift tractor with an over ride for the lift ya’ll not be stuck too often then…
Rear lift will put more weight down on the 5th wheel than mid lift? most trucks seem to be mid lift.
It also takes the weight of the steer axle stopping it cutting in. Basically all good. We have however led a lot of corn, very successfully off the combine with a straightforward twin steer, no lift or anything. The secret being it didn’t sink as much as the 4 wheelers and mid lifts.
6x4 = good traction when loaded
= poor traction when empty (especially solo) in the wet 
so why do americans have 6x4 and aussie have 6x4 ?
most are not constant double drives my international cab over is not constant drive until you flick the switch in and in the snow it will go any where as well as already used this winter and if you drive it correctly the jake is the right tool for the job in the snow as well
TRAILERS1:
so why do americans have 6x4 and aussie have 6x4 ?
That is the question. 
Think the argument all came down to saving a few bob on diesel in the end. 
Aussies as they have big weight and lots of un surfaced roads but hank and bubba have 6x4 because thats what they have always had.
Carryfast:
TRAILERS1:
so why do americans have 6x4 and aussie have 6x4 ?That is the question.
Or a simple sentence from one Charles Lindbergh can bring the thread back on track.
“We Americans are a primitive people.”
It serves to remind us of anti semitics, Kristallnacht, the Nazis and Pearl Harbour!
The Australians probably nicked some spare axles