My keyboard quit on my surface so I'm typing this on the screen keyboard. Too lazy to get the laptop out. Ill try to answer the questions above.
I change gears all the time to speed up to get somewhere or to really push hard on something. If i was stuck at the four low speed all the time if would be too slow. If I was all hydraulic direct drive then I'd get a motor that gives a balance if speed and power. The amount of torque I can put to the wheels is much more than any of the components are designed for. Thats the root of the issue too much torque. When the lockers were in the turn angle contributed to breaking stuff. Now with open diffs it lets the inside tire turn slower and also relieve the stress on the parts.
All my hydraulics are open center. My pump is a two section, with one flow going to the lift valve, and the other to the drive valve.
I have two auxillary hydraulic circuits running to the front, and one to the rear.
My rear drive shaft uses a heavy duty tractor pto on the transfer case side and I just upgraded to 1350s on the rear axle. the front has been broken since about February, so I need to fix that. The tractor pto ujoint gives a lot more articulation than a normal joint.
