transmission options?

[buckaroo]

im interested in a new L4600. iv never ran/owned a tractor before. from what iv read i think there are 3 transmissions options? the type of work ill be doing (brush cutting, rototilling, snow plowing, loader work) the "hydro" seems to be my best choice. just wondering if anyone can explain how the other choices work/operate?

thanks much, buckaroo

PS i just joined orange talk today

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

For new owner/operators hydro's are almost always the easiest to operate.
There is only 2 trans options that I can see, gear and hydro.

Think of a hydro like a pedal controlled automatic transmission.
Geared is like an old 4 speed pick-up truck.

 

[TripleR]

According to their website the only transmission options are the HST and an 8F/8R synchronized shuttle shift. Like North Idaho Wolfman, especially for new owners I recommend an HST. We have several types and find the HST easiest.

 

[Bulldog]

I'm probably in the minority but I prefer the gear tranny myself. The 8 x 8 with shuttle works great if you don't mind shifting gears.

 

[buckaroo]

thanks guys i think the hydro would be my best choice. also from what i can see its also about $1500 more not sure thats so good

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Save the $1500 go with the gear tranny and use that extra money saved to buy some toys for the back of the tractor.

Gear Vs Hydro is always a heated topic on here which you'll see both good and bad on either one. I'd say purchase a tractor with a transmission you feel comfortable with. Go to the dealer and try them both out. I'm a gear guy all the way, I despise hydro

It comes down to YOU being the owner and what works best for YOU.

 

[TripleR]

thanks guys i think the hydro would be my best choice. also from what i can see its also about $1500 more not sure thats so good

Well worth it in my opinion and as mentioned I run both types. A family member who was a lifelong gear lover is having second thoughts on choosing a synch shuttle for his CUT; still loves them on UT and Ag, but not so much for CUT and lots of direction changes and close in work.

 

[Stubbyie]

Pay the extra freight and get a HST and never look back.

Especially if other family members (spouse that may not be thrilled with constant clutching against a stiff spring; my short spouse had to grab the wheel to get enough leverage to push the clutch; with HST she now does most of the mowing) operate machine.

Argument is that gear trans provides more useable hp to rear wheels. Phooey. My counter is virtually no tractor has the 100% traction to recognize--and use--the insignificant difference.

You'll love the HST.

 

[aeblank]

+1 HST. "Infinite" gearing is great for everything from snow blowing to rototilling.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[85Hokie]

Well worth it in my opinion and as mentioned I run both types. A family member who was a lifelong gear lover is having second thoughts on choosing a synch shuttle for his CUT; still loves them on UT and Ag, but not so much for CUT and lots of direction changes and close in work.

I agree, well worth the money!

Something that many have NOT mentioned...you are driving in 2 gear, down a grade, 3/4 throttle, to slow down - you back off throttle or press on brakes.....with HST, ease off the forward pedal and you slow down. I have had both - hst drive is by far the simplest and smoothest. Since there are no gears, going from F to R is smooth, going from slow to fast is smooth. I would not go back to a stick tractor, now I still love my 5 speed on my POS car...but that is a different story!

 

[skeets]

And my 2 cents yeah hydro, and when you get rid of the old gal, more people will be interested in that than the gear, cause MOST folks that didn't grow up around gears have no idea how to use them

 

[Billdog350]

Everyone will have their opinions but the key question is: what will you be using it for?

I have all standard vehicles, I enjoy a manual trans in a car. For my tractor? I would NEVER consider anything but HST.

If I was plowing/mowing/bushhogging fields and driving long distances, maybe the GST or manual trans would make sense...but for tight manuvering, logging, snowblowing, loading, pushing, pulling, etc....the HST is hands down the best option regardless of your skill with a clutch.

Try to inch up against a foundation or push something at slow speed or back up to an attachment with a clutch....then try it with an HST....you will see instantly why people go with it. Try to load your bucket into a big pile of XXX....you are beating on a standard, but the HST you just adjust your pedal to match the load you want on the bucket.

Keep in mind there is a trade off, HST does sap more power, goes a bit slower if you're headed down an open road for long distances and wants to be warmed up in cold weather.

I have instructed my girlfriend and daughters on how to run my B9200 HST and they can all run it easily....no way would I put them on a standard, especially if I'm working down near the bucket or 3pt.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

cause MOST folks that didn't grow up around gears have no idea how to use them

Another EXACT reason I own a clutch pedal. I look it as an not so obvious anti-borrow device from friends and family.

Sorry bud its got a clutch pedal and you wouldn't know how to operate it...

Another sneaky reason why on my cell phone banner years ago I typed in "No Service" so if someone wanted to use it they'd see "No Service" and hand it back so I didn't burn up my minutes LOL

 

[buckaroo52]

I bought a new gear tractor purposely to keep my wife off it.... My last tractor was a hst. drive, didn't care for the loss of power trade off, just seemed lazy, sluggish, and loud. And I see the powers to be turned loose yet another "buckaroo"....oh, oh ? !

 

[Bulldog]

I have instructed my girlfriend and daughters on how to run my B9200 HST and they can all run it easily....no way would I put them on a standard, especially if I'm working down near the bucket or 3pt.

I don't even know what to think about this statement. You can't trust them with a gear tranny but you do with HST? Safe with one type but not the other. Why can't they be taught to operate a gear tranny and be just as safe?

My wife and son help me on the farm all the time. Both my tractors are gear tranny and we don't have any problem.

Safe equipment operation requires propper training. Learning how to use the transmission is just like every other feature or system on the machine. The operator needs to understand how it works, what it does and learn how to use it correctly and safely. JMHO

 

[85Hokie]

I don't even know what to think about this statement. You can't trust them with a gear tranny but you do with HST? Safe with one type but not the other. Why can't they be taught to operate a gear tranny and be just as safe?

My wife and son help me on the farm all the time. Both my tractors are gear tranny and we don't have any problem.

Safe equipment operation requires propper training. Learning how to use the transmission is just like every other feature or system on the machine. The operator needs to understand how it works, what it does and learn how to use it correctly and safely. JMHO

Bulldog,

I am going to put words in his mouth, i think what he was trying to say.....slipping a clutch to inch forward is a wee bit harder than inching forward with HST..... But I agree with you logic - safe is safe, no matter what you are doing !

 

[Bulldog]

85Hokie, I can see it put that way, makes more sense. It gets under my skin I guess when HST is a substitute for propper training. I hate to hear when people are hurt or even killed on equipment, especially when it's because of operator error.

A few years ago a guy I knew ran over and killed his own son with a case backhoe. He was loading a truck and simply didn't look back. Didn't even know his boy (4 yrs old) had walked out of the office and never saw him run out behind the machine. Maybe if he had been trained to always be aware of his surroundings this would have never happened. Either way, he's having to live with the fact that he killed his son.

I never want to know what that feels like, hope none of us ever know.

 

[Benhameen]

Damn, that's a rough story.

I'm on the HST side but I don't think it's all that difficult to operate a clutch. It's not like you're shifting from gear to gear while moving and that's not that difficult to learn either.

I taught myself to shift without using the clutch back when I drove a truck daily.

 

[1coolbanana]

Speaking as a newbie and my short term experience level, I do already regret not getting HST.
Ive ended up with 16 x 16 shuttle shift because I just coudlnt afford anything in the same league as Kubota with hydro.
With the amount steep rocky, forward/reverse and loader work Ive been doing and after test driving hydro, I wish I had one.
My left knee is already starting to suffer after only 20 odd hours!
Just my inexperienced 2 cents

 

[85Hokie]

85Hokie, I can see it put that way, makes more sense. It gets under my skin I guess when HST is a substitute for propper training. I hate to hear when people are hurt or even killed on equipment, especially when it's because of operator error.

A few years ago a guy I knew ran over and killed his own son with a case backhoe. He was loading a truck and simply didn't look back. Didn't even know his boy (4 yrs old) had walked out of the office and never saw him run out behind the machine. Maybe if he had been trained to always be aware of his surroundings this would have never happened. Either way, he's having to live with the fact that he killed his son.

I never want to know what that feels like, hope none of us ever know.

I could not live with that, there aint a nuff psyc's in the world to fix me if I did that.........