patrick_g
Elite Member
napabavarian, First, don't feel attacked, I was just trying to be helpful. In automotive applications not involving towing or off road the choice of a tranny is pretty much like a girl selecting a fragrance or lip gloss color. Some major trucklines went all auto and it wasn't because truckers can't shift. These decisions are made by bean counters.
I have had several sports cars and somehow a sports car with a regular automatic tranny just doesn't seem right, sort of antithetical. Now if there are specific tasks to be accomplished there are criteria by which an advantage may be seen to be possessed by one or the other, auto or stick. Forget the MACHO issue and just look at performance. If I am having to start up on hills with max loads or pull a heavy boat up a steep slippery ramp or creep delicately in an off road situation, I personally prefer the auto. (been there and done that in all these situations with auto sometimes and stick others) Not because I cant feather a clutch, double clutch, heel and toe etc but because auto just works better in some situations (other than brain dead drivers type situation.)
If I were row cropping I would have a straight geared tranny with the least number of points of failure between the engine and dirt and the least wear items and or slippage.
Although I was trying for humor, through excess, the points I tried to make are, I think, defensible and valid. The difference between a HST and gear shifting in the HP loss area is negligible. You stated it as a concern or decision making criteria. I wouldn't want you to make a decision on flawed info. You might have a laundry list of good reasons for not wanting HST but I suggest fuel economy and HP loss are not valid ones.
I have operated JD without HST and they are just fine for what they are. They do what is intended but in my opinion HST will be more productive and less tiring to the operator in close in manuverinig situations doing FEL work and similar. I have to brush hog around lots of obstacles and HST makes it easier. If i were just going round and round in a big pasture, HST would be no improvement at all. Think about it. Why are there HST trannys? They must be better at something or they would have no marketing niche. I looked at my major uses and decided I would be doing a lot more manuvering than just cruising along. If you don't anticipate lots of manuvering then the expense of buying and maintaining HST is NOT recommended.
There are lots of reasons to select HST or reject it depending on your intended usages but HP loss and fuel economy aren't them.
HST is NOT the equivalent of an automatic tranny in a tractor. It is a manual (footally??) continuously variable transmission. A good operator doesn't just use the HST pedal as an off/on switch. Done right the operator uses the "gear" ratio that fits the situation. Some situations are continuously changing and that is an area where the HST excells as the operator can continuously and easily select the precise gearing he desires. If you don't forsee yourself doing work that would be made easier by being able to easily select the precise gearing you want and the ability to easily vary it as well as instantly reverse direction without using your hands, then yoiu probably should save your $ and not get HST.
If you want HD brush hog take a look at products by Hause such as the Cimarron brand. Cammon is a good supplier of HD box blades. I have worked and admittedly abused the heck out of my box blade and it has been totally bullet proof. I have managed to partially mangle the hydrauic hoses that raise and lower the scarifiers but they still work and don't leak. This is not a fault of Cammon but mine for not doing something to keep the excess slack out of harms way.
If you don't expect to ever stress your box then save $$ and don't buy a Cammon. Don't buy an Abrahm's tank when a Hummer is all you need. If you do anticipate really working a box blade pretty hard you will be time and $ ahead to buy a better quality than KK.
Pat
I have had several sports cars and somehow a sports car with a regular automatic tranny just doesn't seem right, sort of antithetical. Now if there are specific tasks to be accomplished there are criteria by which an advantage may be seen to be possessed by one or the other, auto or stick. Forget the MACHO issue and just look at performance. If I am having to start up on hills with max loads or pull a heavy boat up a steep slippery ramp or creep delicately in an off road situation, I personally prefer the auto. (been there and done that in all these situations with auto sometimes and stick others) Not because I cant feather a clutch, double clutch, heel and toe etc but because auto just works better in some situations (other than brain dead drivers type situation.)
If I were row cropping I would have a straight geared tranny with the least number of points of failure between the engine and dirt and the least wear items and or slippage.
Although I was trying for humor, through excess, the points I tried to make are, I think, defensible and valid. The difference between a HST and gear shifting in the HP loss area is negligible. You stated it as a concern or decision making criteria. I wouldn't want you to make a decision on flawed info. You might have a laundry list of good reasons for not wanting HST but I suggest fuel economy and HP loss are not valid ones.
I have operated JD without HST and they are just fine for what they are. They do what is intended but in my opinion HST will be more productive and less tiring to the operator in close in manuverinig situations doing FEL work and similar. I have to brush hog around lots of obstacles and HST makes it easier. If i were just going round and round in a big pasture, HST would be no improvement at all. Think about it. Why are there HST trannys? They must be better at something or they would have no marketing niche. I looked at my major uses and decided I would be doing a lot more manuvering than just cruising along. If you don't anticipate lots of manuvering then the expense of buying and maintaining HST is NOT recommended.
There are lots of reasons to select HST or reject it depending on your intended usages but HP loss and fuel economy aren't them.
HST is NOT the equivalent of an automatic tranny in a tractor. It is a manual (footally??) continuously variable transmission. A good operator doesn't just use the HST pedal as an off/on switch. Done right the operator uses the "gear" ratio that fits the situation. Some situations are continuously changing and that is an area where the HST excells as the operator can continuously and easily select the precise gearing he desires. If you don't forsee yourself doing work that would be made easier by being able to easily select the precise gearing you want and the ability to easily vary it as well as instantly reverse direction without using your hands, then yoiu probably should save your $ and not get HST.
If you want HD brush hog take a look at products by Hause such as the Cimarron brand. Cammon is a good supplier of HD box blades. I have worked and admittedly abused the heck out of my box blade and it has been totally bullet proof. I have managed to partially mangle the hydrauic hoses that raise and lower the scarifiers but they still work and don't leak. This is not a fault of Cammon but mine for not doing something to keep the excess slack out of harms way.
If you don't expect to ever stress your box then save $$ and don't buy a Cammon. Don't buy an Abrahm's tank when a Hummer is all you need. If you do anticipate really working a box blade pretty hard you will be time and $ ahead to buy a better quality than KK.
Pat
