Which Tranny.

[cranker]

As i have posted i am in the middle of building a tractor. I was planning on using a c4 auto but now i am starting to rethink it. I have a 4 speed amnual for it also. Looks like i am going to be adding a transfer case to it to get some better gearing. It will have a fel on it when it is done.
Which tranny do you recommend manual or auto?

Thanks Crank

 

[MRCONCDID]

not to be a smartaxx but how many automatic transmission tractors have you seen? cvt and hydro trannys are not automatic transmissions.
I think you will like the manual tranny better. you will have way more control, not only gearing up and down but to hold a gear so not to go to fast and to slip the clutch when going into a pile of dirt or snow, you cant do any of this with a full auto trans. I know you can hold a gear in an auto but you cant easy into a gear like a manual. go with what works.
I hope this helps, I love the project keep us posted on it.

 

[Soundguy]

what ya doing for a pto? xfer case from a powerwagon?

soundguy

 

[cranker]

Thanks mrcon, that is kinda what i was thinking also. just like the ease of use with the auto. just getting lazy i guess..

No pto at this time. if i decied on wanting one i can use the front output on the tcase and get a rear shaft disconect.

 

[carpenter383]

I don't see why u couldn't ease into something with an auto, it has a torque converter, you can stop in gear if you want.
If you use an automatic you need good brakes! Less engine braking on hills, and no engine braking in when not running.
The biggest problem I see with running an auto (especially a relatively weak c-4) is HEAT. Auto tranny's don't like heat! With low travel speed to cool the fluid and the high loads that tractor duties require it's just a matter of time and it'll be slipping.
If you use a manual you could try and find one with pto(s) built into it so you can adapt a hydraulic pump or whatever more easilly.
I would think a 4x4 granny lo 4-spd with a transfercase in low range and really low rearend gears would be minumum just to get an aceptable ground speed in the lowest gear. Lets see if you had a 4-spd with 6 to 1 first a transfercase with 2 to 1 and a 5.00 gear you're looking at 60 to 1 overall. In this example your rear wheels would turn once for every 60 times the engine turns.
With an auto you'd be lucky to get half that unless you ran 2 transfercases or something.
A tractor ain't much of a tractor without really low gears! JMHO

 

[LAWALLSTRACTOR]

Run the automatic tranny to a 3 or 4 speed manual tranny and then to the rear end. This will give you a 3 or 4 range automatic transmission, with a large speed range from a crawl to highway speeds.

 

[Renze]

not to be a smartaxx but how many automatic transmission tractors have you seen?

Most high horsepower tractors have the components of automatic transmissions: An automatic is just a powershift with a torque converter in front.

When you stall the converter, it will turn its full input power into heat. make sure you have the cooling capacity.

 

[Soundguy]

...and you see very few tractors with torque converters.. I think that was MRCONCDID's point.

I can think of a couple.. but that's it..

soundguy

 

[BHD]

I think a lot will depend on how one plans on using it,

I you want a power down shift if it gets tough pulling then a automatic may be a good choice, but I would think you would want a manual transmission behind it for the basic gear/speed range, so the auto would normally run in high and the torque converter would not be slipping much,

at one time through racing outlets they made a clutch kit that would replace the torque converter, and then basically you have a power shift,

another thing most would want is a governor for the engine so you can hold it at one speed/ rpm. (some old gas combines used a belt driven Governor that would control the carburetor, and then a bar would be used to slow the engine down or a spring attached to the govern arm to create more Resistance for the Governor to work against)

IF I was going to make a PTO for some thing like your making I would probably do either a electric clutch or a belt clutch and drive it off the front of the engine, and then off that shaft the hydraulic pump,

IF you use a transfer case I would lock it in low range and leave it or use some thing Like I suggested in the other post and drive some combine final drives, with the differential,

My concern here is for safety, I know how kids are, (big kids some times are not much better), and they will want to drive a small tractor, and most people if related will give in, but if you have a tractor that can go 60+ mph, you have some real potential problems, and if there is a way of shifting it to high they will find it.

Personally I would opt for the manual transmission, unless I was mostly going to be using it for start and stop chores, such as building fence, the automatic would be great for loader work as well,

we have a old fork lift and parts are very rare for it, (1950's) and we have considered remaking it if we lose the engine, or transmission components, to use a automatic and then some type of drop box to power the differentials or use if we can find a combine hydrostatic and put in between the differentials and then belt drive off the motor, the fork lift is 4 wheel drive.

but regardless get geared lower (I would not want top end over 20mph),

 

[carpenter383]

I think a lot will depend on how one plans on using it,

I you want a power down shift if it gets tough pulling then a automatic may be a good choice, but I would think you would want a manual transmission behind it for the basic gear/speed range, so the auto would normally run in high and the torque converter would not be slipping much,

at one time through racing outlets they made a clutch kit that would replace the torque converter, and then basically you have a power shift,

another thing most would want is a governor for the engine so you can hold it at one speed/ rpm. (some old gas combines used a belt driven Governor that would control the carburetor, and then a bar would be used to slow the engine down or a spring attached to the govern arm to create more Resistance for the Governor to work against)

IF I was going to make a PTO for some thing like your making I would probably do either a electric clutch or a belt clutch and drive it off the front of the engine, and then off that shaft the hydraulic pump,

IF you use a transfer case I would lock it in low range and leave it or use some thing Like I suggested in the other post and drive some combine final drives, with the differential,

My concern here is for safety, I know how kids are, (big kids some times are not much better), and they will want to drive a small tractor, and most people if related will give in, but if you have a tractor that can go 60+ mph, you have some real potential problems, and if there is a way of shifting it to high they will find it.

Personally I would opt for the manual transmission, unless I was mostly going to be using it for start and stop chores, such as building fence, the automatic would be great for loader work as well,

we have a old fork lift and parts are very rare for it, (1950's) and we have considered remaking it if we lose the engine, or transmission components, to use a automatic and then some type of drop box to power the differentials or use if we can find a combine hydrostatic and put in between the differentials and then belt drive off the motor, the fork lift is 4 wheel drive.

but regardless get geared lower (I would not want top end over 20mph),

The torque converter would slip most in high gear and the least in low gear. The ammount of converter slippage depends on load. In low gear there will be less load on the engine/trans. than in a higher gear.