HST vs Shuttle Shift

[Raptor53]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of both transmissions?

Thanks.

 

[Soundguy]

An HST will be more or less 100% continously variable ground speed. It may have ranges.. but still variable ground speed... downside is tire-power is all fluid coupled.. pto is still metal to metal though.

Shuttle shift is more or less a gear tranny with a hydraulic-automatic clutch..

Advantages of the shuttle are that it is metal to metal.

if I were doing a mix of loader work and tillage all day.. i'd get the shuttle.

If i was doing loader and detail or stop and go work all day.. the HST

If i was just mowing or discing all day.. I'd save money and go plain gear..

soundguy

 

[N80]

I'll expose my ignorance and ask a follow on question. I have a basic gear drive tractor and I really like it that way (and really liked the price to). I do not mind clutching at all and it is totally second nature. However, my tractor is so basic.....How basic is it?.....It is so basic that you have to stop to change gears. Unsynchronized in other words. You can change gears while moving if everything is just right but its tricky and probably not recommended.

So the question is, are there synchronized gear transmissions? You know, just like a car or truck. Shift gears at any time while moving? I'm big on simple, basic and cheap and even though I'm happy as a clam with my current machine, a machine that you could shift gears on the fly would be hog heaven to me. What are the weaknesses of such a tranny in a tractor other than increased price and complexity?

 

[Charlesaf3]

having lived with HST now, my feeling is that you'd be crazy not to get it on a CUT if you can afford it.

It cuts down effective horsepower, but I've very rarely found horsepower an issue. It more than makes up for it in control, ease, and safety (as has been discussed in other posts)

For mowing I'd say its as important as loader work. Unless you were just mowing fields.

Probably least useful for straight tillage, but I'd imagine that's not a big factor for most CUT owners - CUTs are a bit small to be a primary tillage machine.

 

[Blee25]

I'll expose my ignorance and ask a follow on question. I have a basic gear drive tractor and I really like it that way (and really liked the price to). I do not mind clutching at all and it is totally second nature. However, my tractor is so basic.....How basic is it?.....It is so basic that you have to stop to change gears. Unsynchronized in other words. You can change gears while moving if everything is just right but its tricky and probably not recommended.

So the question is, are there synchronized gear transmissions? You know, just like a car or truck. Shift gears at any time while moving? I'm big on simple, basic and cheap and even though I'm happy as a clam with my current machine, a machine that you could shift gears on the fly would be hog heaven to me. What are the weaknesses of such a tranny in a tractor other than increased price and complexity?

Yes there are tractors with synchronized transmissions. I just got my 5203 delivered yesterday and one of the man reasons I bought it was for the transmission. It's a value tractor with a value price but I think the synchronized trans is a big step up from the collar shift type. It has 3 ranges with 3 forward and one reverse in each range. The ranges aren't sync so you have to stop the tractor to shift range but within a range is is completely synchronized. The two ways it seems to be the most benificial is with loader work and road travel. 2nd gear and reverse are in line so when doing loader work all you have to do is drive into a pile, step on the clutch, and pull straight back. It slide into reverse just as easy as a hydrolic shuttle(although doing long hours of loader work would tire you left leg more and cause more clutch wear then the hydrolic.) With road travel I can put it in c range and start from a stop in 7 gear then shift on the go up to 9 gear to get to full spead. I like that better then having to pop the clutch in 9 gear.

I traded in a hydrostatic tractor on this one and the hydrostatic is because you have more precise speed control while keeping the engine at the rpm you want. That being said I love this tractor and have zero regrets

blee25

 

[pitt_md]

I'll expose my ignorance and ask a follow on question. I have a basic gear drive tractor and I really like it that way (and really liked the price to). I do not mind clutching at all and it is totally second nature. However, my tractor is so basic.....How basic is it?.....It is so basic that you have to stop to change gears. Unsynchronized in other words. You can change gears while moving if everything is just right but its tricky and probably not recommended.

So the question is, are there synchronized gear transmissions? You know, just like a car or truck. Shift gears at any time while moving? I'm big on simple, basic and cheap and even though I'm happy as a clam with my current machine, a machine that you could shift gears on the fly would be hog heaven to me. What are the weaknesses of such a tranny in a tractor other than increased price and complexity?

The short answer is YES. They also make partially synchronized trannies like I have on my MX5000 where just the higher gears (3rd and 4th on mine) are synched.

 

[jcmseven]

My experience has been in the John Deere compact line. JD offers a "PowerReverser" transmission and an "ehydro" tranny for its compacts. I have owned a 4520 with the ehydro and have operated a PRT in the same tractor a few times (my dealer has let me use his at times). In the same tractor, I have found a few differences. First, the hydro offers unmatched manuverability. It allows foot pedal control of both speed and direction and really makes a larger tractor behave similarly to a smaller one in manuverability. Unfortunately, in most cases it places a bit more "strain" on the engine and to me reduces the drive wheel power to the ground. In a powerful tractor like the 4520 this is not an issue, but it can be in a less powerful machine. I live in the mountains of WNC, and my hills are long and very steep. I had a 4310 (32 hp) JD with ehydro that would barely pull the C range up the road in front of my house. This ultimately was the reason I sold the machine--it simply could NOT do transport work or hilly work in anything but the lowest range without bogging (even with the ehydro LoadMatch feature). It would only box blade in A range. My neighbor had at the time a 3320 (32.5 hp) JD with the PRT, similar to syncshuttle--he could pull all the hills easily with little to no lug on the engine despite having the same size and horsepower tractor. He could leave me on any hill worth climbing with any load in his bucket or pulling most attachments. The 4520 I have used clearly FEELS more powerful when box blading, etc. than did my 4520 with the hydro. But, one gives up a little delicacy when doing loader work and a bit of manuverability when working in tight areas. For me, I never thought I would consider a tractor without hydro, but having used the same tractor with both trannies, I am not so sure now. Especially with the instant reverse it is tough to argue against a PRT, unless one is going to be doing totally loader work. They usually also are slightly less expensive. I will strongly consider a PRT when I look at my next tractor and that is something I never thought I would say.

John M

 

[BTI]

Shuttle differs between brands.
Some do not have hydraulic clutches, some do.
The Kioti's are non-Hydraulic Shuttles but they are synchronized.
The main trans and the shuttle are synchronized.
The Range selector is not synchro'd.
I like shuttles for some things and hydro's for others.
Depends on what I could afford for the job I'm doing.
One thing some folks don't like about most hydro's is the fact the engine has to run almost wide-open to get full power.
You can lower RPM's on a gear-drive and "lope" acrossed the back 40.
Can't do that on a hydro.
Without enough RPM for the flow they act strange.
I have a customer with a geardrive and a HST in the same HP range.
He pulls a driveway renovator with the Gear, says the HST labors too much.
But he likes Rotary cutting smaller areas with the HST. Still likes the gear for large areas.
Alot of people have the idea that gears are cheaper to repair than a hydro's....
This isn't always the case.
Alot of variables.
Totally personal preference.

BTI

 

[PAB_OH]

I've had them both now. My previous tractor was Kubota GL-21 shuttle and my new one is a Kioti CK30 HST. For me, I'll don't think I'll ever look at anything other than HST for sub 40HP tractors since the only reason I would own that size is working around the house.

When I get to doing field work I'll be looking at 40+ HP and either shuttle or straight gear.

I knew for mowing the HST would be nice, especially on hillsides. It is a lot safer and I am really impressed with the speed control I can get while maintaining high PTO rpm's (think tall wet grass). I simply lift off the pedal and it slows in a predictable manner while the blades chew through the tall stuff, when I'm through I press the pedal down and go again. With cruise I can even set my ground speed and keep both feet flat on the deck.

Where I was surprised was in the loader work. I had a hard time believing I would save much time or it would somehow be more comfortable with a HST tranny. I was dead wrong. It's faster and I'm not always stomping on the clutch pulling/pushing the shuttle lever and releasing the clutch then accelerating up to speed so I don't feel like I was lifting weights all day when I'm done anymore.

That's me, you may be different and as others have already described, they do have different thoughts about it.

 

[Egon]

The types of transmissions on tractors is rapidly changing.

For example on one series of John Deere;

5015 Series Standard Tractor Transmissions

7030 Premium Series Tractors : John Deere

There are options and it would seem the old straight gear tractor has adapted many of them to enhance operation and economy.