Shifting info needed

[tallyho8]

My old IH364 is about worn out and I will be looking for another tractor soon in the 40 HP range.

My old knees are getting kind of bad and I have never had anything except tractors with standard shift and a clutch that has my knee killing me by the end of the day.

I have seen so many different kinds of shifters advertised such as hydrostatic, power shift, shuttle shift, etc., but I have never used any of them. What recommendations can I get for a tractor that will be easy on my knees?

 

[PAB_OH]

Hydro is the easiest in my opinion. Glideshift (Kubota) would be a close second. Power shift is the same if my memory is correct so it would be tied for second. I don't know if anyone currently advertises this though. I think it was a Yanmar (maybe JD too?) tranny. Shuttle shift still requires clutch work.

Good luck on your search.

EDIT:
This might help....
http://www.tractorsmart.com/main/Tractor%20Transmission%20Types.htm

 

[HappyCPE]

I have a JD 4320 and LOVE the hydrostatic transmission. Left pedal for forward, right pedal for back, and it's no more difficult than driving an automatic car. The 4 speeds on the New Holland tractors were nice and have 1 more range than JD. I do NOT like the rocker-type hydrostatic pedals on the Kubotas and smaller NH tractors; I had ankle pain after just 15 minutes of test drive on the dealer lot. Something about having your foot and leg in a very precise location to get the machine to work makes it hard to move around and get comfortable.

I don't have any experience with any other transmission. And, of course, YMMV. Try them all out first.

 

[Bird]

Much depends on personal preference, and my preference would definitely be the hydrostatic for a tractor in the 40hp range. I've only used a powershift in a John Deere in the 100hp range and for the bigger tractors that don't offer hydrostatic, powershift is the way I'd want to go.

 

[GaryE]

A hydro still will require the use of a peddle. If you are looking for a no peddle operation.... A Kubota GST is something to look at. I could operate my GST all day long (with the exception of engaging and disengaging the PTO) with no feet. Other manufactures have similar options.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have a Yanmar 4220D (50 HP) with Shuttle shift and really like it after I got used to it. It takes a few hours to get used to shifting or stopping without the clutch, but once you get the hang of it, you never have to touch the clutch unless you are engaging the PTO, the 4 wheel drive or you want to shift to a higher or lower range. My tractor has 4 gears with reverse, neutral 1 ,2 ,3 in each one. THe R ,N, 1,2,3, in that order shifter is by the steering wheel so it is really handy.

 

[Robert NC]

Maybe a dumb question, as I have old tractor, but do you have to keep the forward or reverse pedal on a hydro or hst pushed all the time unless you have cruise control.

 

[Bird]

do you have to keep the forward or reverse pedal on a hydro or hst pushed all the time unless you have cruise control.

Yes. And some, such as the B series Kubotas I had don't have an actual "cruise control" like a car does, but a "speed set" device that simply holds the pedal where you set it. I used mine occasionally, but for the most part, the rocker pedal was comfortable for me to just rest my foot on it. But that will be different for different people and different tractor models.

 

[Robert NC]

Bird
Thank you for the info

 

[warhammer]

No clutch on a Kioti DK45SE Hydro. There are seperate pedals for forward and reverse.

My old IH364 is about worn out and I will be looking for another tractor soon in the 40 HP range.

My old knees are getting kind of bad and I have never had anything except tractors with standard shift and a clutch that has my knee killing me by the end of the day.

I have seen so many different kinds of shifters advertised such as hydrostatic, power shift, shuttle shift, etc., but I have never used any of them. What recommendations can I get for a tractor that will be easy on my knees?