Buying Advice HST vs. Gear drive durability

[vtsnowedin]

Keep in mind that an L3800 gear tractor does not have a Shuttle per-se, like Dave was referring to. It is a true gear transmission. Yes I am an unabashed fan of the HST for CUT and SCUT tractors for most users.. I am on my 5th tractor in over 20 years, 2 with gear and 3 with Hydro, and I can say hands down with no reservation that hydro is the way to go for most users of these size tractors. NOT that gear is bad and in fact has some advantages for some things. And equipped with a shuttle can be very user friendly for loader work, as many on here will attest..but for the "average" user and the "average"things that user will do, I believe that Hydrostat is better. The incidence of Hydro failures is very low, and in fact lower than the incidence of clutch failures in gear tractors.. Clutch failures are often caused by the user. That said, many people seeking advice on this forum have a minimum of tractor knowledge and are seeking to gain more. I have a saying, that may sound harsh to some, but I am going to say it.."IF you need to ask which transmission system, that you need to purchase, then most likely you need a Hydro" Meaning if you are a skilled experienced operator, then you already know which system will serve you best. And if you are not a skilled experienced operator, then Hydro is best for you in most cases. Bottom line if you are a new to tractor's person, you have more to fear from wearing out the clutch than you do from the Hydro going south on you...You also need to know that you have opened a can of the most contentious worms you could have possibly opened here on this forum The next most contentious thing to ask is what tires to get Good luck on what ever you decide.

James K0UA

Lot of good stuff there.
I'm only on my second tractor in thirty odd years and went ten years or so in the middle without any. I can say unequivocally that any tractor is better then NO tractor.
As to the can of worms, can you imagine if tires came in different colors?

[k0ua]

As to the can of worms, can you imagine if tires came in different colors?

I am sorry, but I am in the "black" camp on the tires.. I can't stand the pink one!

[vtsnowedin]

To assume that everyone is biased because of what they purchased isn't correct. Their are lots of members here who have owned both gear and hydrostatic, deere, Massey Ferguson, IH, Case and Kubota brands and so on. Repeat buyers remember both the types and brands that they are satisfied or dissatisfied with. I find that all of them seem to be pretty good and I am sure there are lots of brands that are great machines I haven't heard of yet. But hey that is why I am here.

Oh not everyone here for sure, but taken as a group the average numbers of tractors owned lifetime is probably less then three and very likely less then two. And even then if you have owned say six tractors you have just experience with those six and not all the other models made by those same manufacturers. And even very intelligent people trying to be completely objective and scientifically observant have their own biases that they don't perceive.
That does not mean that the collective opinion here is wrong just that the strength of the opinion isn't what makes it so. After all the majority of the worlds people used to think the earth was flat.

[s219]

We have a couple manual transmission tractors and a couple HST tractors in my extended family, and I am not aware of any problems with either type.

I'd wager that the manual transmission probably has more moving parts than an HST, and then consider the clutch probably gets more abuse as well. So who knows, it might be more fragile, which seems opposite of what most of us think. The HST is surprisingly simple and robust (way more so than a typical automotive automatic transmission), and based on my experience and research, they seem pretty darn reliable.

[dave1949]

If an L3800 gear model has no forward-reverse shuttle as James pointed out, that would be a big negative for me in the selection process, based on what I use my tractor for. I'm not doing ground tillage or the like where you drive for 1/4 mile and then rinse and repeat. I think if it's going to be a gear tractor, it needs a good shuttle.

[TripleR]

If an L3800 gear model has no forward-reverse shuttle as James pointed out, that would be a big negative for me in the selection process, based on what I use my tractor for. I'm not doing ground tillage or the like where you drive for 1/4 mile and then rinse and repeat. I think if it's going to be a gear tractor, it needs a good shuttle.

In the stand L, I believe you would have to go up to the L4600 to get synchro shuttle.

[art]

If an L3800 gear model has no forward-reverse shuttle as James pointed out, that would be a big negative for me in the selection process, based on what I use my tractor for. I'm not doing ground tillage or the like where you drive for 1/4 mile and then rinse and repeat. I think if it's going to be a gear tractor, it needs a good shuttle.

The L-3800 has a two forward range transmission, low range and reverse range are a straight line shift so it could be called a shuttle!

[k0ua]

I think dave1949 was referring to a hydraulic shuttle shift on the steering column that you simply throw a lever forward or backward and do not have to disengage and reengage the clutch pedal. I don't think the L3800DT qualifies as a "shuttle". Please correct me if I am mistaken.

James K0UA

[TripleR]

I think dave1949 was referring to a hydraulic shuttle shift on the steering column that you simply throw a lever forward or backward and do not have to disengage and reengage the clutch pedal. I don't think the L3800DT qualifies as a "shuttle". Please correct me if I am mistaken.

James K0UA

That is also my interpretation, the synchro shuttle also has the lever on the column, you just have to use the foot clutch to reverse directions. We have all types, my brother just bought a synchro shuttle Kioti and our Case CS80 was a synchro shutte.

[dave1949]

That is also my interpretation, the synchro shuttle also has the lever on the column, you just have to use the foot clutch to reverse directions. We have all types, my brother just bought a synchro shuttle Kioti and our Case CS80 was a synchro shutte.

Mine is the synchro -shuttle type on the steering column, not hydraulic. You have to use the clutch. It can shuttle while rolling, but that is hard on the clutch to reverse directions while going the other way. Once in a while I get out of step with my hand and lean/brace forward in anticipation of going forward, but I'm in reverse.

My TC40 has 3 ranges, four gears per range. Range changes require a complete stop and clutch in. Gear changes can be rolling with clutch in, but the wheel/transmission speed needs to match the gear or it doesn't like to go into gear, especially downshifting.