any downside to hst?

[mchasal]

There are different types of cruise. On my MF1531 it's a mechanical cruise. It basically just holds the pedal down. It will hold that setting indefinitely, but I don't think it will hold speed over inclines. JD has some more advanced stuff with it's eHydro, which may do what you describe.

Mike

 

[Volfandt]

Downside to HST, yes and no... Depends on how you look at it
I'm on my 2nd HST. My 1st taste was on a L&G tractor and it had cruise. The speed would decrease on inclines but the gov would keep the rpms up so the mower wouldn't slow much. I found out that I like to constantly vary my ground speed. Fast on the flats and slower in turns and in the rough. Ended up I liked the HST so much that I sold it, along with my old gear drive TE20 and bought a scut w/HST.
I use the scut to primarily to mow 2.5 acres and it doesn't have cruise which I don't seem to miss at all.
I'm so used to usng my right foot to control speed that I don't even think about it. Another plus is that direction control is very easy also. No shifting, just move my foot to the rear a couple inches to reverse direction. This is especially nice when useing the FEL and manuvering in tight quarters.

The downside(s) have pretty much been posted. The HST robs more power from the engine than the gear tranny, they whine, especially under load and they need more servicing but in my case, I still prefer it over gear.

I still have my old gear drive Wheel Horse but will admit that I've looked into what it would take to change it over to an HST, and it's doable

Volfandt

 

[texasjohn]

All the pros and cons I know about have been listed already.

I do observe that everybody is giving a fair assessment... then the vast majority indicate that their preference for what they do is HST.

HST is my preference, too. I think that the concensus is: HST rocks!

 

[TMAC]

Jim,

I have a question to add to this topic concerning the "cruise control" on HST tractors. Currently when brush hogging our fields of between 3 and 5 acres each on the gear tractor once the first couple of rounds are made I never have to touch the clutch. It's just select the gear throttle up and round and round you go! Will the cruise feature hold a constant speed for an extended time? Will it hold speed on inclines and declines? My thoughts are that an HST would require more foot control in these situations. Now if you cut in areas that require lots of clutch work then the HST makes since.

Another point about the cruise. It will maintain speed by using the same operation as you would trying to maintain speed/power with a gear tranny. Once you set your cruise on level ground for exmple then start up an incline you'll have to increase your throttle control not push down further on your HST pedal to maintain your speed/power. So therefore, while using cruise with a HST you would perform the same operation going from level to incline as a gear tranny when trying to maintain speed/power. Hope this helps.

 

[ratter]

If you haven't already, also try a power shuttle transmission. HST for the tractor I wanted was out of my budget. I had more or less settled on a straight gear trans (and settled is a good word for it...) Then I drove a power shuttle (which allows you to change directions without shifting.) This to me was a good price/performance compromise, so this is what I've ordered.

With my current gear drive tractor, I find that most of my activity is at fairly constant speeds, and I seem to change direction much more often than I change gears or speed ranges. So the power shuttle seems like it will cut down on my clutching an awful lot, I think. Without incurring as much cost as HST.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I ended up buying a tractor with shuttle shift (JD's ePowerReverser) instead of HST. I bought my tractor without much research. I found TBN after I already had it home. Despite my lack of knowledge at the time, I am not too sure that I wouldn't do the same thing again. I drove an HST and couldn't quite get used to it stopping by letting off the pedal. I just about threw myself out of the seat once or twice. The shuttle shift works great when doing loader work. One thing that I feel is an advantage to shuttle shift or normal gear drive is in spraying or spreading. I calibrate my sprayer to a specific speed. All I have to do to achieve that speed is look at the chart on the fender, put it in the appropriate gear and set the throttle to 2600 RPM. Without a speedometer, I am not sure how you would do that with an HST.

 

[NoMo]

I drove an HST and couldn't quite get used to it stopping by letting off the pedal. I just about threw myself out of the seat once or twice.

Just to clarify for those who may be interested, the 'speed' at which the JD HST stops can be adjusted so that it won't throw you out of the seat. The default setting does stop pretty quickly though!

I can't add to the list of pros vs cons except to say that it seems demand for the HST is higher. Should you decide to get rid of your tractor, it might be easier to sell one with HST.

 

[GeneD14]

One thing that I feel is an advantage to shuttle shift or normal gear drive is in spraying or spreading. I calibrate my sprayer to a specific speed. All I have to do to achieve that speed is look at the chart on the fender, put it in the appropriate gear and set the throttle to 2600 RPM. Without a speedometer, I am not sure how you would do that with an HST.

My L4330 is an HST and it is easy to set the travel speed. The dash has a digital speedometer on it. Using the foot pedal or the cruise control it can be set at any ground speed from zero to 16 mph. It will also convert it to kilometers if you want.

 

[JimR]

I'm with Bob Surka on the HST. Once you get one you'll never go back to gears. My left knee has thanked me everytime I get on my Cub Cadet. No more ice packs for the clutch leg. So much more enjoyment to move dirt without playing the clutch while digging into a pile of dirt. So easy to do chores with. Plus an added feature that most of you will say is nuts and dangerous. In low gear these HST tractors will move with the brakes engaged. I can move my tractor around to get closer to things or under things without getting into the seat. Nuts, maybe for some. But for me and picking up a lot of rocks or whatever. It makes life very easy. Just watch your feet under the tires.

 

[daTeacha]

As far as I know the systems on compacts are simple mechanical devices that hold the pedal in one place. If going up or down a hill would require a different pedal position to maintain a certain ground speed, running in cruise would allow the speed to change. The difference is that the hydro pedal is usually a matter of ankle position, whereas the clutch involves the knee and hip. The pedal on my DX29 takes more pressure than the clutch on my Kubota did, but I don't get cramps in my sartorius muscle the evening after a lot of hours on the seat.