MECHANICAL HYDRO, OR E-HYDRO? ANY OPINIONS?

[JasonMac]

I've always had mechanical Hydro tractors in the past. And it is funny because you can actually feel what your tractor is doing right through your foot... it eventually becomes you after a short while of using the machine... now that I have a new 3720 Cab model coming in a few days, I honestly never tried it, or any Ehydro... whats it feel like? Does it feel like stepping on a pedal to an electric sewing machine? Does the pedal give any feedback at all? Does that tractor give out any other signals to what it is doing? Because with mechanical hydro, after using it , you really develop a finesse about the machine... I'm still getting the 3720 Cab model no matter what.. no pedals are going to stop me from that.... but I was just curious, especially from people who have had both, like say a 4000 series mechanical, to 4000 TEN SERIES, TO THE 3000 & 4000 TWENTY SERIES... just wondering, anyone?

 

[BloomingtonMike]

JAson, there is no feedback through the pedal at all. Push it a litlle it goes slow, push it to the floor and it goes fast. It is smoooooth.

 

[Mtrman]

Like bloomingtonmike said there is no feed back from the pedal. You get some feedback from the seat of your pants. you can also hear the hydrostatic when you are working it without enough throttle. If you have load match the hydrostatic will adjust itself. It does this alot faster than any human ever could. I shut mine off once just to see if was working, and I stalled the tractor. You will love the 3720. It has alot of power in a small tractor. Keep us posted on how the cab model is. Thanks Mike

 

[daTeacha]

Isn't loadmatch standard with the ehydro unit? That, plus the other electronic toys are the only "advantage" I see to that unit. I don't know that tractors really need OBD. It just seems to me that you'll be dependent on the dealer for all service other than an oil change.

 

[kennyd]

I have only driven a EHydro machine once, No working involved, just a drive...
But I have to say, I really like the feedback on my hydro pedal when working the tractor, so switching to a Ehydro machine would take alot of getting used to. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[755inNY]

JasonMac,

I've owned a JD 755 with mechanical hydro and now own a JD4310 with ehydro. They feel different.

I think the difference in feel is the reponsiveness not necessarily the operation. The "feel" from a mechanical system is really the springs attached to the lingage. I don't think you are getting real feedback from the hydro transmission. You still get that feel of resistance in the ehydro and the associated feedback on how hard you are pressing on the pedal.

The responsiveness is what's lacking. What I mean is the feeling when changing direction or just coming to a stop or starting off. With the mechanical hydro you not only vary the speed but you also vary how quickly or aggressively the hydro responds to you input. With the ehydro you have 2 choices selected by a switch. Essentially a quick response (which still is not as quick as the mechanical) or slow response. If you have it set in the slow response time for smooth operation during mowing but find it necessary to do a quick stop by quickly releasing the hydro pedal, the computer doesn't care. The response is the same. I hardly ever used the brakes on the JD 755 because the hydro was so responsive to my input. I had complete control over how quickly the tractor decelerated or accelerated. I find myself using the brakes a lot more on the 4310. I have been surprised many times whenever I have reverted back to operating in 755 mode and the 4310 rolled forward more than expected upon release of the hydro pedal. BRAKE! BRAKE!

Another example. I have short slopes that I mow down and then back out in one smooth maneuver. In the 755 I would drive down and at the end move my foot from the forward pedal to the reverse pedal and hold the tractor stopped. I never had to use the brakes. The action I put into the pedal(s) was exactly what I got back. I can't do that with the ehydro. I have to use brakes. I can't get comfortable with the timing to know how far in advance I need to make the transition to allow for the delay in going from forward to stop and the delay in going from stop to holding the tractor in place with reverse. I can't say it is even consistent.

To me that is the real difference between the 2 types. I don't know if there are any reliability differences between the 2 or whether maintenance or adjustments are easy with ehydro. Time will tell. I never did anything to the 755 hydro in 16 years and 1200 hours of operation except change the hydro fluid and filter every 250 hours.

So far, the only benefit I see with the ehydro is the automotive style cruise and the speed match. Other than those, I would prefer the mechanical.

Jeff

 

[JasonMac]

That's exactly the answer I was looking for... thanks for your response. Actually thanks for everyones responses.... I'm sure it will take a long time to develop the finesse I had with the mechanical set up... because what I did feel on my last two tractors was real.... the response was real. When the pedals got firm while digging into a pile let me know I just took a solid bite out of the pile.... The speed of accelaration was great... I am sure overtime I will get used to it.. but I'm sure its going to feel like I'm operating a tractor with electric sewing machine pedals... I've had an 855 JD, great tractor that was.. and I was happy with my 4200... I know I'm going to love my 3720! But I just wish I could actually feel that power surge right up through my foot.... If they offered a 3720 with mechanical over the Ehydro... I bet I would choose the Mechanical... It just felt real.... But, I'll let you know my general impressions of this machine when I get it... I'll also take plenty of pictures for you guys too.. thanks, Jason