rjkobbeman
Platinum Member
My dealer says that the foot clutch is a normal dry disk-type clutch and the shuttle is a wet clutch. Slipping the foot clutch is severely frowned upon.
I use the foot clutch when parking in the barn, fork lifting, and other jobs that need precision.
In the field the shuttle shift works well (when I remember to use it).
On the M8540"HD" (Hydraulic Shuttle as apposed to Syncro Suttle) the foot clutch is a wet clutch pack like in an automatic transmission. The foot clutch and the hydraulic shuttle clutch is in fact the same clutch pack. There is a clutch pack for "forward" and a clutch pack for "reverse". The shuttle lever controls a hydraulic valve that engages and disengages the forward or reverse clutch pack... depending on which way the shuttle lever is set. Pressing the clutch actuates that exact same valve that the shuttle lever controls, disengaging the clutch pack.
There is no dry clutch in the Hydraulic Shuttle. I imagine all of Kubota's "HD" (Hydraulic Shuttle) models operate this same way.
The Syncro Shuttle model has a dry disc clutch, pressure plate and throw-out (like in an automobile). My WSM isn't real clear on the syncro shuttle shift operation, but it looks like it is just a set of gears, rather that a wet clutch pack. The shuttle shifting on the syncro shuttle is not hydraulically engaged. It is changing gears like in a gear box. It has syncronizers so you can shuttle between forward and reverse while still moving a little (not a lot), but you must press the clutch pedal for shuttle operation.
The hydraulic shuttle can be operated without the clutch pedal, as the hydraulic shuttle valve controls the engagement and disengagement.