Shuttle shift usage Kubota M7060

[KubotaGirl001]

Hi y'all. I'm new here and learning to drive tractor for first time. My dad is old school (and a tad stubborn) so he is having a problem adjusting to our newly acquired M7060 kubota. He is used to the tractors from the 80's. My dad was using the shuttle shift and almost hit into the garage the other day because he said the breaks didn't work for him (he was a bit shaken by this). I'm thinking the tractor has to be in Neutral before depressing brakes on a shuttle shift? Or is something else not set right? From what I have read in the Operator's manual (which is very vague) it only says something about the torque in the axle being too high for braking. My dad had the tractor in 4WD at the time but I also noticed the same issue in 2WD. Before we ruin the transmission and whatever else can someone please explain how this works? Thanks so much for all answers/suggestions! Much appreciated.

 

[Fallon]

You need to be un-powered for brakes to work. Clutch, shuttle in neutral, out of gear, etc.

Years ago I drove some JD 7000 & 8000 series machines for several summers. 19 forward speeds or so. Up to around around 7 pushing on the brakes did nothing. You could lay on the brakes as hard as you could push & at best the engine would make a bit more noise. In higher gears it would lug or stall the engine.

In lower gears higher HP tractors have way more gearing & power than they do brakes. Additionally the throttles are not setup like a car. The engine will try & run at the set RPM nomatter what. It won't coast down like pulling your foot of the gas in a car.

Always un-power the machine (clutch of some sort) before braking if you want it to actually stop. At least for geared machines, including PowerShift, shuttle shift, GST, etc. HST is different in that you stop automagically pulling your foot off the go pedal. But HST isn't a tranny used on bigger wheeled tractors for various reasons.

 

[ovrszd]

Your tractor uses a hydraulic wet disc clutch. To disengage this clutch you must either push the foot pedal as in any clutch tractor, or shift the shuttle lever to neutral. If both of these mechanisms are engaged, i.e. clutch pedal out, shuttle shifter into forward/reverse, the tractor will continue to move until the engine is killed. In a lower gear that will only happen after it has driven thru your garage......

So teach your Dad to use the foot clutch for stopping. Use the shuttle lever to determine direction. After he has become familiar with the tractor then he can advance to using the hand shuttle for that function.

Sounds like maybe both of you should adapt this method until you are more comfortable with the tractor.

I use my foot clutch a LOT.

The hand shuttle is very handy for doing repetitive functions where direct change is required.

 

[Phillip w]

I'm not very good at this high tech stuff. There is a video on YouTube that i think does a good job talking about the tractor and has a demonstration of how to operate it. It is obviously a sells pitch video, but i think is also good for a new owner to fully understand the tractor. I dont know how to get it on the forum, but if you google "operating kubota m7060 tractor" the video should show up. Like your dad, i'm pretty old school and cant help you with advice on howto operate the tractor. Hope this helps, welcome to the forum. I hope you and you dad get it figured out and have good luck with your tractor.

 

[KubotaGirl001]

Thank you so much for all the great replies. A good mix of info in all and you've saved the garage! I will see if I can find that video Phillip, thank you

 

[JWR]

My aren't we full of help today ! KubotaGirl, most of the posts above are right but some partially misleading. None of us are English majors ... let me give it a try.

Your Dad's difficulty in stopping his tractor has absolutely nothing to do with the shuttle shift nor any aspect of shifting gears. THE POINT IS, he must depress the clutch as or before he puts on the brakes. THE END.

Some above have accurately mentioned the reason: Tractors in general can, and usually will, overcome braking with their engine/drive power. So the idea is you stop shoving the thing forward by depressing the clutch. The brakes then should stop it.

 

[TripleR]

Pretty much what everyone else said, like Richard (ovrszd), I have a hydraulic shuttle as well as other types. until I got use to our M8540, I drove it old school like the Case CX80 it replaced and transitioned as I became familiar with it. Yes, I had an "oh heck" like your dad trying it out at the dealer. My brother drives everything from a 1956 Ford 600 up to a 9000 John Deere and still finds himself using the foot clutch. My sons easily made the transition; much harder on guys like me and other old timers.

 

[ovrszd]

Your Dad's difficulty in stopping his tractor has absolutely nothing to do with the shuttle shift nor any aspect of shifting gears. THE POINT IS, he must depress the clutch as or before he puts on the brakes. THE END.

So the idea is you stop shoving the thing forward by depressing the clutch. The brakes then should stop it.

Or use the shuttle lever. It does the same thing as depressing the pedal clutch.

I recommend getting used to the shuttle lever. But as Larry mentioned, sometimes that comes hard.

 

[Fallon]

Or use the shuttle lever. It does the same thing as depressing the pedal clutch.

I recommend getting used to the shuttle lever. But as Larry mentioned, sometimes that comes hard.

The shuttle is usually a wet clutch but the pedal is a dry clutch. Wet is more durable than dry. So if possible you are better off using the shuttle. Both accomplish the same thing but one is less wear on the machine. But not all shuttles have a neutral. Some really can only be set to forward or reverse with no real detent for neutral.

 

[TripleR]

May be of interest to the OP, we have at least one of each. Understanding Tractor Transmissions - YouTube