Buying Advice Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro?

   / Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro? #1  

droptop

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2012
Messages
287
Location
Western NY
Tractor
Massey Ferguson 1635 cab
I'm considering replacing my current JD 770 FEL with something with a cab. I've narrowed the candidates down to a MF1635 or a JD3520, but am leaning toward the 1635. My dilemma is which transmission would be better? The Power Shuttle or the Hydro?

I have 13 acres of rolling hills that I maintain a mixed orchard of fruit trees that is increasing in size that will hopefully someday supplement my retirement when the trees mature. I use the tractor and FEL for general loader work and brush hogging. I mow about 2 acres with a finish mower and use it in the winter for snow removal with a rear mounted snow blower.

I've read a few threads on the joys of a hydro, but my concerns with the hydro are the long term reliability, service & maintenance costs vs the simpler, more efficient Power Shuttle. The reported ease of use of the Hydro isn't a big draw since I've been driving tractors since I was 6 (an Oliver 1650), and have no issues shifting gears. But I can see where the hydro would be nice when blowing snow.

Any thoughts and experience with the Hydro vs Power Shuttle dilemma would be appreciated along with any pricing info.
 
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   / Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro? #2  
I can give you my thoughts. I have a 1635 hydro with a cab and a 6' rear blower and 6' "bush hog". The hydro is great for blowing snow. I have several 100' greenhouses that I need to keep clear between. It will blow snow about
60'. As I get to that point all I need to do is back off on the reverse pedel and it just keeps blowing with no problem.
On the down side it is very noisy and winey. Under a load like mowing it is very annoying. I would think the cab should insolate the noise but it doesn't. I have a two bottom plow I pull and it's really noisy. To be honest I got a little excited about buying a new tractor and I was facing a financing program deadline. The hydro was all he had in stock so I bought it. If I had more time I would have waited and had him get a Power Shuttle to compare. To sum it up the hydro is nice but I think I would have gone for the Power Shuttle with what I know now. Confused? I was. Good luck
 
   / Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro? #3  
I would go with the Power Shuttle in that size. With the cab's extra weight I would think the extra power to the ground would be nice on your hilly land.

Hydro's are nice & easy to operate & change speeds, i would step up to the 1643 if going Hydro to get a little extra power.
 
   / Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro? #4  
I have the 1643, And I would say I prefer the power shuttle.
You do lose pto hp with the hydro, not much, but 3 to 4 hp to the pto does make a difference.
Yes with the PS you do have to shift gears, but with 12 gears to choose from and experiance, you will learn the proper gear to be in,
And then you only have to move the forward to reverse lever. with the hydro you still have to move your foot from peddle to peddle.
I went from a geared tractor to a PS, my frend has a hydro kabota, and he likes my PS better.
We all have our likes and dislikes.
That will be something, you have to figure out for yourself.
But go to a dealer and give them both a spin.
And you will have fun in the prosses. Fun and trying out tractors is the free part of the deal.
david
 
   / Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro? #5  
I also vote Powershuttle, as we have one. You will love it, and wont have any regrets. No clutching needed to change direction, and not the whine that the hydro is known for.

If you have any plans for ground engaging work, PS is the way to go.

Get the block heater installed when you buy.it.
 
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   / Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro? #6  
HSTs are gear tractors too. You have to stop to change the range you are in.
With either, your min/max speed is limited to whatever range you are in.

Power shuttle can be as nice as HST for blowing snow. You can use the foot throttle to regulate your speed, keeping the revs up to prevent the chute from plugging, then when reaching the end of your swipe, simply flip the PS lever to neutral and the tractor stops. Then keep the revs up while stopped until the chute clears the built-up pile of snow, then lift off the foot throttle to drop the revs to idle, lift blower, shift into opposite direction, and go. Easier than moving your foot between two pedals or (for me) trying to pivot a rocker pedal. The incessant whine of an HST, especially in a cab tractor, would drive me nuts after awhile.
 
   / Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro?
  • Thread Starter
#7  
This strangely isn't what I had expected. I expected a flood of postings expressing the pure love of hydro, instead just the opposite. And something that I hadn't even thought about was the whining of the hydro, which seems to be a large downside, but I have driven a few lawn mowers with hydro and I would expect that the pressures and volumes in a larger tractor would proportionately greater giving the greater whining that has been described.

Since I got such a good feedback on my first question, one last question that Will's comment about the block heater triggered.

I'm used to the fantastic cold starting ability of the direct injected Yanmar engine in my JD770. I can just turn the key without any heaters or glow plug at 0F and it will start. Admittedly when its that cold, its not to happy about running, only running on one or two cylinders for a few seconds until it builds a little heat in the cylinders, but none the less it always starts.

How well do the indirect injected Iseki engines start when they are cold?

Thanks again for the Great feedback!:thumbsup:
 
   / Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro? #8  
I don't have a block heater in my tractor, but I doesn't get real cold here in Oklahoma, but If I was in say nebaska or so. dakota I would. The last time it was 18F here it started after 10 sec. on the glow plugs. It never hurts to help out a diesel with some extra heat.
david
 
   / Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro? #9  
P.S. extra remotes should be a must have for sure. I didn't get any with my 1643, and I'm kicking myself for not getting at least 2 of them...
david
 
   / Looking at a MF1635 Cab, Power Shuttle or Hydro? #10  
This strangely isn't what I had expected. I expected a flood of postings expressing the pure love of hydro, instead just the opposite. And something that I hadn't even thought about was the whining of the hydro, which seems to be a large downside, but I have driven a few lawn mowers with hydro and I would expect that the pressures and volumes in a larger tractor would proportionately greater giving the greater whining that has been described.

Since I got such a good feedback on my first question, one last question that Will's comment about the block heater triggered.

I'm used to the fantastic cold starting ability of the direct injected Yanmar engine in my JD770. I can just turn the key without any heaters or glow plug at 0F and it will start. Admittedly when its that cold, its not to happy about running, only running on one or two cylinders for a few seconds until it builds a little heat in the cylinders, but none the less it always starts.

How well do the indirect injected Iseki engines start when they are cold?

Thanks again for the Great feedback!:thumbsup:

They start great in the cold,way better than our 1523 did. Just a few seconds with the glows, fires right up. We tested ours by not plugging it in one real cold day, well below 0F, just too see if we could depend on it, if the power ever went out. Needless to say, it passed. Ever since then, gets plugged on before use during a deep freeze.

The block heater is cheap insurance, and easy for them to pop in when they prep the tractor.

I agree on remotes, cab models come standard with one rear set, if you may need more, get them installed with the heater.

Good luck.
 
 
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