Buying Advice 1532 HST or Shuttle?

   / 1532 HST or Shuttle? #1  

dadioh

New member
Joined
Apr 9, 2012
Messages
16
Location
Ottawa, Canada
Tractor
Massey Ferguson MF1532
First time prospective tractor owner... I have a 23 acre hobby farm with more than half of that being old growth maple and beech. A few acres of hay field but my neighbor bails that for me so I won't be needing to do that myself. Drive way is about 500yds long and I have been plowing snow with my Polaris sportsman 6x6 up until now.

I want to consider a tractor to plow or blow and grade the laneway. Also want the FEL to work in the barn yard moving piles of manure and some landscaping. Moving small round bales about 600 lbs. Also need to pull logs out of the forest for firewood.

Given these tasks I think the 1532 should do fine. I am thinking a blade and or box scraper as attachments and maybe a bale spear. am trying to decide on HST or the 8x8 shuttle. HST might be nice because then my wife is more likely to drive it for small tasks. But I lose PTO power but not much. Here in Canada I was told it was $600 for the option.

What do you guys think in terms of the power loss, price/value, and reliability?
 
   / 1532 HST or Shuttle? #2  
First time prospective tractor owner... I have a 23 acre hobby farm with more than half of that being old growth maple and beech. A few acres of hay field but my neighbor bails that for me so I won't be needing to do that myself. Drive way is about 500yds long and I have been plowing snow with my Polaris sportsman 6x6 up until now.

I want to consider a tractor to plow or blow and grade the laneway. Also want the FEL to work in the barn yard moving piles of manure and some landscaping. Moving small round bales about 600 lbs. Also need to pull logs out of the forest for firewood.

Given these tasks I think the 1532 should do fine. I am thinking a blade and or box scraper as attachments and maybe a bale spear. am trying to decide on HST or the 8x8 shuttle. HST might be nice because then my wife is more likely to drive it for small tasks. But I lose PTO power but not much. Here in Canada I was told it was $600 for the option.

What do you guys think in terms of the power loss, price/value, and reliability?


Have owned both HST and now Powershuttle, much prefer the power shuttle. With our 12x12, we have 5 gears below 1mph, so plenty creeper gears to choose from. Have a look at the lower gears, and see how slow the tractor will crawl?

If you are doing any ground engaging work, get the 8x8. Test both tractors, and see how you both like them!

Here is the MF summary of the 8x8.

SynchroShuttle
Our 8 x 8 SynchroShuttle provides you with eight forward speeds and eight reverse. Plus easy shifting between forward and reverse with a dash-mounted lever – using the clutch, but not coming to a full stop. Good, solid performance at a value price.


Don't be afraid of the shuttle, they do work great. Once you get used to it, it will be second nature to you. And no where near the whine of the HST.
 
   / 1532 HST or Shuttle?
  • Thread Starter
#3  
WilliamBos said:
Have owned both HST and now Powershuttle, much prefer the power shuttle. With our 12x12, we have 5 gears below 1mph, so plenty creeper gears to choose from. Have a look at the lower gears, and see how slow the tractor will crawl?

If you are doing any ground engaging work, get the 8x8. Test both tractors, and see how you both like them!

Here is the MF summary of the 8x8.

SynchroShuttle
Our 8 x 8 SynchroShuttle provides you with eight forward speeds and eight reverse. Plus easy shifting between forward and reverse with a dash-mounted lever – using the clutch, but not coming to a full stop. Good, solid performance at a value price.

Don't be afraid of the shuttle, they do work great. Once you get used to it, it will be second nature to you. And no where near the whine of the HST.

Thanks. Good info. The dealer is going to bring out a 2011 HST to my property next week so we can try it out and see how it does at a few tasks like grading the driveway. That should give me a good idea of what to expect. I will see how bad it whines but I think that the overriding factor is going to be user friendliness and ease of use.

Because it is a 2011 model (with 2 hours on it) he is doing a further discount that covers the $600 that HST would cost. He is offering me the 2011 1532 HST for $19,900 CDN. I suspect price is lower in US but I "think" that is a good price up here from my research. The other tractor I was considering was a Branson 3510i with 12x12 shuttle but it is a 2010 model that has been sitting on the lot for a while. Heavier tractor by 1000lbs at 3700lbs, has a self leveling loader with 1700lb lift capacity. But lesser known brand with lower resale value later on I assume. For $900 more (comparing shuttle to shuttle) I think the Massey Ferguson is worth the extra.
 
   / 1532 HST or Shuttle? #4  
Thanks. Good info. The dealer is going to bring out a 2011 HST to my property next week so we can try it out and see how it does at a few tasks like grading the driveway. That should give me a good idea of what to expect. I will see how bad it whines but I think that the overriding factor is going to be user friendliness and ease of use.

Because it is a 2011 model (with 2 hours on it) he is doing a further discount that covers the $600 that HST would cost. He is offering me the 2011 1532 HST for $19,900 CDN. I suspect price is lower in US but I "think" that is a good price up here from my research. The other tractor I was considering was a Branson 3510i with 12x12 shuttle but it is a 2010 model that has been sitting on the lot for a while. Heavier tractor by 1000lbs at 3700lbs, has a self leveling loader with 1700lb lift capacity. But lesser known brand with lower resale value later on I assume. For $900 more (comparing shuttle to shuttle) I think the Massey Ferguson is worth the extra.

That sounds like a real good price! If you decide to buy the demo MF, see if you can deal on tbe 50 hour service too.

That should have the twin pedal hydro set up too? And 3 speed HST?
 
   / 1532 HST or Shuttle?
  • Thread Starter
#5  
WilliamBos said:
That sounds like a real good price! If you decide to buy the demo MF, see if you can deal on tbe 50 hour service too.

That should have the twin pedal hydro set up too? And 3 speed HST?

I am not sure if this qualifies as a demo if it only has 2 hours on it but not sure how that works. Dealer seems to have a good reputation and has been around quite a few decades. He is bringing out a 6 foot blade with it so we can try grading some of the driveway.

It is the 2 pedal HST that adjusts engine rpm along with the HST which most reviewers seemed to like. It is the 3 speed as well.

You have me curious about the whine. Gotta listen for that. But then again, these aging ears may not even hear it if the pitch is high enough :)

What does the 50 hour service consist of and what would it be worth? I was thinking I would do most maintenance myself so I was going to ask about getting a service manual with it. I have done a fair bit of work on cars and on my 6x6 ATV but never diesel tractors. But I have a lot of buddies that could advise me on that.
 
   / 1532 HST or Shuttle? #6  
I am not sure if this qualifies as a demo if it only has 2 hours on it but not sure how that works. Dealer seems to have a good reputation and has been around quite a few decades. He is bringing out a 6 foot blade with it so we can try grading some of the driveway.

It is the 2 pedal HST that adjusts engine rpm along with the HST which most reviewers seemed to like. It is the 3 speed as well.

You have me curious about the whine. Gotta listen for that. But then again, these aging ears may not even hear it if the pitch is high enough :)

What does the 50 hour service consist of and what would it be worth? I was thinking I would do most maintenance myself so I was going to ask about getting a service manual with it. I have done a fair bit of work on cars and on my 6x6 ATV but never diesel tractors. But I have a lot of buddies that could advise me on that.
Get the dealer to price and order the service manuals for you. It is not hard at all

Hst spin on filter, a trans screen and fluid, front axle oil, engine oil, check air filter, and look at fuel filter.
 
   / 1532 HST or Shuttle? #7  
First time prospective tractor owner... I have a 23 acre hobby farm with more than half of that being old growth maple and beech. A few acres of hay field but my neighbor bails that for me so I won't be needing to do that myself. Drive way is about 500yds long and I have been plowing snow with my Polaris sportsman 6x6 up until now.

I want to consider a tractor to plow or blow and grade the laneway. Also want the FEL to work in the barn yard moving piles of manure and some landscaping. Moving small round bales about 600 lbs. Also need to pull logs out of the forest for firewood.

Given these tasks I think the 1532 should do fine. I am thinking a blade and or box scraper as attachments and maybe a bale spear. am trying to decide on HST or the 8x8 shuttle. HST might be nice because then my wife is more likely to drive it for small tasks. But I lose PTO power but not much. Here in Canada I was told it was $600 for the option.

What do you guys think in terms of the power loss, price/value, and reliability?

my choice would be the HST. you will have ANY speed for working you will need. like you said, easy to use and the wife will like it better. as far as losing pto hp, if 2 or 3 pto hp is the issue, GET A BIGGER TRACTOR. a hst only drops about 2-3 pto hp compared to geared trans. why cut it so close. i never notice the pto hp thing with my hst tractor. i can even spin the tires in low gear if trying to pull/push too much, so that is also a non issue in my opinion with a hst compared to a geared. a hst also saves on the tractor by not needing to clutch near as much, and the brakes because you don't need to clutch as much and not in neutral, so you use the brakes less. and finally it will save you the operator some wear and tear. don't need to clutch as much for direction changes/gear changes. did i say a hst will save on the clucth?! especially for loader work. also easier for getting close to hook up implements and such. reliabilty should not be an issue. i am more familiar with kubota hst, but your choice of tractor should be fine. i actually skid a ton of logs with my hst. about 900 hours of firewood/landscaping/bush hogging work with mine and NO trouble with the hst at all. it might "wine" a bit, but i truthfully do not notice it.

i almost bought a 8x8 shuttle for a second tractor, but the more i thought about it, the more a hst makes sense. if you had wide open/flat terrain, and doing mostly put in a gear and go type work, the shuttle would be fine. but anything else like hills and loader work, if a hst is available, that is the one i would pick. especially for a first time tractor buyer/owner. my opinion is you will "enjoy" the hst experience more. make your "work" with the tractor much more pleasureable and less "work" involved operating the tractor.

these are of course my opinions. best thing is to consider your terrain and type of jobs you will be doing most (loader, speed/direction changes). and finally test them both out. have fun shopping and enjoy!
 
   / 1532 HST or Shuttle? #8  
I have the 8x8 syncroshuttle and love it . The clutch pedal pushes easy , shifts easy , shuttle works great .
 
   / 1532 HST or Shuttle? #9  
Recently did my first service . Oil , filter , hydraulic filter , hydraulic oil . Engine service inexpensive , hydraulic a little more pricey . They recommend hydraulic at 50 hr. , first time , 300 hr. after that . So that expense won't be for quite a while . So if you can get the parts worked in the deal:thumbsup:it's not a hard task to service .
 
   / 1532 HST or Shuttle? #10  
I have quite the opposite opinion. I currently own a powershuttle tractor, just sold one yesterday, and have two HST machines and have just ordered a Deere 4520 HST.

I would go with the HST. It is significantly easier and fast to move piles of manure and other materials with HST. It is also easier to unload from a truck with HST. Plowing? HST has INFINITE slow speeds and you can quickly vary the speed to adjust. Mowing? Advantage HST.

The only downside to HST is the cost. If you will be spending a lot of time in he seat the HST will pay off quickly. I was very slow to change over but I put 200 hours on my equipment last year and the hydrostat makes working much easier. Plus, if your wife or SO is going to use, guess which is easier to get her to use safely...

By the way, the difference in PTO power is usually 1-1.5hp, negligible, and if it isn't, you bought too small a tractor.

Good Luck!
 
 
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