How long have CUT's had hydro's

[CVHoss]

tc35dforme,
I don't know how either transmission style can be considered safer....but I may soon be corrected !!!

Not to start a huge discussion or to correct you, just to try and answer the question. I think the most often pointed out safety factor of a HST is that if the operator leaves the platform (either from his own action or that of a bump or tree limb), the tractor motion stops thus lessening the possibility of getting run over by your own machine. The addition of cruise control on HSTs negates this to some degree, but it is still a viable safety factor.

Hoss

[Kodiak]

Are there any long time tractors dealers or employees on line here that can fill in the blank as to when first became popular? And has the market seen considerable increase in sales to people who probably woudn't have bought a CUT if it was still an only manual transmission available inventory?

[tc35dforme]

Hoss,

I'll give you that one....unless of course the Hydro is on a slope and we've learned they'll keep on rolling.

One safety point I did think of after my post was the chance of popping a clutch while trying to shift on a uphill and wheeling over. Seen it turn fatal. You won't really do that on a hydro....and you SHOULDN'T do it on a gear model.

Hey, some like chocolate and some like vanilla. Whatever works for your needs.

[jwstewar]

To kinda confirm what Jim Miller said. I saw an ad in the paper last night for an '82 Ford (I believe it was also a 1210 but don't remember) and it had hydro. So that confirms what he was saying of at least 20 years.

[buppy69]

I had an 82 Kubota once with hydro.

Eugene

[Ozarker]

Back in the mid-70's the Army bought a whole boatload of JD410 tractors with cabs, FEL's and backhoes and issued them to Engineer battalions. I'm going from memory and might be wrong, but I think they were all hydro's.

I'll tell this much, they were some fox hole digging son's a guns.

[DK35vince]

CVHoss,
Do not gear tractors also come with ROPS and seat belts to keep the operator safely in the seat?
I also am not trying to start an arguement,but I still fail to see the hydro's as being safer !

[GreenRules]

I can't speak for the other manufacturers, but JD introduced their hydro compact tractors in 1986 with their "55"series.
JD introduced hydro in their 300 series garden tractors in 1974 and a hydro 400 series in 1975.

[Kodiak]

Thanks IHCrules:

Thats the type of answer I've been looking for. Can anyone else comment ont he other brands?

[jtn]

Let me qualify my earlier comment by saying it is unlikely we will see larger HST's in FARM equipment.

The JD1050C is actually a branded Leibeherr PR752. Yes, it is HST and a lot of dozers and loaders are going that way. In smaller machines HST can compete with a powershift/torque converter transmission, but in field work such as plowing, mowing, or haying where the tractor is running at a steady speed there is no substitute for direct drive.

A HST transmission usually runs at about 85-88% effeciency while a direct drive runs at about 96%. This translates to more power to the ground and less fuel consumption. Look at the PTO horsepower compared to engine horsepower for a given tractor model with HST and gear tranny and you will see the difference.

JT