HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison?

   / HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison? #1  

davesisk

Platinum Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2002
Messages
864
Location
Raleigh, NC USA
Tractor
Massey-Ferguson MF 1220
Hi folks:

I'm just curious about repair cost comparison between a CUT with a manual tranny vs. a hydrostatic drive tranny. I've heard that manuals are generally cheap to make repairs to, while HST's can be very expensive (as in costing as much as the CUT is worth). I'm not sure that I entirely believe that the expense of an HST repair is that exorbitant, but who knows. I currently have a Power-trac 1418 which is HST (fully HST w/4 hydraulic wheel motors, no gear tranny) and I do know that the hydrostatic drive pump is the single most expensive part on the machine, but at $1300 replacement cost, that isn't anywhere near the actual value of the tractor.

Can anyone with experience credit/discredit the above statements? I'd assume the HST repair costs are probably very similar between Kubota, JD, New Holland, etc., so correct me if that's a wrong assumption.

Thx,
Dave
 
   / HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison? #2  
There must be an awfull loss of power with "four" hydrualic motors at each wheel. Is that really how those Powertacs are designed or did I misunderstand. Question, why does someone with a Powertrac feel concerned with comparing repair costs of a JD, NH and KUBOTA? I don't think any of their parts would work on your Powertrac.
Hey, I did like your idea of a sub BX sized mini tractor, with FEL capacity of about 300 lbs, and could use a small box blade and tillers, snow blowers etc. It would need four wheel drive for sure to be usefull. Yeah, yeah, bigger is better for everyone here but TBN is not representative actually of most homeowners so I bet they would sell if priced below 5,000 dollars including FEL.
Goodluck with the Powerthingy. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif J
 
   / HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison? #3  
Dave,
Remember, except for the principle of the variable volume pump, your PTs pump is not comparable to a traditional CUT with an HST. Two different animals in my opinion.

As for repair costs... there are several threads concerning these issues. I'd say, in general, HSTs cost more to repair when they need repairs. However, most modern HSTs are pretty tough and should give years of reliable service. When weighing those potential repair costs, you have to consider the potential savings that might be made in time savings during operation(don't flame me you die-hard manual users) and the saving of your body, especially your clutch knee( again, don't flame me you die-hard manual users) when comparing manual to HST.

As for the value of your tractor, I personally think it is worth more than $1300.00 /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
 
   / HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison? #4  
Maybe he is considering purchasing a JD, NH or Kubota like yours and would like to know if HST costs more to repair than manual /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
   / HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison? #5  
i would imagine the HST would cost more to repair. but AND IT IS A BIG BUT. i would not let me diswade u from purchasing one. why do we assume that we will need to repair? do we do that with road vehicles? nope! we buy what we like with not hardly any regard to repair cost.my hst is 4 years old, my friends is 14 years old, and not one single problem with either.
 
   / HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Why concerned with repair costs? Well, you can't have too many tractors can ya? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Seriously, someone on another forum had made this statement, and I was just curious if it was totally accurate. For now, the PT fits my property size and needs just fine. Sometime in the future, I intend to have a larger property and might need something bigger. So, the question is replace the PT with a larger PT or a larger different brand altogether, OR keep the small PT and buy something larger with different strengths and weaknesses. Like I said above, there's no such thing as too many tractors!

Thx,
Dave
 
   / HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison?
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Thanks for the vote of confidence on a mini-trac. I'm nowhere actually even starting a project like that (even though the project itself could be quite fun). I agree that TBN probably isn't representative of the average homeowner. It just seems to me that there's got to be a tremendous market for something that's "typical homeowner" size and price, but can do a lot more than just mow. There are two company's making power wheelbarrows nowadays, and I'm just thinking that there's got to be some intersection point between a CUT and the "lawn tractor and power wheelbarrow" type market where there's a lot of potential demand. Just musings at this point, however...

Dave
 
   / HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison?
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Hey MR:

Yup, you are correct that they certainly appear to be quite different animals. Part of the fun is learning about those differences.../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

See ya,
Dave
 
   / HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison?
  • Thread Starter
#9  
TresCrows: Actually, the PT has 4 hydraulic motor total, one at each wheel. Yes, there is some loss, but I'm thinking it's fairly low though (like around 10%). I know I've pulled a trailer loaded with 2300 lbs of sand with this little 1200 lb machine. It's max speed is a whopping 8 mph, but that means you get lots of torque, so it's a balance. Like I said earlier, it fits my needs and property size extremely well.

Dave
 
   / HST vs. manual - repair cost comparison? #10  
Look on Deere forum some people w/ manual trans
have found they cost around $1500 to replace clutch
and dealers (???) have told them 600 hr. life is about average.
BUT everyone use things different and possibly incorrectly,
just a tidbit I saw recently.

Something else to think about.
I'll stick w/ my hydro, vast improvement over GST IMHO.
 
 
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