Hand throttle setting - faster clutch wear? - gears only, no Shuttle Shift

[KY Gun Geek]

New employee has sparked a bit of a debate about the use of hand throttle.

First - we are talking about geared tractors only (specifically here a JD 5105 and a 5055d which are 50ish hp dry clutch with NO shuttle shift/power reverse/etc). I say this because the searches I've done turn up threads that seem to intertwine and confuse the operation of gear/clutch tractors with a SS or HST - Not looking for a comparison (an HST would probably render this discussion pointless) - please keep your replies focused on geared tractors only.

Function here is to pull a dump wagon on pavement through barns to collect muck from stalls then transport and dump in a field.

So the competing theories are as follows:

1) Set the hand throttle at around 1750 (tractors idle around 600 I think) and use the clutch to control movement.
The offered reason is that this is much easier for a less skilled employee to be smoother and therefore safer around buildings and people. Once wagon is loaded, speed is controlled withe the throttle - the limit being about 2300 rpm which is the indicated RPM for 540 rpm on the pto. If you need to go faster or slower, procedure would be set throttle to about 1750, stop the tractor (clutch in), change gears, clutch out and continue on.

2) Hand throttle all the way down to idle - control movement with clutch and foot throttle. Drive the tractor like a car (no hand throttle on a car!).
Control ground speed by choice of gear. Procedure a little different between the 2 tractors - the 5105 has syncros, the 5055d does not, so with the 5105 you push clutch in, switch gear, let clutch out, and can do so while moving to go faster. With the 5055, pick the gear before moving.

My opinion is that 1st approach is really hard on a dry clutch and will lead to early failure (and so is NOT my pick), but I do agree that it is easier (and maybe safer) for unskilled operators. Approach 2 seems to be as kind as possible to the clutch. Additionally, I don't like the idea of the tractor moving controlled by the hand throttle. The same unskilled operator may not stop as quickly in an emergency since they are used to driving cars that slow or stop if they take their foot of the accelerator. I also don't like the rpm up in tight spots - a slip of the clutch foot and the tractor will launch itself. I personally drive the tractor like a car, and only use the hand throttle if doing something like mowing or dragging a field (long periods of constant speed).

I understand there are lots of other debate points here (why hire employees who can't safely operate a tractor, or is it really safer), and I'm interested in those comments cause they might be fun, but try to keep the focus. The issue is really are we eating clutches faster by setting the idle high with the hand throttle.

There is some value in discussing the competing approaches regardless of the reasons why they exist. From my searches, there did seem to be some differences of opinion in the TBN nation...

Thanks!

 

[goeduck]

My opinion is that a clutch should always be engaged at as low an RPM as possible. I have both wet and dry clutches and I treat them the same, clutch at low RPM, then increase the RPM for the use.

 

[kthompson]

I agree with goeduck but in reading this I am not understating why so much stop and going in the barns. It seems you may need to slow down a little with the tractor when reading especially your first option. It can seem a waste of time to move slow with some jobs but wear, tear on equipment and safety to operator is worth slow and steady. I had run about same size tractor with dump trailer to move man a load of dirt and when trailer is loaded always started movement with foot throttle and low gear to get it rolling then shifted into higher gear again with foot throttle. No hand throttle at all.

 

[KY Gun Geek]

I agree with goeduck but in reading this I am not understating why so much stop and going in the barns. It seems you may need to slow down a little with the tractor when reading especially your first option. It can seem a waste of time to move slow with some jobs but wear, tear on equipment and safety to operator is worth slow and steady. I had run about same size tractor with dump trailer to move man a load of dirt and when trailer is loaded always started movement with foot throttle and low gear to get it rolling then shifted into higher gear again with foot throttle. No hand throttle at all.

Good question about the function
Barns are about 75' long. Tractor must be moved 2 or 3 times (straight line) if employees fork muck directly into wagon (otherwise they carry, lift, and dump muck tubs into wagon - an operation they do not like). Pavement goes through most barns, but one of them is a dead end - back in and forward out.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Hand throttle at higher RPM and in a smaller area seems like a accident waiting to happen. Damage to people, animals and equipment just not worth it. Safety first etc etc.

High rpm bound to be harder on the clutch when shifting. Clutch’s are expensive.

New drivers need some practice in safe area with cones as barriers or some such.

 

[Mace Canute]

Hand throttle at higher RPM and in a smaller area seems like a accident waiting to happen. Damage to people, animals and equipment just not worth it. Safety first etc etc.

High rpm bound to be harder on the clutch when shifting. Clutchç—´ are expensive.

New drivers need some practice in safe area with cones as barriers or some such.

^This^, in spades!

They should be using no more throttle than is necessary to prevent killing the engine when they engage the clutch and inside a building they should be using first gear at low rpms.

 

[rustyshakelford]

When growing up bailing hay we had geared tractors. The rpm was set for the pto and you used the clutch to stop and drop a bale and to start back again. Never had any clutch failures and they had lots of hrs. Sounds like a hydrostatic tranny would be a good fit for your operation

Brett

 

[Rustyiron]

Yeah, pull off the hand throttle and toss it. In a flat level barn, and at "in the barn" speeds I don't recall a tractor that would stall even at an idle even with a loaded trailer while in the proper trans gear/range. 1750 rpm (at engagement) will cause excessive clutch wear. If they are that bad with a clutch, I'd familiarize them with the range lever and have the rule be "X" range in the barn and "Y" range outside the barn. But remove the hand throttle, they'll learn to use a clutch properly.

 

[marchanna]

My manual says to avoid feathering or riding the clutch - not exact quote. With PTO driven equipment the engine is supposed to be up to speed during operation, and therefore stopping and starting would require clutching at higher RPMs.

From what I致e learned from my grandfather (he was a mechanic for 40 years in rural Ontario - fixed all the local tractors), and from what my manual says, it seems like the clutch should be either in or out, and while total number of lifetime clutch activations and rpm at which it is engaged will impact longevity, the bigger issue by far is with riding or feathering the clutch.

So I would say that, controlling fine movements at low speed with the clutch is the absolute worst thing you should be doing. However you decide to operate the tractor, with hand throttle or foot throttle, the clutch should be either in or out. And by that, I don稚 mean dumping the clutch to pull wheelies.

 

[bspeedy]

1750 rpm for slow movements in the barn with a 50+hp tractor is silly. Low range, low gear, idle speed. You could sidestep the clutch and not hurt things in low/low. Your farm hand is not knowledgeable enough about equipment to operate anything. Give him a shovel and a 5-gallon bucket.