Hydrostatic clutch - dumb question

[Antigonish]

Do you treat the hydrostatic drive pedal like a clutch pedal -- i.e. you ease it on or off, but you don't 'ride the clutch' or have it partially engaged for any length of time?

Also mine seems a little noisy when engaged (its on a Cub Cadet 7275) is that normal?

 

[BGL990]

A hydrostatic drive pedal is not like a clutch at all. Think of it more like a gear ratio selector. Push just a little bit and you are in 1st "gear" - low speed, high torque. Push a bit more and you are in 2nd, etc. Push all the way down and you are in the highest "gear" - high speed, low torque.

Of course there aren't actually any gears that are changing and it is infinitely variable. It is designed specifically to be variable and you can push it as much or as little as you want and hold it at any position for any length of time. There is nothing slipping like a clutch.

One thing that it is NOT is a gas pedal. Don't push it down more when the tractor starts bogging down as that will make it worse. When you start bogging or need more power to the wheels, you need to let off a bit on the pedal, effectively downshifting. This "backwards" operation is not totally intuitive at first and takes a little getting used to, but will become second nature soon enough.
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[RalphVa]

I think the easiest way to view the hydrostat pedal is as a valve operated by a lever, the pedal. Think that's actually what it is, a valve actuator. Think it just sends more or less fluid flow to from the pump to the hydraulic motor.

Just push for whatever ground speed you want. You won't wear it out like a clutch by riding it. You MUST ride it. Otherwise, the tractor just stops.

Ralph

 

[ocaj11]

Antigonish,

The noise you hear is normal. I have a B7500 HST and it has a loud whine. I've heard others worry about the noise as well. You'll get used to it I'm sure. I love the hydrostatic drive on my little tractor.

 

[_RaT_]

It's a water faucet valve. The more you push the pedal or more you open the valve, the more fluid that is pumped. Some tractors are louder then others. My Kubota L3830 is very quiet unless I'm in high and trying to rip with my boxscraper. Of course trying to that would be like trying to do that in 8th or 12th gear on a manual.