Putty, if you only have 100 hours don't even worry about that secondary adjustment. As far as the extra leads under the fenders, I think you will find that they are hot as long as the key switch is in the on position and if you hook them, or it up to your tail light/s they will stay on the whole time the tractor is running. I never bothered to find out the exact reason for this, but assume it is for saftey reasons, possibly in another country, that the tail lights would need to be on full time, kind of like daytime running lights. But that's just a theory. As far as Hydro VS gear? It has been my experience that it seems to lie entirely with the owner/operator which will last longer or be better for that persons application. With good maintenance, the HST will last a long time, the gear models, depending entirely on what system they use; there is, shuttle shift, synch and non-synch, blah, blah, blah. As a general rule, straight cut, non shuttle transmissions tend to last forever, models, partial or fully synched can develop problems before a straight gear tractor. HST's can be abused a little easier during regular hard use or due to lack of proper maintenance. I think people who use HST need to understand there sytem a little better than if they were using straight gear, as well as guys who have synchro (esp. shuttle shift) need to understand the limitations of each of these systems. If you have an operator/owner that understands his/her system and operates it within it's limitations then all is a wash and the "contest" between the systems is pretty much irrelevant. HST may use a little more available HP to operate, however the ease in which it operates tends to nulify the HP advantage of a gear model. All of which should be considered upon initial purchase of what ever it is you need, to do the jobs, you intend to do with that machine. So I think, to answer your question, your gear model will probably outlast an HST model as a general rule. Assuming you pay attention to operation and maintenance practices that would be conducive to both systems, but you will, without a doubt, have to work more using your tractor VS an HST and most likely have more clutch related problems than an HST. All this VS HST could still even out in the end depending on the wear and tear. I believe it is 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other over the life of either. Ther really is no "hard" answer to this queastion and really depends on the owners "big picture" of tractor ownership.