Buying/Pricing

[Harv]

<font color=blue>I don't care what anyone else says.... </font color=blue>

So noted.

Let's move on.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I can agree with that Harv...Thanks for your benevolence....
You are a good moderator...

 

[JATO_RaT]

I agree, I think Harv's a lovely moderator. I don't care what any of the rest of ya think about him, he's just like HST, smooth, no grinding, not jerky, easy on the equipment, simple, and best of all, has the secret password to delete any and all of what you say. Hehehehe, Rat...

 

[Hawkflyer]

You are correct, the newer gear drives are a lot sweeter than the old days. I have operated at one time or another synco, and non-synco gear drives, and it goes without saying I now have a hydro. Like you, I have this for my own reasons. I just traded a Kubota B6100 gear drive, and while it was a nice machine, (it could fit anywhere) and could do everything my B7100 HST could do, it was just not as easy for me to run it with the kind of work I do. Thanks for the honesty of your reply. I certainly would not rule out a gear drive either. I have found in my case that I spend a lot of time working in very tight spaces. When maneuvering in a tight space I have found it easier with a hydro, but that is me. The gear drive will do it, it just requires more effort on my part.I do have one comment on this safety issue folks are bandying about. My grandfather was killed in a tractor accident that most likely would not have happened with a hydro. In fairness this happened in 1919, (the steel wheeled tractor you mentioned). He had the first Ford tractor in Johnson County Missouri and routinely helped plow fields for his neighbors. He was moving between fields, and had to go through a small ditch. As the rear wheels got to the bottom of the ditch he had to add power so the machine could climb out. The front reared up and rolled back. His chest was crushed by the steering wheel. I am not saying he didn’t cause this himself through poor technique or that he was operating the machine properly. Just that in a similar circumstance a hydro would not react the same way with application of power. Of course there were no hydros in those days. At that time this kind of accident was not uncommon. In a similar circumstance today you would either jump (no ROPS) or ride it out (with ROPS). I have sat a machine identical to the one he had and the seating is such that you could not jump free if something happened.I think Bird made the best comparison, city vs. hyway driving. You are right about weights too. In my case I am using an antifreeze solution, it avoids the corrosion problem, and costs less. But the weights make good sense for all the reasons you mentioned.

 

[JATO_RaT]

Remember too, a lot of those "geared" tractors are using "hydrostatic" steering. Virtually all the Kubotas I'm familiar with, I'll bet the JD's and the NH Boomers use it as well. So even those who find fault with the power transfer with hydros and the lack of ability to control ground speed to the nth degree (way over blown) probably find the hydrostatic powered steering pretty dern nice. I find the combination of both hydrostatic drive and steering to be most pleasant. I also find using any tractor delightful, especially when compared to not having one at all.

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>I think Harv's a lovely moderator.</font color=blue>

Uhhh... thanks, Rat. And I think you're a swell... uhhh, ummm, well... let's move on.

/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

<font color=blue>I also find using any tractor delightful, especially when compared to not having one at all.</font color=blue>

I think that sums it up about as well as can be said.

 

[Hawkflyer]

My B7100 did not have power steering, but my B2410 does. The only problem is that with the old machine, the manual steering helped protect the front tire by preventing me from turning the wheel hard enough against an object to puncture a tire. The power steering is not so forgiving. I haven't done it yet but the day is coming. Having used both I think power steering is the way to go if you run a loader very much.I can't really believe that the steering takes much away from the machine. On some of the botas there is a separate pump for the steering, so no problem.As for the guys with gear drives, there is validity to their position for agricultural uses. All of the machinery for seed, fertilizer and pesticide application are calibrated for gear drive tractors moving at a specific rate. If you have been doing it for years it is not easy or cheap to convert to hydro. There is also a valid argument that hydo gets hotter than a gear drive over 10-12 hour run times.

 

[cwave]

Does this look like a old steel wheel tractor???/w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif Even has a ROPS - What type of tires should we call these - R5 - No flats - Makes nice dents on pavement - Hey I bet it has a gear tranny. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

Looks like an Amish tractor. Some of them can have tractors but can't have rubber wheels, go figure. There is a community about 50 miles from here and you see alot of tractors like that down there.

 

[Hawkflyer]

You sure they don't pull them with horses, after all they are gear drive (<;