Buying Advice HST vs Gear Transmission - which would you recommend on this tractor ?

[goeduck]

Lower maintenance cost. How high is either one? Better for going slow? Define that.

He indicated they were better at going slow at no load (low engine speed).

This is true. I have both and like both. Each type has pluses and minuses.

 

[4570Man]

And you can’t run a HST at low rpm? They don’t like 800 rpm idle very much but they move around fine at 1200 or above.

 

[4570Man]

He indicated they were better at going slow at no load (low engine speed).

This is true. I have both and like both. Each type has pluses and minuses.

Agreed but unless you have a real tractor doing primarily field work a HST has more pluses imo.

 

[motownbrowne]

I'd pick hst, but I'd like to have cruise control.

 

[mikeman1]

I have had straight gear, shuttle shift and now HST. Love the HST with cruise control. Yes, HST does use a bit more HP but its not like it uses oodles more. Just changing direction using my foot is so much nicer than having to use a clutch or a lever to change. Ultimately after spending a lot of time investigating and test driving various models I just bumped up the HP another 5hp (got a 55hp) or so and made sure it had cruise control when i purchased the HST. in any case enjoy it when you get it.

 

[eddie48]

I have HST on mine with cruise control. I find that I seldom use the cruise control, even when brush hogging, because I am constantly changing speed over the ground depending on how rough the ground is. You can go along just fine at high speed until you hit that woodchuck hole or piece of tree limb. Then, you'd better have your seat belt on. Also, when cleaning up around the edges of the hayfield, I spend most of my time going backward and forward perpendicular to the edge of the field.

Changing direction, as when using the loader or as above, with an HST is as quick as thinking about it. It also lets me eeeeease into a load or dirt pile, etc., without wearing the clutch. I am a big HST fan.

 

[RalphVa]

I'd only ever go gear if you do A LOT of plowing or some other task where you're going for long periods of time in forward direction and pushing or pulling something heavy (like soil with a plow, for instance).

Otherwise, I think HST wins out. So easy to change direction, etc. It's used for some very heavy equipment now, on ships, etc. (reporting what I've read, no personal experience in these).

Ralph

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Not familiar with the model you're looking at. Is there a way to add the cruise control to the HST model? If there was, then I would recommend the HST hands down. I don't know how rough your 15 acres is, but that would give me pause without being able to put the cruise on, at least part of the time, to rest my foot/knee/leg. Some of my pasture is pretty rough, so I have to constantly vary my ground speed over that ground. The nice thing is, even though I'm changing ground speed, my pto speed is the same, and my cutters are still spinning at full speed. But when I get to the smooth patches, I can set the cruise and rest my leg, and it's pretty darn nice.

For the rest of your tasks, I think HST is far superior, even running the tiller, as you can easily change ground speed when needed on the fly, without changing tiller speed. Nothing beats HST for loader work.

 

[firebird93]

another thing to consider is how level your land is. my farm is in the Ky foothills so not nice and level and i'm not the only one that might drive my tractor. if you push in a clutch on a hill and not paying attention off you go! with an hst if you let off on the pedal you stop. no way i would let my wife or daughter on a gear tractor on my farm.

 

[Citydude]

Oh boy, how could anyone not be paying attention when on a slope. They shouldn't be operating on flat land if they cant pay attention. Sorry, but that excuse for the hst vs gear doesn't compute.