Hydro vs Gear Drive ??

[mcd176]

Hello All,

I sold my Kubota L4200 several months ago and have been looking a tractors to replace it since I sold it, I will be purchasing something in the 40-50 HP range, compact line tractor, I have looked at all the brands and due to finances will be buying used, I am wanting to spend 18K to 25K and would like another cabbed tractor if I can find one, my biggest problem is that I always liked a gear drive tractor but most of the ones I have looked at, most recently a Kubota L4240 are all hydro, I will be using the machine to finish mow, brush hog, move round bales and box blade, I really need input on how well a hydro runs compared to gear, my biggest concern is pulling logs up hills out of my woods, how much HP does a hydro rob? the only hydro I use is my dads Kubota B2150 but I have only finished mowed with it. Any advice/experience is appreciated.

Mike

 

[GManBart]

Seriously? This has to be one of the top-3 most debated topics. Nothing anybody will post in this thread will help you more than what has already been posted. In short, there are two camps and they don't agree.

This doesn't even scratch the surface:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...our-experience.html?highlight=gear+versus+hst

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ive-durability.html?highlight=gear+versus+hst

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ear-driven-hst.html?highlight=gear+versus+hst

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...-hst-vs-geared.html?highlight=gear+versus+hst

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...-but-hydro-why.html?highlight=gear+versus+hst

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...k-about-hydrostatic.html?highlight=hst+versus

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/46539-transmissons.html?highlight=hst+versus

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...much-power-does-hst.html?highlight=hst+versus

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...has-gone-hst-tranny.html?highlight=hst+versus

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...t-power-consumption.html?highlight=hst+versus

 

[jeff9366]

My biggest concern is pulling logs up hills out of my woods.

HST develops highest torque at lowest operating speeds. For pulling logs up hills HST would by your optimum transmission choice.

Your horsepower question is really not germane. It would be germane if your primary use was pulling ground contact implements down LONG, FLAT, fields. For your logs-up-hills use HST will transfer power more efficiently to the wheels.

Kubota is renowned for the quality of their HST transmissions.

 

[k0ua]

HST develops highest torque at lowest operating speeds. For pulling logs up hills HST would by your optimum choice.

Your horsepower question is really not germane. It would be germane if your primary use was pulling ground contact implements down LONG, FLAT, fields. For your logs-up-hills use HST will transfer power more efficiently to the wheels.

Kubota is renowned for the quality of their HST transmissions.

This pretty well says it all.. AND why do you think all you can find is hydro's? The majority of tractor's sold in this size are hydro's. With a hydro you will be able to pull with ever increasing force to get a load moving without jerking. It is ideal for pulling over trees also, because you can increase the pulling force gradually without a sudden jerk.

 

[Bluegill2]

I agree with Gman, it's all be said.

That said, I'll stick with gear drive myself...

 

[oldpilgrim]

Have you ever needed more power but no more speed?

There's nothing more frustrating to me than pulling something or pushing hard into something, needing more power but not wanting to or be able to go any faster.

Think of a walk behind snow blower. You need it to go into the pile of snow that the road plow just pushed into your driveway, hard and packed. You aim the blower at the pile and it bogs down in the hard packed snow. You can't go any faster into the hard snow but you need the auger to turn with more power to chew the packed mess up, but you can't make it happen as the wheels go faster when you give it more power.

If you had an HST on the snow blower, you could speed up the engine, back off on the HST and accomplish what you need...more power, no more speed.

Same with the tractor, if you need more power but no more speed, because the ground you're plowing got harder or hillier, or the snow/dirt/rocks you're pushing got heavier, throttle up, back off on the drive pedal.....more power, no more speed to get the job done easier.

Ever used an fel for removing snow/dirt on a manual shift tractor with clutch? After going forward to scoop and clutch and back to reposition and clutch, then forward to dump and clutch, then back to reposition and clutch, then forward to scoop and clutch and repeat a several hundred times every hour, your left leg will feel like you want to cut it off.

I've been driving a 4 speed crunch box tractor/fel for over 25 years, my next tractor, which arrives next week, is an HST.

 

[mcd176]

First of all I am sorry that the thread has been discussed before, I didn't find what I was needing answered! But a BIG Thank You too Oldpilgram, your explanation was very helpful.

 

[k0ua]

Have you ever needed more power but no more speed?

There's nothing more frustrating to me than pulling something or pushing hard into something, needing more power but not wanting to or be able to go any faster.

Think of a walk behind snow blower. You need it to go into the pile of snow that the road plow just pushed into your driveway, hard and packed. You aim the blower at the pile and it bogs down in the hard packed snow. You can't go any faster into the hard snow but you need the auger to turn with more power to chew the packed mess up, but you can't make it happen as the wheels go faster when you give it more power.

If you had an HST on the snow blower, you could speed up the engine, back off on the HST and accomplish what you need...more power, no more speed.

Same with the tractor, if you need more power but no more speed, because the ground you're plowing got harder or hillier, or the snow/dirt/rocks you're pushing got heavier, throttle up, back off on the drive pedal.....more power, no more speed to get the job done easier.

Ever used an fel for removing snow/dirt on a manual shift tractor with clutch? After going forward to scoop and clutch and back to reposition and clutch, then forward to dump and clutch, then back to reposition and clutch, then forward to scoop and clutch and repeat a several hundred times every hour, your left leg will feel like you want to cut it off.

I've been driving a 4 speed crunch box tractor/fel for over 25 years, my next tractor, which arrives next week, is an HST.

Maybe you can put off that left knee replacement for a few years now You are going to love the hydro.

 

[oldpilgrim]

I got used to the hst in my Cub. I got real good with the crunch box in my Fergie, I could do stuff I never thought possible with it, but the hydro is so much easier to manage and maneuver precisely.

Some people complain about the noise that an hst makes. My Cub growls a bit but the Mahindra coming next week is absolutely silent and so smooth it's almost weird.

I can't wait til it's here.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

There is a place for gear tractors, but the uses you listed primarily call for HST. On flat land pulling ground engaging implements, I'd rather have a gear tractor. But for any loader work, HST is the ticket. And since you have hills, that should cement the HST decision right there.

The HST does rob some power, so a gear tractor will out pull an HST tractor if you have identical tractors side by side one with each type of tranny. But the answer to that is to buy a bigger HST tractor if you need more power, not go with gears.