Hydrostatic Tractor

[rScotty]

Guys, I'm not sure why you're wasting discussion on "gear vs. hydro", when the OP is specifically looking for a hydro tractor. I also don't understand the fixation on 1.5 hp differential, I just don't run into many situations where my tractor's horsepower is the primary limiting factor in getting a job done.

Well, it may be because the OP said he is looking for certain HST features, but not knowing more about his handicap we don't know why he is fixated on HST. The implication he gives is that he has problems moving his feet.

If that is the case, It could be that the OP simply doesn't know that a lot of the gear tractors these days are controlled by levers on the steering column. Most gear types offer a "power shift" option of controlling range and/or speed with a hand lever on the steering wheel, instead of with foot movement. Plus most gear tractors have the additional option of a "shuttle shift" so that switching for forward and reverse is also done on the steering column. In the last 20 years, many gear tractors have ended up requiring less footwork than the HST.

On our gear drive Yanmar and the big JD, the clutching, shifting, and F/R are all done with a fingertip lever on the steering column. Ranges were selected with a hand lever below the dash. The only time we absolutely had to use the foot clutch was starting the motor.

On HP loss, I agree that a couple of HP differential is not going to be significant. But maybe that is because I don't tend to use any tractor at full throttle & so more power is always available.

rScotty

 

[skramer360]

My New Holland TC30 is 30 hp, is hst drive and has a treadle pedal. They were made up through 2008 and don't have the emissions stuff on them.

 

[WinterDeere]

Who is wasting discussion ?

It's a useful discussion, but not relevant to the OP's request.

Go pulling 20' long logs 18 ' long and h.p. can make a big difference.

Not really. Pulling and moving logs is actually the primary use of all my tractors. Never needed much horsepower for that. Tractors always run out of traction before they run out of horsepower, when skidding logs, as that's a low-speed endeavor.

Even my little 23 hp Deere 855 never had a horsepower problem when skidding logs. It had massive traction and lift capacity problems, but 23 gross HP thru an HST was never it's primary issue. The old Ford 3000 is our primary skidding tractor, and it's a gasser, we rarely run it much above idle.

 

[rScotty]

You would not get those logs out of the places I am talking about you would need a tractor skidder winch to get them up to your tractor, my back yard is steeper than what you are showing me there , pulling out of these West Virginia hills and hollows is different than pulling across terrain like what you are showing me.

Your tractors don't even have any mud on the tractors let alone the tire treads.
Those tires on your JD would be totally worthless in my conditions NO one has tires like that on there tractors where I live unless you are mowing golf courses.I could see why you would lose traction before you lose power.

Your old Ford 5300 would not have the brakes to stop it going down some of
these hills let alone drive it back back up the side of the hills and mountains.
Your Ford 3000 would be good pulling a hay wagon on a flat hayfield along even with chains on it. Those pictures look like you are at a school playground.
As far as the OP being relevant thats a matter of opinion.

My backyard is steeper too. But the US is a large county; soil varies. His tires and his soil look familiar to anyone who lives, farms hay, or works forestry in the steep terrain around us.

Mud is related to clay, not steepness. In the Rocky Mountains here we also have steep terrain but no mud. As granite weathers to form soil, the clay portion is washed down to the foothills and flatlands. That's why the higher you go, the less mud there is. Mud is found at lower elevations.

In the familiar granite-based sand and gravel mountian "soil" that we are left with, those wide tires are popular, while deep lug tractor treads designed for clay & mud don't have any advantages for us. Wide industrial tread is a common compromise for forestry here. Basically, the wider tire the better.

rScotty

 

[WinterDeere]

You would not get those logs out of the places I am talking about you would need a tractor skidder winch to get them up to your tractor, my back yard is steeper than what you are showing me there , pulling out of these West Virginia hills and hollows is different than pulling across terrain like what you are showing me.

Your tractors don't even have any mud on the tractors let alone the tire treads.
Those tires on your JD would be totally worthless in my conditions NO one has tires like that on there tractors where I live unless you are mowing golf courses.I could see why you would lose traction before you lose power.

Your old Ford 5300 would not have the brakes to stop it going down some of
these hills let alone drive it back back up the side of the hills and mountains.
Your Ford 3000 would be good pulling a hay wagon on a flat hayfield along even with chains on it. Those pictures look like you are at a school playground.
As far as the OP being relevant thats a matter of opinion.


You

Good points. The entrance to and from that wooded lot (30 acres) where we take most of our wood is indeed very muddy, so we avoid it during wet seasons. We do most of our harvesting either in frozen weather, or dry late summer, to avoid making a mess that we’ll only have to repair later, and ending up with muddy logs. But the tractors are clean because we hose them off when they get real muddy, or after using them to spread fertilizer (corrosive), not because they never see mud. I like my machines clean, easier to spot troubles, less messy to work in, and less likely to have issues with rust.

The grade coming out of the woods is actually very steep, but not shown in those pictures. It's a rocky creek bed, which flows when rainy, but dries up nicely when not. The old rocky creek bed helps keep the logs clean when skidding, so as to not dull our saw chains with mud or small stones when cutting them later.

The ag tires on the Ford work well in the woods, and the turf tires on the Deere work well on my lawn and driveway (plowing snow). Choose the tire based on your primary needs.

So, we've each given cases where horsepower and tire requirements differ. Like you said, it's up to the OP to pick what works for them. But going back to the original point, the OP is looking for a subcompact, and I don't see many 40 hp subcompacts on the market, so I still don't understand the "at least 40 hp" recommendation. I also don’t understand why you need horsepower to drag a log over the rough terrain you describe, as if it really is that rough, you’re probably in a low gear and moving slow. Horsepower is not needed for going slow, we have gears for that.