Hydrostatic transmission for hilly land?

[k0ua]

I have a L4400, 46 Horsepower, Kubota HST. I also use it on a lot of hilly terrain including slopes up to about 32 degrees. The great about the hydrostatic trans is I rarely use the brakes even on the steepest hills. I have used standard shift trans for years but I see the HST as a safety upgrade as I can change directions on the hills and never pass through neutral or risk missing the gear while shifting. As far as maintenance I have only had to service the HST with fresh filters and fluid at 400 hours.

What he said. I live in Branson, We don't have any flat ground. I would not have anything else. Much safer and easier to use.

James K0UA

 

[RalphVa]

I agree with James. Both I and my neighbor next door have HST tractors. Can't imagine mucking around with gears any more. We go down to the creek, dropping 100 feet, virtually every time we use the tractors.

 

[oosik]

My tractor has HST - I pull heavy loads, up to 15K lb on my farm wagon and have never had a moments problems. HST is very handy with FEL use also. I do have one substantial hill in my driveway and it has never given the tractor any problems. Kubota calls my transmission - hydraulic shuttle.

 

[KYDan]

It seems to be universally agreed that HST works great on hills and I agree. I very seldom use the brakes on hills or any other time as the HST works wonders for braking and if you have and use 4WD you have 4WD slip braking or three wheel braking if you use the differential lock. The only big disadvantage to HST versus geared transmissions is it takes more power and fuel to operate for a given task and it is not nearly as efficient for ground engagement attachments. I have found that those are really minor trade offs for the increased ease of use of the multi tasking tractor.

 

[compact]

They work well. All I had ever owned were gear shift tractors until last year. Lots of hills, some quite steep and I generally kept off of them as holding the brakes and shifting was a tricky proposition, esp. with a balky transmission. Not an issue with HST. One thing to watch, however, is on the Deere 3x20 series it's very easy to bump the range shift lever if you're frequently turning your body to see behind you and wind up in neutral. Not too bad if you're backing up a hill but can get pretty exciting if you're backing down, get rolling, then need to turn around to get the brake foot extended and stop fairly quick in reverse with a light front end.

 

[TBarD]

No question HST is better for hilly country (I have mine up in the mountains in Colorado). Also for loader work, or pretty much anything except field work where one is pulling at constant speed all the time. HST is 10-15% less efficient than a fixed gear so not the best choice for field work, although it can do that too. The main advantages of HST in the hills are you are always in gear, can creep at any speed in touchy situations, can reverse without changing gears, and if you just take your foot off the tractor stops (although I usually need to set the brake to keep from creeping, if there is much of a slope). HST shares the tractor hydraulics so there is little additional maintenance. As someone else said, look for at least a L-M-H gear range, and lo/hi in each gear is even better.