When a gear tractor reaches 1000's of hours it needs a clutch; what does a HST need?

[PILOON]

I am a fair distance from most suppliers so my standard motus operando is to always have a spare on hand.

examples: filters, zerks, all lubes, tire valves, inner tubes, and any specialty hardware (wheel studs, shear bolts etc)

Shucks I even have a spare (mounted) front tire/wheel.

Even my local auto parts is always back ordered on simple things like filters seals and much metric hardware.

As to clutch vs hydrostatic I like hydro but can sure live with a clutch when all the $$ are taken into consideration.
But then I was raised on clutching and over the 70 or so years of driving I never have replaced a one yet,

Won't give Vegas odds but I bet I can go 5-6000 hrs (200 K miles) B4 needing a new clutch facing.
(But that is as long as my wife doesn't drive my CUT, LOL )

Over the years I owned many clutched , MG (clutched) and still do (Toyota MR2).

Heck my first car was an Austin A8, clutched!

LOL, I one day I drove home from college thru the city core without clutching my VW at all since the clutch cable had snapped.
Mind U I carefully selected my route to minimize shifting, at red lights I re start in 1st gear and shift my way thru the gears.
I must have clutchless shifted some 30 or 40 times that day but I got her home OK.

 

[searcyfarms]

if you are going through clutches at 1000 hours you need a new operator

 

[Sawyer Rob]

if you are going through clutches at 1000 hours you need a new operator

AND, that's a fact!!

SR

 

[Tennsawdust]

I am a fair distance from most suppliers so my standard motus operando is to always have a spare on hand.

examples: filters, zerks, all lubes, tire valves, inner tubes, and any specialty hardware (wheel studs, shear bolts etc)

Shucks I even have a spare (mounted) front tire/wheel.

Even my local auto parts is always back ordered on simple things like filters seals and much metric hardware.

As to clutch vs hydrostatic I like hydro but can sure live with a clutch when all the $$ are taken into consideration.
But then I was raised on clutching and over the 70 or so years of driving I never have replaced a one yet,

Won't give Vegas odds but I bet I can go 5-6000 hrs (200 K miles) B4 needing a new clutch facing.
(But that is as long as my wife doesn't drive my CUT, LOL )

Over the years I owned many clutched , MG (clutched) and still do (Toyota MR2).

Heck my first car was an Austin A8, clutched!

LOL, I one day I drove home from college thru the city core without clutching my VW at all since the clutch cable had snapped.
Mind U I carefully selected my route to minimize shifting, at red lights I re start in 1st gear and shift my way thru the gears.
I must have clutchless shifted some 30 or 40 times that day but I got her home OK.

My daily driver has been a manual for most of my life. Most of them have racked up significant miles. I've replaced one clutch and that was because a spring broke in the clutch disk at about 125,000 miles.

I've been around tractors all my life and have seen many with thousands of hours. Rarely have I ever seen a clutch need to be replaced and even then it usually isn't because of wear, but the failure of either the pilot or release bearing.

 

[RalphVa]

My 4010 JD had its front Ujoint between the engine and the HST blow apart at 9 years and 660 hours. This Ujoint had no zerk and could not be reached if it had one (same for the present 2025R). Think JD should be using flexible pads similar to what was on our 1983 Benz that was still going at 26 years and 230k miles. It was just like a tire facing with 4 holes in it for attachment. Those 4 bolts were found loose at one point. Tightened them up. That was all in 26 years.

Oh, I've never worn out a clutch in 61 years of driving cars and pickups. Never wore out a clutch on our farm tractor when I was helping to drive them.

Ralph

 

[Cougsfan]

Maybe a little off topic and not aimed at anyone in particular, but..... I find it odd when I see some people look to buy a tractor and insist on having a guarantee that tractor brand will be in business forever, parts will be readily available forever, and the tractor will last forever without ever breaking or wearing out. And then it seems those kind of people usually put 50 hrs per year on their tractor.

As far as HST versus clutch. Both CAN wear out or break. No doubt HST's are easier to use. I'll take my chances any day with an HST, knowing full well that it won't last forever.

 

[grsthegreat]

Maybe a little off topic and not aimed at anyone in particular, but..... I find it odd when I see some people look to buy a tractor and insist on having a guarantee that tractor brand will be in business forever, parts will be readily available forever, and the tractor will last forever without ever breaking or wearing out. And then it seems those kind of people usually put 50 hrs per year on their tractor.

As far as HST versus clutch. Both CAN wear out or break. No doubt HST's are easier to use. I'll take my chances any day with an HST, knowing full well that it won't last forever.

ya, it is funny. especially since their truck may cost 2x what a tractor costs. And no one expects a truck to last forever, and they get a heck of alot more hours per year use.

 

[finn1]

How many of us will be using a tractor in fifty years, anyway?

If I get twenty more in I ‘ll be doing good, ant I doubt if the tractor will accumulate more than ten hours annually for those last ten years.

 

[Cougsfan]

How many of us will be using a tractor in fifty years, anyway?

Actually I have a 60 year old tractor that I still use. But I have only owned it for only 30 years. I own it more for fun and nostalgia, although I do put maybe 25-30 hrs a year on it for light duty stuff while my newer hst tractor gets a couple hundred hrs/yr of heavy duty work. And the dual stage clutch did go out once on my old tractor after roughly 50 years Wasn't particularly cheap or easy to replace.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I still have a tractor here that my dad bought "used" in the 50's, as it's now mine, I can use it any time I want.

We have NEVER had to put a clutch in it...

SR