Gear drive vs hydro

[Soundguy]

OK, maybe I just drive into a pile differently.
I don't see a need to push at all hard at zero speed, I tend to lift/curl as I go into the pile with the clutch fully engaged..

I tend to do similar to what you do.. drive into a pile, clutch fully engaged, lifting and curling the bucket as i go.. when the tires start to slip.. that's when I've got the bucket full enough and tip her full back and start my reverse... no clutch slipping other than for normal change of direction..

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

That's not a real comparison.

The small difference is equal hp machines.. if we are actually compairing money.. then you have an hst machine that is perhaps quite smaller than the gear... then you have a significant pto hp difference... not a 5% one.

soundguy

Just like what PTO intensive jobs that a gear transmission's 5% makes a noticeable difference for that same 99.999% ? You can't often buy a larger sized attachment based on 1-2 more hp. And if $$ are a concern the added cost of the larger attachment needs to be considered too. But... These "theoretical" argumentative points are delving down into the nit-picking area.

The tractors with hst are often the ones that are also "feature encrusted" as one poster put it where the gear tractors are "economy". Not a real fair comparison as the hst is blamed for all the cost differential. It's more a features vs economy argument. Would the argument still hold if the economy tractor was manual steering and the hst was powersteering? The PS pump takes hp away from the pto same as the HST does? Better go strip off that pump so you can get a 73" rotary cutter...

Some seem to be against any improvements. I'll bet they wish they had a hand crank on the front of the machine too. Then they could get rid of the alternator and have a 74" cutter.

Let's get real. They make multiple options for multiple uses and likes/dislikes. Why does it make a difference what a person that you will never see buys? I for one don't have a stock portfolio based on HST transmissions!

jb

 

[Soundguy]

For those that cannot turn around to look while backing up.. or who are not good at it.. then a standard parking spot for your implements, and then lines painted on the ground should let you line up virtually perfectly.... pull forward to get parallel and on the line. then backup straight with 3pt lifted and then back till you hit the paint line for your tires to stop at... this all can be done looking forward and down at your front tires... or.. optionally.. rear view mirros ont he front of your cannopy can be used... I'd also seen side mirrors on tractors before....

soundguy

Recognizing that I might anger the safety gods here is my tale. My implements are stored outside and hooking up to my Bush Hog was always a fight. I have a hard time twisting around so getting a good alignment to the Bush Hog was difficult. usually I could get one side hooked and would need to move something to hook the other side. The Bush Hog was too heavy for me to move. Vernon

 

[Soundguy]

Don't think a gear drive is stronger. All the power is transferred through the same weak stub axles which do break.
The hydrostat might be far better for insurance against breakage.

It's been reported that you can get some relief valve opening on the HST is some places where you are only getting some tire slippage with a gear.

I also remeber a quite funny story about an hst ( kubota i think) trapped at the bottom of a gully that it's hst wouldn't crawl out of...

Soundguy

 

[N80]

I tend to do similar to what you do.. drive into a pile, clutch fully engaged, lifting and curling the bucket as i go.. when the tires start to slip.. that's when I've got the bucket full enough and tip her full back and start my reverse... no clutch slipping other than for normal change of direction..

soundguy

Me too. Same way.

My owners manual also makes an interesting note, that does not have anything to do with this post....but so what. In any case, it mentions that pushing harder, or re-attempting a scoop in order to get a full bucket with each load is less efficient than just going with the less full load more frequently. In other words, struggling to get the loader completely full is a waste of time for typical loader operations......as in real work.

 

[Soundguy]

Thanks! So there's a chart around the edge of the tach with different rings for different gears for different RPMS? Anyone got a picture of that. Sounds interesting.

Yep.. here's a pic... meter denotes rpm in hundreds.. and there is a ring for each gear that shows ground speed in mph.. thus.. look at the needle, and then choose the ring for the gear you are in.. and you have ground speed... etc.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

You and I have had this discussion before... you actually do real work with your machines and most of these folks do not.

Well.. I can't say on the real or not real issue.. i just know that, for me, setting in a seat for 6 hours mowing a field vs setting in a seat for 2 hours mowing a field, and having those other 4 hrs available for other chores is a nice thing.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

I think the working definition of real work is the work that you get paid for and wouldn't be doing if you didn't..

I think you could also say that real work is work that you would have to pay others to do.. if you weren't doing it yourself.

IE.. I'd ahve to pay others to mow my fields for me.. If i didn't mow them. At current mowing rates... It's MUCh cheaper for me to mow them per year.. even figuring the cost of the tractor i bought to do so... If I paid to have them mowed.. I'd have to let them grow up alot more inbetween cuttings due to the price.. etc.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

It was a joke between Soundguy and me. I have a little dinky tractor and he has some big iron.

.. hey.. at least i restrained myself from using the 'riding lawnmower' analogy at any point in this conversation.. :0

soundguy

 

[MossRoad]

Yep.. here's a pic... meter denotes rpm in hundreds.. and there is a ring for each gear that shows ground speed in mph.. thus.. look at the needle, and then choose the ring for the gear you are in.. and you have ground speed... etc.

soundguy

Thanks for the picture. Weird that it reads counter clockwise, though.

Pretty neat and simple concept.