Gear drive vs hydro

[Egon]

Why are we talking about starters? Who wants a tractor without a starter?

Did you realize that there was a time and there were places where batteries were just not that reliable, electric power may not have been available, the thermometer may have been around -20F or so and the critters were hungry and wanted some ground grain.

So, after the battery died it was crank or hitch up Dobbin to give a tug!

No chance of hooking up a battery charger either.

Oh, and a fellow soon learned not put his thumb over the crank handle too!

 

[N80]

What does that have to do with the price of cow manure in Milwaukee?

 

[Modn]

I also think it is funny that the HST crowd has this idea that anyone who spends time on one will give up their geared machine and never go back. There are two flaws in this idea: 1) Not everyone can afford an HST and 2) Some people need what their geared tractor provides even if they did like the HST.

For myself only it comes down to this high-lighted above. I'm not asking for anyone to change their mind, just asking that the point of why I like the HST is taken as I can see why the geared is chosen and can accept that. I can think of many cases where I would buy a geared and would be happy (above 75hp), but I'm not in that scenario. Anyone who demands that Geared is better than HST or vice -versa is missing the point totally as it is an opinion that could be proven either way due to the fact of what the individual requires from it. With the tractor I own I prefer the HST. With that said Geared tractors are far from being junk or not capable. Just like the Ford, Chevy, Dodge or whatever debate....with that said it will be debated forever with no clear winner. I still own a Ford 860 that still runs well and my father has a couple of Massey Harris tractors. All HST is IMHO is time moving on and "old school" will always work as has been proven time and time again.

 

[Egon]

[Milwaukee?/QUOTE]

That's where the Beer comes from isn't it?

 

[intel]

If you going to be in a hay field all day, i would not want to keep my foot on the hst pedal the hole time. now if the hst had a hand lever that stayed in position like my john deer 316 hst that would be better.
For loader work you need at least the shuttle shift if not hst and for mowing the lawn hst is better even better with the hand lever.

 

[tallyho8]

1. Price
2. Reliability
3. Amount of HP loss with HST
4. Ease and speed of use

I get to Part 3 of my opinion on the difference between Gear drive vs hydro and I must clarify that most of my opinions are formed around tractors in the below 50 hp category that the majority of people on this forum have and not the large single purpose tractors that may run all day without even a change in gears or speed.

Some have said that a 45 hp tractor will lose 5 pto hp with HST. First , I do not believe that the power loss is near that significant and it also depends on what implement you are using. If I am sitting still using a post hole digger on my tractor, I can not believe that just because I have HST that I have 5 hp less available to my phd.

I wonder how many of us even ever uses the full hp of our tractors. I know that I have never used my full hp yet. The closest that I ever come is when I am bushogging with my 6' cutter and I always run a couple hundred rpm less than needed for 540 rpm and I never bog down and get a great cut on my grass. When I am pulling my 7' disc, I spin my wheels in 4 wheel drive before I bog the motor down so extra hp wouldn't help me there. I guess what I am saying is that if I had a loss of a couple of hp I probably couldn't tell or wouldn't miss it anyway.

For anyone who has an L4400 gear drive, I wonder what function you can perform that I can not perform with my L4400HST?

Please observe that I am not saying that hydro is better than gear or vice versa. I am just adding my opinions to the discussion on the differences, or lack of, between gear vs hydro.

 

[MossRoad]

Uh oh, don't take this the wrong way but we may be starting to think alike.

A good idea is a good idea.. no matter who it comes from!

soundguy

Oh, man...

 

[Soundguy]

But to be picky, I don't think the analogy stands anyway. An automatic tranny in a truck or a car has very little, if anything, in common with a tractor HST.

.

Yep.. big ditto's.. big difference in variable displacement system and a torque converter system.

When i see people making the auto tranny comparison.. it lets you know what they don't know..

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

[You could get a N ford tractor sans starter.. yet still have battery ignition, rubber tires, generator voltage regulator and battery. The same trans bellhousing was used, and a blank plate was installed in the opening. AND you can hit many suppliers and get a starter for less than 100$.. so there... there's an example.../QUOTE]

But gee whilickers, what would it have cost to do the original manufacturing without making compromises for an amenity like a starter. A magneto would have worked well in place of the generator, battery and all the associated foofaraw too would it not?

Sure.. ford could have made the tractor to not be able to accept electrics.. but why deny themselves al that extra money in the long run.

Way cheaper to make a single set of castings that does double duty.. dressed up or down..

same with lots of consumer electronics that have a hi end model and an economy model.. many time shte electrics and mechanics ar ethe same.. and it's been intentionally 'programmed' down due to what the rom says..

lots of electronics co's have done that for decades...

soundguy

 

[Egon]

Anyone here ever took dancing lesson's!

Around issues that is!