Advantages of a gear/synchro over HST?

SunnyJim · May 27, 2009

Island nailed it. For me there was no question which way I would go. A knee surgery later and some of you may join the HST crowd too.

In mid summer and the coldest parts of winter I have a hard time just sitting in my car, worse yet getting back out. At least I can park right up front at the grocery store.

whistlepig · May 28, 2009

I agree with Island. HST transmission speed is infinite regardless of PTO speed. I did gear for 30 years. There was always a gear I needed that was not there. Hydrostatics are well proven now. For a light to medium duty tractor the Hydro is the only way to go. For a 300 HP tractor pulling an implement as wide as a six lane highway gear is the way to go. They don't need to shift gears that often and I think gear is more durable for this kind of work. I'm not sure how big Hydro goes these days. I think most of the skid steer loaders are hydrostatic now. I'm not sure if the big dozers made now are still gear and clutch.

Patches · May 28, 2009

whistlepig said:
I agree with Island. HST transmission speed is infinite regardless of PTO speed. I did gear for 30 years. There was always a gear I needed that was not there. Hydrostatics are well proven now. For a light to medium duty tractor the Hydro is the only way to go. For a 300 HP tractor pulling an implement as wide as a six lane highway gear is the way to go. They don't need to shift gears that often and I think gear is more durable for this kind of work. I'm not sure how big Hydro goes these days. I think most of the skid steer loaders are hydrostatic now. I'm not sure if the big dozers made now are still gear and clutch.

Automatic transmissions are the rule in the automotive industry now;some manufacturers even charge you extra for a manual transmission, if one is even an option in your choice of vehicle;doesn't mean they're better

On todays' tractors, with a four, five or even six speed transmission and hi/lo range available, I can't imagine NOT being able to find a needed speed

cdcole · May 28, 2009

I completely rebuilt a geared transmission on a Ford 8N. Hydro? I would be lost - most likely.

slowzuki · May 28, 2009

I have both, gear is nicer for plowing. Quieter under high load. Hydro is nicer for everything else.

IslandTractor · May 28, 2009

I agree completely that gear has some advantages most notably in field work. My main point was that hydro transmissions are so reliable these days that the old saw about how expensive they are to repair should not be a major factor in the decision. Who repairs their own gear transmissions, clutches or hydro problems? Most of the folks on TBN (cdcole excepted) are going to need a dealership for the type of repair that requires spliting the tractor regardless of gear or hydro. Those repairs will be very expensive either way because the labor charge will be about the same. Not that much difference I'd imagine in the time it takes a mechanic to split a tractor and replace either a clutch, gearbox or hydro. Of course the hydro tranny will cost more but if the gear tractor requires a clutch replacement at twice the frequency that an HST transmission needs rebuilding, then the total service cost over the life of the tractor is likely to be about the same.

Maybe one of the dealers can chime in with estimates for all three jobs and the frequency with which these repairs are needed.

Duffster · May 28, 2009

whistlepig said:
I'm not sure how big Hydro goes these days.

Combines, SP choppers and SP Haybines are all Hydros drive

boatyard · May 28, 2009

Ok, this is not about a tractor, but it does cause me to wonder about the reliability of the HST over a geared tractor. Just by chance I own a geared tractor. New Holland TC35A.
I have had manual cars for 35 years. I have put close to 200,000 miles on most of them. I have never had any problems. Never replaced a clutch. Ok, I trashed the clutch on my first car trying to make the tires smoke. I realized to late what that burning smell actually was.

I now own my first automatic transmission. It had a $3500 repair at 80,000 miles. At 110,000 it is making noises when it is cold in the mornings which are causing me to brace for another repair.
Do HST tractors have a track record at higher hours? Gears have been around and proven themselves.

Duffster · May 28, 2009

boatyard said:
Ok, this is not about a tractor, but it does cause me to wonder about the reliability of the HST over a geared tractor. Just by chance I own a geared tractor. New Holland TC35A.
I have had manual cars for 35 years. I have put close to 200,000 miles on most of them. I have never had any problems. Never replaced a clutch. Ok, I trashed the clutch on my first car trying to make the tires smoke. I realized to late what that burning smell actually was. I now own my first automatic transmission. It had a $3500 repair at 80,000 miles. At 110,000 it is making noises when it is cold in the mornings which are causing me to brace for another repair.
Do HST tractors have a track record at higher hours? Gears have been around and proven themselves.

Maybe your first auto is like your first clutch then

j/k

Not really a good comparison, I have 283k on my auto in my truck without a penny spent on it

slowzuki · May 28, 2009

Well maintained HST's last a long, long time. Abused they don't.

I just priced a complete replacement HST unit for my L5030, 3700$. Not bad, the new manual tranny for my Toyota Matrix was 3000$.