Soundguy, I've driven both gear and HST tractors... hope you have as well.
I wouldn't have made a comparison post if I hadn't.. that would be kinda uh.. pointless... I've also driven just about every make of heavy equipment fromt he 50's up till present including rollers, dozers, loaders, rubber tire hoes, track hoes, gradeall units, scraper pans, and motor graders. Though I don't currently have a cdl, I've also driven some heavy trucks including dumps on jobsites.. etc.
extreme slowness of operation without risk of foot slipping off clutch
Clutch is not designed to be a speed control device. it's to engage or disengage the drive train and or pto. Using a clutch as a speed control device will lead to premature clutch wear, and getting real familiar with splitting a tractor to replace the clutch.
significantly reduced exhaustion factor when operating all day
completely subjective statement based on task being performed. For instance.. when i mow with my gear tractor, I use the clutch once when starting off int he apsture, and generally don't touch it again till I leav ethe pasture hours later.. not sure how that gets any easier... ( again.. subjective statement based on a specific job.. it's already been covere dthat different trannies will have + or - depending on specific tasks...
if something happens, just get off the hydro pedal and vehicle stops
moving.. much faster and more smoothly, IMHO, than reaching for clutch and brake.
kinda like dumping the throttle and or killing the ignition.. pretty much just got inertia to deal with... at average tractor speeds which are in the 1-10mph range... that shouldn't be too hard a chore.
When at risk of tipping, HST can creep far slower than a gear tractor, thus you can "feel" your way into and past the danger point, or stop before getting TOO far into it so you can take remedial action (drop FEL, change angle of front wheels, etc.)
If I'm doing something that I think a millisecond of difference matters.. or a couple pounds here or there is the difference in a tip or not.. I simply avoid doing that task that way... there's nothing I've ever done on a tractor.. EVER that's worth my life.. and if I have to be that close on the edge of oblivion then.. heck.. I just don't need to do that task that way...
When operating with a partner in front or rear, extreme slow operation allows partner to get out of way and stay there when hooking up implements, chains, etc.
sounds like you are letting someone hook up an implement while on a running tractor, perhaps in a range gear but foot ont he brake/ sounds like bad news to me.. same as having a person in clsoe proximity to a moving machine.. besides.. your argument predisposes that a gear machine can not have a creeper gear. I've seen plenty of machines with creeper gears that move in the (low ) feet per minute range.
Agreed, either tractor can be operated in an unsafe manner if you really try.
HST gives a wider range of safe operation and recovery options, IMHO.
wider range??? how.. the tractors have the same basic controls.. the workings of those controls are different, but the end result is exactly the same.. an op in either machine can manipulate the hyds, and make the tractor move forward or back, steer, operate the pto, etc... As with any equation involving a non senient tool and a human, the human is the one making the situation safe or not... not the tool
As regards reliability, this topic has been addressed before on TBN... and my recollection is that HST was viewed as extremely reliable, even more so than gear/clutch.
Maybee maybee not... It's not uncommon to see antiques with oem clutches and 50-60 years on them in good working order on an old crash box tranny. After the average hst 's out nowadays are in that age range and doing good, I'll consider the matter settled. I still have some weird thoughts about a hydro setup and the relief. i can recall at least a coupl emessages with a tractor stuck somewhere not even spinning it's tires as the relief was kicking...
soundguy
