I'm in the Rockies. I have rented 25HP deere HST's from the rental yard when i need 4x4 and my old 9N will outpower them. The Hydro's suck at least 25% power from seat of the pants feel. I am an EX farmer and i like simplicity. Hydro's are not simple in my book. FWIW i will be picking up a flail mower as a bush hog is inherently dangerous in my line of work and leaves a crappy looking job with windrows.......
Any compacts between 18 & 28 HP with a live PTO????
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I'm in the Rockies. I have rented 25HP deere HST's from the rental yard when i need 4x4 and my old 9N will outpower them. The Hydro's suck at least 25% power from seat of the pants feel. I am an EX farmer and i like simplicity. Hydro's are not simple in my book. FWIW i will be picking up a flail mower as a bush hog is inherently dangerous in my line of work and leaves a crappy looking job with windrows.......
Live or independent would be fine. All i want is the PTO to run when the clutch is pushed down...........
Maxify55
Gold Member
I took a different route. I bought Gray market.
Got a Zen-Noh 2210D- FEL
It's got the T290 Yanmar 2Cyl diesel full flow rad 27 hp
at the crank and probably 22-23 at the PTO.
Hold the HST's, please. I use and prefer the Shuttle Shift.
Paid just under 8K, 4 yrs ago, and have loved this bottom of the compact tractor work horse since.
Slide the shifter into neutral and you've still got PTO power.
I used the extra cash I didn't spend on the Deere/Kubota's I could've bought and purchased a chain and disc harrow, then a 4 ft bush hog.
Don't get me wrong, now. You can buy that new machine. Pay all the salespeople and mechanic's salaries and spend your money on their warehouse full of their parts which they may or may not cover under their warranty, that they sell you buried into the cost of that shiny new tractor.
The horses down here in Florida aren't impressed with the shine on the fenders or the payment book in my desk drawer. They just want to recycle lots and lots of grain, hay and grass.
As long as you can turn a wrench and don't mind doing some of your own maintenance (Getting some grease under your nails and oil on your shoes) there are alternatives.
A PM will get you more input but I am probably the cheapest, check that, most frugal person I know. I can't afford the vacations and pensions that those guys in the dealerships get. They deserve them. Don't get me wrong but I'll just let other people pay for them. That's just me, though.
Got a Zen-Noh 2210D- FEL
It's got the T290 Yanmar 2Cyl diesel full flow rad 27 hp
at the crank and probably 22-23 at the PTO.
Hold the HST's, please. I use and prefer the Shuttle Shift.
Paid just under 8K, 4 yrs ago, and have loved this bottom of the compact tractor work horse since.
Slide the shifter into neutral and you've still got PTO power.
I used the extra cash I didn't spend on the Deere/Kubota's I could've bought and purchased a chain and disc harrow, then a 4 ft bush hog.
Don't get me wrong, now. You can buy that new machine. Pay all the salespeople and mechanic's salaries and spend your money on their warehouse full of their parts which they may or may not cover under their warranty, that they sell you buried into the cost of that shiny new tractor.
The horses down here in Florida aren't impressed with the shine on the fenders or the payment book in my desk drawer. They just want to recycle lots and lots of grain, hay and grass.
As long as you can turn a wrench and don't mind doing some of your own maintenance (Getting some grease under your nails and oil on your shoes) there are alternatives.
A PM will get you more input but I am probably the cheapest, check that, most frugal person I know. I can't afford the vacations and pensions that those guys in the dealerships get. They deserve them. Don't get me wrong but I'll just let other people pay for them. That's just me, though.
jenkinsph
Super Star Member
From what I have seen the transmission driven pto's (think cheap and inferior) have gone by the way side in most cases in all brands. Just about anything decent today has live or independent pto.
I live in the Rockies too and would suggest you get an independent pto, this would eliminate the need for pushing in the clutch fully to disengage the pto while traversing a steep grade. In some cases pushing in the clutch on a steep grade can be very dangerous. I was concerned about hydro transmissions being dependable and working well but made the leap about six years ago, glad I did. I have a small Deere 820 with gear and live pto. 31 pto hp and see absolutely no advantage to this configuration over a modern hyrostatic compact tractor. I still like the 820 but I am not gonna kid myself either.
So far you have mentioned using a rototiller, brush hog and loader, a hydrostatic compact with independent pto would be ideal for that combination of uses. I personally prefer the ehydro transmission over the other hydro transmissions that Deere offers.
Long story short you really need to try out several brands and models before you buy, there have been some real improvements you need to be aware of. Just about every major manufacturer of tractors today offers very dependable and long lasting hydrostatic transmissions. If you research the forums here on TBN you will find very few failures of any of the tractor transmissions.
I will tell you another thing i dislike about Hydro's is you have to keep the motor wound up. You can't just idle around the pasture Ect. Same reason i drive a stick shift truck. I can idle reasonably quietly to my favorite hunting spots where with an automatic your revving to go up hills ect. In general Hyro's are only popular in the U.S. Go to any other country and everything is simple gear drive but then again We Americans are a lazy bunch! LOL!
jenkinsph
Super Star Member
No, you don't have to keep the motor wound up to use a hydro tractor.
But hey it is Sunday morning and I have a little free time to spend on myself and since you have your mind made up I wish you luck with your search.
We'll you sure as heck can't putter around with one and have any power. Need at least 1500-2000 RPM or the whine is deafening. Hydro also sucks when it's 20-30 below zero and i have to plow snow. Used an S650 Bobcat Skid steer most of last winter and when it was cold it took forever for it to become operational due to cold hydro oil and then it was jerky and extremely touchy until it was really warmed up. This machine has 900 hours on it.
+1 :thumbsup:
Don87
Elite Member
This was your original post, but now you seem to be blasting everyone that is trying to help you.
They tell you their experiences and you tell them they are wrong:confused3:
Their experience is not mine. Hydro VS gear is like night vs day when your working heavy. I grew up on a dairy farm with Deere and Ford our main power units. I don't mind shifting gears but HATE working on things when they break. Buying a used hydro is like a crap shoot. Being i live in the middle of nowhere i have to be able to work on my own stuff so a simple gear drive is the way i will go. I can split a tractor and put a clutch in in a long day for $300-$400 but how long will it take and how much $$$ on a broken hydro? Putting 400-500 hours a year on it is bound to happen. I guess i should go back and edit that to say "NO HYDRO'S" I'll just do it here. What GEAR DRIVE tractors in the 18 to 28 hp range have live or stand alone pto's????
