HST vs. Geared

[GreenWannabe]

I tried out a gear tractor this week, just a turn around the yard. I decided very quickly that for me the HST would work better. I'm already familiar with HST because my lawn tractor has HST, so a much shorter learning curve. YMMV.

 

[WilliamBos]

Ground engaging work, loader work -Powershuttle (geared). Lawn mower, light chores. - HST.

 

[CJONE]

Ground engaging work, loader work -Powershuttle (geared). Lawn mower, light chores. - HST.

Maybe 40 yeas ago but most everything is going to hydrostat or has been automatic like front end loaders. You can find dozers in the 200HP class with hystats and they are the only way to go IMHO after running both. You will be hard pressed to find a clutch in a large piece of industrial equipment with the exception of large skidders and even they are powershifts. The only place a clutch is acceptable to me is in a semi or pulling a plow where direction changes are infrequent. I would have purchased a larger tractor but none were availible with a hystat but they will catch up like they have been doing. CJ

 

[WilliamBos]

Maybe 40 yeas ago but most everything is going to hydrostat or has been automatic like front end loaders. You can find dozers in the 200HP class with hystats and they are the only way to go IMHO after running both. You will be hard pressed to find a clutch in a large piece of industrial equipment with the exception of large skidders and even they are powershifts. The only place a clutch is acceptable to me is in a semi or pulling a plow where direction changes are infrequent. I would have purchased a larger tractor but none were availible with a hystat but they will catch up like they have been doing. CJ

Who puts one in a row crop tractor? NO one does!!You wont ever find a HST on a larger tractor. They will not hold up the way a geared tractor will.

CVT/IVT is a different story. And no, they are not a HST transmission..

 

[jenkinsph]

Who puts one in a row crop tractor? NO one does!!You wont ever find a HST on a larger tractor. They will not hold up the way a geared tractor will.

CVT/IVT is a different story. And no, they are not a HST transmission..

How do you know that is the reason? Dozers are ground engaging machines and the hydrostatic transmissions hold up quite well.

I don't know the answer positively but I suspect it is more a matter of efficientcy not durability. Large gear tractors can run a long distance before they need to reverse directions, that makes the choice of gears more practical. Equipment that needs to manuever and change direction frequently have hydrostatic transmissions because they are more practical for this use, the down side is a small loss of effcientcy.

 

[Redneck in training]

How do you know that is the reason? Dozers are ground engaging machines and the hydrostatic transmissions hold up quite well.

I don't know the answer positively but I suspect it is more a matter of efficientcy not durability. Large gear tractors can run a long distance before they need to reverse directions, that makes the choice of gears more practical. Equipment that needs to manuever and change direction frequently have hydrostatic transmissions because they are more practical for this use, the down side is a small loss of effcientcy.

I agree with you. I talked to a guy who was a mechanic responsible for fork lift maintenance. Most if not all engine driven fork lifts are HST. He said that HST handles abuse better than gear and lasts forever. He is a tractor dealer now and has about the same experience. According to him HST tractors have very low failure rate specifically of the HST part.

 

[beppington]

Here's a thread where TBN members rated their HST transmission on a 1 to 10 scale: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/206517-poll-your-satisfaction-your-hydrostatic.html

Near the end of the thread I had counted 90 ratings with an average of 9.3 / 10.

Translation: People likes their HST's! :thumbsup:

 

[ddb123]

Never having owned a HST tractor, I was sure itching for one yesterday. I can be precise and gentle by slipping the clutch, but one thing I hadn't counted on. Yesterday I wanted to drag a small greenhouse I've been building about 20 feet so I can paint it. It's too heavy to drag by hand. I lifted it up with my bucket and slowly started to back up in order to carefully drag it to the place I wanted. The problem is that reverse in low range even at idle is still waaaay too fast, and there was no way I could continue with my plan without ripping my greenhouse apart. I was wishing for a HST that I could easily creep along with.

 

[k0ua]

Never having owned a HST tractor, I was sure itching for one yesterday. I can be precise and gentle by slipping the clutch, but one thing I hadn't counted on. Yesterday I wanted to drag a small greenhouse I've been building about 20 feet so I can paint it. It's too heavy to drag by hand. I lifted it up with my bucket and slowly started to back up in order to carefully drag it to the place I wanted. The problem is that reverse in low range even at idle is still waaaay too fast, and there was no way I could continue with my plan without ripping my greenhouse apart. I was wishing for a HST that I could easily creep along with.

should have bought my L3400HST.. sorry I just could not resist..
yes when the work is slow and precise, nothing, yes I said nothing beats a HST. I have done work that the ground speed was so slow that ants were passing me.:laughing:

James K0UA

 

[ddb123]

should have bought my L3400HST.. sorry I just could not resist..
yes when the work is slow and precise, nothing, yes I said nothing beats a HST. I have done work that the ground speed was so slow that ants were passing me.:laughing:

James K0UA

I really thought about making you an offer on it...but I could not go down to a puny 34 hp. Actually I really did consider it, but for my next tractor I'm going to get all the creature comforts of the Grand L series (or comparable line from other mfgr). Probably something like either B3030 or L3240.