Hydro or gear

[tooln]

Within the next year I'm looking to get a tractor. Leaning heavy towards a 3038E with hydrostatic drive. The hydro will be great for loader work but I do plan to use it to skid some logs from my property. My BIL say's a hydro will not stand up to this. Is he correct? Would I be better off with a gear driven unit? Thanks

 

[RoyJackson]

I don't think the 3038E is available with a gear transmission.

 

[tooln]

I don't think the 3038E is available with a gear transmission.

Then I may have to move up a size if I go gear driven.

 

[arlen4720]

A hydro will skid logs just fine, and you should move up a size anyway. How big are the logs?

 

[jeff9366]

Many contributors believe an HST transmission to be MORE reliable than a gear transmission.

Most problems with a gear transmission are with the clutch, which has been eliminated on every new tractor HST transmission that I know of.



Hydrostatic Transmission (HST):

Hydrostatic transmissions transmit power with hydraulics i.e. with the power of oil. One half of the transmission is a variable displacement pump and the other half is a hydraulic motor. A movable swash plate controls the piston stroke to change the pump's displacement. A hydrostatic transmission works as being a variable-displacement hydraulic pump, driving a fixed-displacement hydraulic motor.

The greatest advantages of a hydrostatic transmission are max torque at zero speed (i.e. overcoming load inertia) and ability to easily reverse directions.

Another advantage is reliability. This transmission is self-protecting from operator abuse. Also, on foot pedal controlled transmissions, there is a built in safety factor in that you need only lift your foot from the pedal, to bring the tractor to a controlled stop.

Their disadvantages are slightly higher cost and a slight loss of power at the PTO shaft. You must apply the parking brake should you park the tractor on a slope.

Hydrostatic is, by far, the best choice for loader work, mowing applications and for tasks that require speed and direction reversals within a small area.


Photos are of my former Kubota B3300SU / HST, just about equivalent to JD3038E. Buy more tractor weight if you can afford to. My heavier Kubota L3560 / HST is more capable in every respect than the B3300SU / HST.

 

[RalphVa]

Huge industrial equipment and ships use hydro power. Your BIL is nuts.

Only if your use involves pulling logs or plowing more than about 90% of the time would I advise anyone getting a gear unit. There's a tiny bit of power loss due to pumping losses in pumping the hydro fluid. That's the only problem (uses more fuel). Hydrostatic is a lot safer in most cases.

Ralph

 

[jeff9366]

Here are some HST vs Gear threads from the T-B-N archive:

https://www.google.com/search?clien...tractorbynet.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&gws_rd=ssl


(There are almost 4,000,000 threads available to you in the T-B-N archive.)

 

[Egon]

What does that BIL base his knowledge on??

 

[k0ua]

Your brother in law is either mistaken or doesn't like you very much. Most bulldozer transmissions are now hydro.

 

[motownbrowne]

Have you operated tractors much? I would agree that a gear unit would be better if plowing (soil, not snow) or log skidding will make up 90% of you use and you have already logged lots of hours on gear tractors.

Hydro's are way safer for beginner tractor users. You really ought to drive both. You know which you like better.