ritcheyvs
Veteran Member
The transmission is the heart (and chassis and frame) of a tractor. The older utility tractors (like a Ford 8N or Massey 135) shift like a car: one shift lever with one reverse speed and several forward speeds. Soon, gear ranges (H-M-L) were added for better forward speed control while running at PTO speed. When most tractors started using loaders, the shuttle came into style, and it was a great improvement. Power or hydraulic shuttles (no clutching required) were the next step but hydrostatic transmissions came soon and most folks like them even better than the power shuttle. Now, I think a straight gear setup (like the OP) or hydrostatic are most popular. The gear setup is an efficient, mature design but abuse can wear the clutch prematurely, a costly repair. Utility tractor hydrostatics are less mature but less vulnerable to operator abuse and work great for frequent direction change.
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