Buying Advice HST vs Gear Transmission - which would you recommend on this tractor ?

[4570Man]

Used?? I probably own more hydrostats than you do tractors, along with more than a couple gear drives...

The more you post the more it's obvious, why you call yourself 4570 instead of 220 SWIFT! ha ha ha

SR

If you hate them so much why do you own them? And do you not acknowledge that some whine more than others? And I do have to agree that cowboys guns aren’t very practical but they’re fun.

 

[Gary Fowler]

If I didn't have a MF dealer a stones throw away, I might take a look at some other tractors with more options for the same price range..

Please don't let the location of the dealer be the only thing influencing your buying. Many if not most of us who buy new tractors never have to take it back to the dealer for repairs. Unless you intend to have the dealer do your normal servicing (very much high $$$$) then likely you wont ever need to take your tractor back. You can get all your normal service parts like filters and oil at the time of purchase and depending on the number purchased, you may be good for 5 years or 500 hours or more.

More importantly than dealer nearby is if the dealer has a repair truck that can come to you if you need some minor repair done under warranty. Many dealers don't have this and you may have to haul your tractor back to his shop for him to troubleshoot and maybe just replace a fuse or some other simple issue which could readily be fixed at your place.

If you have a trailer to move your tractor yourself, then 1 mile or 50 miles is not that much of an issue. Most of the moving time involved is loading, tie-down and unloading unless you are more than 30 miles from your dealer. This brings me to another issue, it would be great if you find a dealer that will come pick up your tractor for free if it needs a warranty repair. There are a few that do that, so that is something else to ask about before buying. Also if not free, ask about the mileage charges which could vary from $1- to as much as $3 per mile each way.

 

[kenmac]

I have a geared and now this HYDRO. For my use (some plowing, some brush cutting, some grading, some bucket work) I really don't see where my geared tractor has an advantage over my hydro. The HYDRO does have an advantage over the geared. I don't have to use the clutch !

Now, If I can just quit using the clutch on the HYDRO, I'll be ok

The best thing to do is just go to the dealer and try out both.

 

[sawyer andy]

Because the geared models will still be going when the hydro is dead

 

[Citydude]

I have been in hilly situations pulling logs out of ravines where precise forward/reverse control is a must. Even if very familiar with clutches A little to much clutch release, over you go. A hydro is better for minute movements....or RPMs are up and you take your foot off the pedal you stop, vs. take your foot off the clutch, you are gone.

Had my competent BIL load some 8' logs in my pick-up from the side. Small CUT Gear shift with the tractor nose 4 inches from fender of truck. It worked out but I sure was nervous as precise control is needed and would have been so easy to dump the clutch accidentally.

I have a cruise control and I never use it, I change speeds to often even on a long lawn. I i hit a bumpy patch I don't want to keep driving through, I just lighten up the gas a little.


HST hands down.

Stepping on a hydro peddle a little too much couldn't provide the same " over you go"?

 

[4570Man]

Because the geared models will still be going when the hydro is dead

That’s the least of my worries on a new tractor. HST has proven to be fairly reliable. What about the emissions crap and other electronic crap?

 

[Buckchaser]

You guys are hilarious.. Yesterday was my first time on this site..I was the one who originally posted this question about gear vs. hydro and I've gotten a lot of good advice, a lot of things to think about and a whole lot of laughs.. Great site to ask questions..very helpful.. Thanks to all of you..If you still have opinions on the gear vs. hydro I still have one day to make up my mind.. Thanks.!!!

 

[Erik M]

I don’t think you buy any tractors at all and instead spend your day being the internet tough guy. And what’s the definition of real tractor? It seems to be 1970s worn out junk.

You guys kill me with all this quibbling. Whatever floats your boat but I am with Sawyer Andy as my old “real” tractor is simple, reliable, and I can leave it to my kids if I want to in the certainty that with normal maintenance it will **** near last forever. Yup, I will take my standard shift and the clutch is no impediment.

 

[arrow]

I was a die-hard gear guy. I still am but less hard so I will preface "was". What I have learned operating both are several things:
1. Hydro seems more effective to me for heavy tasks if you have larger framed tractors of 40-45 hp or more.
2. I am "wired" for the intuitive "pressing the pedal down makes more power". This is not always true for a hydro where sometimes you need to "let up" on the go pedal. I am coming from a drag racing background but this is enough to make me nuts. How are you wired?
3. Hydro is infinitely easier to operate and much more efficient for back and forth work imo. I wish I had one by a long shot this past fall when I was leveling my bil's indoor arena.
4. Try out your tractor you are looking at first. 34 hp may be insufficient for your needs with hydro. I tried out the same tractor in geared and hydro. Both of lower hp of under 30. For the work I do mostly (skidding and plowing snow), the geared acquisition was a no brainer for me. The hydro was screaming its guts out to do the same work the gear was loafing with in 3rd gear. The pic shows the tractor pulling a 30' oak stem up an incline in 3rd and about half throttle. The hydro version had no chance of doing this wasting more fuel and much noisier.
5. If I had to buy a tractor today and for what I do, I'd get a 45-50 hp machine with hydro. Hydro does come with a premium price tag but that evens out in convenience.
6..This site has a few of what I call "sheriffs" telling you when to shut up and how to think. Regard these personalities as needed.

 

[Teachu2]

I had to make a similar choice when I bought my 34hp Kioti. My right knee has been over 40 years of problems, and hated staying in one position for long. The gear transmission made more sense for me - and gave me more usable power and cost less, as well. As an added bonus, the clutch keeps the wife from wanting to drive it much.

I should note that I had a partial knee replacement since I bought my tractor. I have also cleared a few trees out. If I were buying another today, it would be 45-55hp, HST w/cruise.

 

[Jstpssng]

Hi .. Just need some guidance. I'm soon buying a new Massey Ferguson 34 HP with loader. Trying to decide on Hydrostat or Gear Transmission. I'll be Brush Hogging about 15 Acres a few times a year and using a Tiller for a couple acres of food plots.. Most of the use will be for these two things , but will use the loader at times for different chores , including snow removal.. The tractor does not have a cruise control function for the HST so foot pedal will be used for the few hours of steady brush hogging. Any recommendations from you guys who own either kind of transmissions ?? Thanks for any help you can give me.

Going back to your original post; rather than asking which is best you need to consider the functions available for each. For me the lack of the CC function would be a deal breaker; holding the pedal down for hours while mowing, tilling, or just running from one field to the next will get old fast. My HST does not have it, but will be installed as soon as the heat get fixed in my work space. (When spring hits my driveway. ) For mowing and tilling, you really need a live PTO; if you want to stop in heavy brush, you really don't want the mower to stop. That was the deal breaker when I bought my Kubota, as the geared PTO is not live.
All other things being equal I prefer geared. With shuttle shift, changing directions isn't a problem; throw the clutch, move the lever, and you're going in the opposite direction. That's just my preference though.
Whatever you decide, enjoy. And post some pictures... they really are worth a 1000 words.

 

[newbury]

You guys are hilarious.. Yesterday was my first time on this site..I was the one who originally posted this question about gear vs. hydro and I've gotten a lot of good advice, a lot of things to think about and a whole lot of laughs.. Great site to ask questions..very helpful.. Thanks to all of you..If you still have opinions on the gear vs. hydro I still have one day to make up my mind.. Thanks.!!!

Since it seems you are buying new and first tractor - go HST.
It's a small tractor, when you go to sell it because you want bigger HST will probably sell easier.

I've got both, they both have advantages. So far almost ALL of my FEL work with either involves
get a bucket load
drive it a ways
dump it
repeat

or carry stuff a ways with the FEL.

Or better yet buy BOTH!!

 

[LightningCamaroGuy]

IMO if the tractor has a power shuttle transmission then I would much rather have a geared tranny than the HST. JMO but going forward to reverse and vica versa is easier with a power shuttle than HST but a lot of that is probably due to what I'm use to, but I find flicking a lever by the steering wheel just as easy as using a petal or two to go forward to reverse. Again using a power shuttle is second nature for me while I have to think about what I'm doing on the rare occasions I drive a HST tractor. Besides I prefer to have brakes to help stop and even steer with if I want to.

 

[4570Man]

Power reverser if it’s the same thing as most forklifts have is pretty nice. The clash box non synchronized that requires a clutch to do anything suck.

 

[mike69440]

Power reverser if it’s the same thing as most forklifts have is pretty nice. The crash box non synchronized that requires a clutch to do anything suck.

The 3 x 2 grind then find them box on my beloved sold B7200 D is not missed! For a box you have to use a clutch, the 8 x 8 gear on my Max 28Shuttle is ok. Better yet the Power shuttle, GST, power reverser etc. are good, except on hills and real close quarters. Kubota HST+, Yanmar etc are top class HST's. How you use tractor and your preference makes the decision for you.

 

[k0ua]

I will only speak for myself, as I have owned 5 tractors, and probably have more hours on gear tractors, than hydro tractors, but I will never own another gear tractor. Hydro is just so much more efficient for the tasks I do. I could go into all the reasons but it wouldn't convince anyone anyway nor do I care. Get what ever you want. For me it is hydro. The only time I would consider gear is if I had an 80 acre field to plow. Bush-hogging is best done with a hydro machine as you have infinite control of ground speed, meaning you can speed up and slow down constantly, which is what you need to do when bush-hogging. But again, each to his own.

 

[4570Man]

I’ve never drove a power reverser tractor. The glide shift L2550 was the closest thing. You just push the lever between the 8 gears and move the lever on the dash to go forward or backwards. The clutch was only needed for the pto and for more precise movements. The forklifts I’ve used ( excluding the old geared ones and my HST one ) must have had a single speed automatic transmission. The telhandlers I’ve used had a 6 speed transmission with manual shift. The reason I’m calling them automatic transmissions is they nearly had to have toque converters where the L2550 didn’t.

 

[4570Man]

Can we find some common ground and at least agree that HST is better for loader work and geared is better for ground engagement?

 

[eddie48]

After reading all of this stuff, I'm almost afraid to add another comment to the original thread. However.... I did think of one thing I am concerned about with my HST. The parking brake. When you get off of the tractor and set the brake, if you kick the brake while getting off of the machine and you happen to be on a slope.... away goes the tractor. At least, mine would, particularly when you are leaving the machine running because you have to put the range lever in neutral before you get off.

 

[DK35vince]

After reading all of this stuff, I'm almost afraid to add another comment to the original thread. However.... I did think of one thing I am concerned about with my HST. The parking brake. When you get off of the tractor and set the brake, if you kick the brake while getting off of the machine and you happen to be on a slope.... away goes the tractor. At least, mine would, particularly when you are leaving the machine running because you have to put the range lever in neutral before you get off.

Of course if you get off most gear machines and leave it running it needs to be in neutral (unless it has park), so no difference when left running.