Kubota Hst Pedal vs John Deere Hst Pedals

[Dagwood55]

Just made the switch from a JD 4200 with Hst to a Kubota MX5800 Hst. I know the Hst pedals were completely different with the JD having 2 side by side pedals for forward and reverse and the Kubota having the single Hst front to back pedal.

Initially I thought the Kubota was the better design, but I'm having a bit of a problem making the switch. I know the more I use the Kubota the better it will get. I go from using my whole foot, toe for forward and heel for reverse and I've tried completely moving my foot for the change. Both don't seam natural to me so far.

Tell me how you veteran Kubota Hst'ers use your pedal.....

 

[Industrial Toys]

I think any treddle style HST is a torture device if you ask me.

 

[chim]

My foot is off to the right of the pedal. To go forward, I slide my foot forward and use my toes to press the pedal to go forward. For reverse, I slide my foot to the rear as I lift my heel so it lands on top of the rear of the pedal. Then push down on my heel to go backwards.

I treat the pedal as though it's two separate pedals and it works fine. When I first tried the Kubota "boomerang" pedal years ago, I tried keeping my whole foot on it That approach lasted about a minute.

Front of the pedal to go forward and rear to go in reverse is intuitive. It works well for those times when I'm using the rear mounted snowblower on a long stretch and want to ride sort of sidesaddle.

 

[Homeline]

While certainly not a veteran user (only 16hrs on my L3301), I am getting used to the pedal. Give it time, you will adjust. Build up the muscle memory.

Would like it to be more like pedal on my G5200. But that's not possible due to brake pedals.

I did make a modification to mine in order to get a bit more foot room. Helps me when getting on/off. Its posted on this site.

 

[4570Man]

The way they’re used in the JD videos is wrong. Leave your heel on the floor board and push the pedal with the front of your foot. Use your heel for reverse and leave the front of your foot on the floorboard. That’s assuming you have the boomerang pedal. The one on my L3240 was a different design and you used the front of your foot for forward and reverse while leaving your heal on the floorboard on both directions.

 

[airbiscuit]

I don't know why Kubota can't admit a mistake and get rid of that dorky pedal.

 

[4570Man]

I for one much prefer the Kubota pedal over the duel pedal setup, but it seems like I’m outnumbered here.

 

[Ortimber]

As others have stated, don't put your whole foot on the pedal. That's completely awkward.

Where the treddle is better in my opinion is when you are turned around when backing or watching your rear implements.

 

[airbiscuit]

 

[spitter]

From that video it looks like it would not be that hard to convert peddle design. Kubota should offer a kit . I have a NH Tc29d with a treddle peddle and I dread going into reverse.Multiple knee surgery foot ankle arthritis. When I bought the tractor I thought it was ok after years of use I hate it. Kinda defeats the hole beauty of a hydrostat.:drink:

 

[txdon]

I tried both and like the Kubota single pedal best.
As stated you put your heel on the floor and push down with the ball of your foot to go forward just like a car. This is more natural than lifting your leg and using the pedal like Deer has. Deer pedal is more the motion used to brake. When backing up and turned around I tend to loose position of the pedals.

For reverse on Kubota put the ball of your foot on the platform and mash down with your heel. There is no car comparison so you will never be confused on which pedal to press.

A simple shift of the ankle instead of raising the foot is also more comfortable so the Kubota wins.

 

[mcfarmall]

I've used both and prefer the side by side pedals. My heel stays in a fixed place on the floorboard and I simply swing my toe to the left for forward and right for reverse. Much less leg/foot motion than the treadle style. Lawn tractor has side by side and I like that better too.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Before any one reads me wrong here I'm going to state that I think Kubota makes great tractors.

For the life of me I can't figure out why the brake pedals and the hydrostatic pedals are on the same side. But then I'm not an engineer.

I tend to think that just moving your toe to switch directions would be easier than moving your whole foot...

Notice that I own John Deere's. Not because I think they are better tractors but because I have problems with some of the Kubota engineering. That video of the converted pedal has me thinking. I would remove the reverse part of the original pedal though.

 

[wagne223]

I tried both and like the Kubota single pedal best.
As stated you put your heel on the floor and push down with the ball of your foot to go forward just like a car. This is more natural than lifting your leg and using the pedal like Deer has. Deer pedal is more the motion used to brake. When backing up and turned around I tend to loose position of the pedals.

For reverse on Kubota put the ball of your foot on the platform and mash down with your heel. There is no car comparison so you will never be confused on which pedal to press.

A simple shift of the ankle instead of raising the foot is also more comfortable so the Kubota wins.

I'm with you using this procedure.

Feels completely natural to me. I don't understand why others don't like it.

 

[Grandad4]

I tried both and like the Kubota single pedal best.
As stated you put your heel on the floor and push down with the ball of your foot to go forward just like a car. This is more natural than lifting your leg and using the pedal like Deer has. Deer pedal is more the motion used to brake. When backing up and turned around I tend to loose position of the pedals.

For reverse on Kubota put the ball of your foot on the platform and mash down with your heel. There is no car comparison so you will never be confused on which pedal to press.

A simple shift of the ankle instead of raising the foot is also more comfortable so the Kubota wins.

+1 What he said. More than 2,000 hours on the Kubota HST treadles for me. It was completely natural since the "go forward" is exactly like the gas pedal in a car or truck. I've heard comments about the treadle not working well for those with larger shoe sizes, but even my clumsy size 12's never get tangled up. Those with long legs might prefer the JD style pedals since they are more forward and present more legroom, but that's more an issue of layout than the pedals themselves.

I think a lot of buyers get on the Kubota and immediately plant their whole foot on the treadle and try to rock it back and forth, which is what I did that first time. Bad idea. Use it like the gas pedal in the vehicle you drove to the Kubota dealer and it works great.

There are probably as many or more Kubota HST treadles in operation than all the other 2 pedal layouts combined and, as noted here, many like the treadle setup. If you use different types of equipment, you learn to adapt to different control setups but it's still a good thing to have a choice.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Just made the switch from a JD 4200 with Hst to a Kubota MX5800 Hst. I know the Hst pedals were completely different with the JD having 2 side by side pedals for forward and reverse and the Kubota having the single Hst front to back pedal.

Initially I thought the Kubota was the better design, but I'm having a bit of a problem making the switch. I know the more I use the Kubota the better it will get. I go from using my whole foot, toe for forward and heel for reverse and I've tried completely moving my foot for the change. Both don't seam natural to me so far.

Tell me how you veteran Kubota Hst'ers use your pedal.....

I find the two pedal JD design to be a bit awkward when working in reverse. With the newer treadle on the Grand L series, while twisted around in the seat looking over my shoulder, it's easy to operate by pressing with my foot perpendicular to the pedal (4th pic)




The same is true for the treadle on the MX series (7th pic).




I also like the fact that you can use your toe to lift the treadle on both Kubota designs.

 

[BTDT2]

I've been using my Kubota HST+ for ten years now and I really like the one pedal (treadle) set up. I keep the heel of my foot on the floor to the right of the pedal, and I accelerate forward using the front ball of my foot just like I drive my truck. To back up, I shift my heel to the left and depress the rear of the pedal with my heel. With the Kubota hydrostatics I very seldom have the need to use the brake pedal except occasionally loading on steep trailer ramps. I really appreciate the HST+ load sensing control, and tend to set my RPM and use my cruise control whenever a sustained speed can be used. To each their own but my next tractor must have HST+ and a treadle.

Edit: The post just before mine was submitted while I was writing my response and I agree wholeheartedly with the post. As to likes and dislikes, I see some people still prefer horses for plowing and sled dogs for transport and to that I say to each their own

 

[k0ua]

I for one much prefer the Kubota pedal over the duel pedal setup, but it seems like I知 outnumbered here.

It is just what you get used to. My Kioti is the side by side two pedals, and I like it fine. When I had the Kubota treadle pedal, I liked it fine too. It just takes time to adapt.

 

[mikester]

I prefer the JD setup, less leg movement required, feels more intuitive and faster to me, and less pedal mix-ups especially when operating the machine in reverse.

As an aside the M59 pedal arrangement is just bonkers. Left side clutch and split brake on right side by the HST pedal...WTH?

Here's another HST gripe on the M59. The Hi-Low range shifter on the steering column is awesome. The Low-Medium-Hi lever is buried right next to the 3PH levers and easy to get mixed up when not looking. I think the 3PH lever should be a lot taller and/or different shape handle.

Why there is a separate HST range selector lever I don't have a clue. We should simply use the electronic Hi-Low lever on the steering column to be able to shift through the complete range of HST gears. The bigger tractors have it and so should the M59/M62 - they are certainly expensive enough to warrant it.

 

[TripleR]

I used John Deere side by side exclusively through 2003 when we bought our first BX, I preferred the Kubota then and still do. If you are not familiar with the different models, take the time to go to a dealership and look around. While they are all rocker types, shape of the pedal is different on different models. My L5740HSTC is different than my L5030. Our BX2200 is different than the BX2660. My wife absolutely HATED the BX2660 when I brought it home. Now if both are available everyone picks the BX2660. We bought a John Deere 1025R last year to replace a 2305 and had it dropped off here for her to try; nope, didn't like it, so it lives on another farm with our son.

The issue of brakes and HST being on Kubotas is only partly right as several models including the Grand L now have brakes on the left and they have eliminated the clutch. I prefer the old style, but am definitely in the minority.