Hydro or Shuttle for the long haul?

[LS Tractor Owner]

Brought home my new Workmaster 25 yesterday. With the loader, bucket, and fluid in the tires she's a heavy pig. Made the ramp on my enclosed car hauler crack and pop like it was going to snap. So far I like the tractor a lot, just not a fan of the non-removable side panels on the hood. But hopefully it'll be a good tractor. The hydro controls are so nice. If it's got enough power to drag a 5' box blade full of #57 crushed stone up a 10% grade, it'll be all the tractor I need.

Congratulations! I hope it works out very well for your tasks.
A little tip about the side panels... if you open the hood, you can see at the top of the gas strut where it mounts on the hood, there is a cotter pin. It is easily removed with the pin, allowing the hood and side panels to tilt / pivot all the way back out of the way. Allows for much easier access to the engine.

JUST BE CAREFUL WHEN TILTING THE HOOD BACK! Put a soft blanket or some sort of padding on the steering wheel, that is where the hood will rest.
The only time I had to do that was to check the glow plug resistance, other than that, there is enough access for routine maintenance.

Now, GO GET SOME FUN ....EHHH... I MEAN WORK.... WITH YOUR NEW TRACTOR!

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Oh, don't forget about the photo rule.... if there is no photo.... it didn't happen! :thumbsup:

 

[Blue Mule]

Congratulations! I hope it works out very well for your tasks.
A little tip about the side panels... if you open the hood, you can see at the top of the gas strut where it mounts on the hood, there is a cotter pin. It is easily removed with the pin, allowing the hood and side panels to tilt / pivot all the way back out of the way. Allows for much easier access to the engine.

JUST BE CAREFUL WHEN TILTING THE HOOD BACK! Put a soft blanket or some sort of padding on the steering wheel, that is where the hood will rest.
The only time I had to do that was to check the glow plug resistance, other than that, there is enough access for routine maintenance.

Now, GO GET SOME FUN ....EHHH... I MEAN WORK.... WITH YOUR NEW TRACTOR!

Funny you mention that, because I noticed that and I tried that and I believe I broke something. Didn't even have the hood swung all the way back and that plastic hinge nut cover on top of the hood popped loose and I heard something snap and fall into the engine bay. Sigh..... So that's not going to work for me. I guess when it comes time for service I'll have to remove the loader. That's a real bummer.

Should I be running the engine full RPM when using the box blade? I tried it tonight and when I hit the hill in medium range at 2,000 RPM the tractor really bogged down. And I didn't even have the box full of gravel. I was just lightly leveling the ruts out of the driveway.

Obligatory picture:

 

[the old grind]

I rarely use full rpm for any task. Box blade will need to be in low range. My 33 & 35hp tractors (same size, wt) will bog in 'M' before a box is half full. If the tires spin in 'L' it's too full for the tractor's weight.

btw, I've found using a landscape rake is much easier for grading. Lift links allow quickly raising/lowering one side by putting a pin in different hole. This saves counting turns of a leveling box handle and remembering/finding the 'level' position again. For about $125 you should be able to replace the OEM turnbuckle-type adjuster with one as I did on my NH T1520.

Biggest advantage I've found for LR vs BB is that I can build a crown by angling it and doing so leaves no ripples as is the norm with a BB. Finesse with a drag anyway. Good luck with what you do, and congrats for choosing a winner. :thumbsup:

btw, for service access, instead of removing the FEL, raise it to full height and prop it up with 4x4 etc. It's about as good as taking it off to get at things under the hood.

 

[5030]

No replacement for displacement (and turbo charging) again. Only time I use rated (540 or 1000 pto) is when the implement needs to be spun at that speed. Peak torque for me is well below rated rpm, like 700 rpm below.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I guess when it comes time for service I'll have to remove the loader. That's a real bummer.

This comment makes me smile. When people ask for opinions on a tractor I rarely see anyone mention the ease of loader removal etc. To me it's more important question than the hydro vs shuttle debate as that single question has a lot more to do with how you are going to use your tractor than the transmission type. If the loader is a pain to take off you don't do it unless you really need to. I can have my loader off in less than a minute and back on in a little over a minute. That means that if I really don't want it on or it's in the way I take it off. There are some on these forums that have never removed their loader!!! I've had mine off several times a day at times because that's how my work for the day was laid out and.... because it is really easy to do.

All the best with your new purchase.

 

[ericm979]

For some operations you want to be running the engine at a higher rpm than the peak torque rpm. That way when your load slows the engine, it makes more torque to help keep from stalling. It's sometimes called "torque rise". Torque Rise Explained | Grainews

 

[npalen]

Funny you mention that, because I noticed that and I tried that and I believe I broke something. Didn't even have the hood swung all the way back and that plastic hinge nut cover on top of the hood popped loose and I heard something snap and fall into the engine bay. Sigh..... So that's not going to work for me. I guess when it comes time for service I'll have to remove the loader. That's a real bummer.

Should I be running the engine full RPM when using the box blade? I tried it tonight and when I hit the hill in medium range at 2,000 RPM the tractor really bogged down. And I didn't even have the box full of gravel. I was just lightly leveling the ruts out of the driveway.

Obligatory picture:

View attachment 683868View attachment 683869

I'm guessing that you are aware that being too aggressive on the hydro pedal when under load is counter productive. In other words, pushing the pedal too far will cause the hydro's relief valve to open and the tractor "bogs down".
It's a bit counter intuitive but you have to "feather" the pedal to get maximum torque in any gear range.

 

[Blue Mule]

I rarely use full rpm for any task. Box blade will need to be in low range. My 33 & 35hp tractors (same size, wt) will bog in 'M' before a box is half full. If the tires spin in 'L' it's too full for the tractor's weight.

btw, I've found using a landscape rake is much easier for grading. Lift links allow quickly raising/lowering one side by putting a pin in different hole. This saves counting turns of a leveling box handle and remembering/finding the 'level' position again. For about $125 you should be able to replace the OEM turnbuckle-type adjuster with one as I did on my NH T1520.

Biggest advantage I've found for LR vs BB is that I can build a crown by angling it and doing so leaves no ripples as is the norm with a BB. Finesse with a drag anyway. Good luck with what you do, and congrats for choosing a winner. :thumbsup:

btw, for service access, instead of removing the FEL, raise it to full height and prop it up with 4x4 etc. It's about as good as taking it off to get at things under the hood.

I may give that a try. Thanks.

 

[5030]

Brought home my new Workmaster 25 yesterday. With the loader, bucket, and fluid in the tires she's a heavy pig. Made the ramp on my enclosed car hauler crack and pop like it was going to snap. So far I like the tractor a lot, just not a fan of the non-removable side panels on the hood. But hopefully it'll be a good tractor. The hydro controls are so nice. If it's got enough power to drag a 5' box blade full of #57 crushed stone up a 10% grade, it'll be all the tractor I need.

I never run filled tires and never have. In fact the last unit I bought was used and came with filled tires and I had my tire service come out and evacuate it and replace the tubes. For me, ground (crop) compaction is a big issue so the lighter the unit is, the less crushing of hay plants and the more production yield and the better yield, the more revenue I realize. My units are heavy enough (close to 10K each) so instability when using the loaders is never an issue.

On a smaller unit I can see it. On mine no.