I have a Kubota L4400 HST and had to drive it on pavement for 6 miles from repair shop. In High gear with full acceleration, it would not climb the hill until I moved to "medium" gear. Appreciate any input from anyone regarding this.
high gear paved road
- Thread starter parmafarm
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azbinder
Gold Member
2 WHEEL DRIVE WHEN ON PAVEMENT ! ! Possibly back off on the HST pedal just a bit. And just asking,
were the brakes fully released?
were the brakes fully released?
jeff9366
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^^^^^^ YES ^^^^^^^
HST is counterintuitive to a certain extent. For more power application to the road you back off the HST pedal. An HST is pump and hydraulic flow technology.
If you have 4-WD tractor be certain you are in 2-WD when powering down the road.
In High gear with full acceleration, it would not climb the hill until I moved to "medium"gear HST range.
This is not abnormal for an HST tractor encountering hills, especially if the HST tractor has tall R1/ag tires.
A traditional clutch and gear tractor MIGHT pull the hill at a higher road speed.
HST is counterintuitive to a certain extent. For more power application to the road you back off the HST pedal. An HST is pump and hydraulic flow technology.
If you have 4-WD tractor be certain you are in 2-WD when powering down the road.
In High gear with full acceleration, it would not climb the hill until I moved to "medium"
This is not abnormal for an HST tractor encountering hills, especially if the HST tractor has tall R1/ag tires.
A traditional clutch and gear tractor MIGHT pull the hill at a higher road speed.
Last edited:
Ken45101
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Define "hill". My M5040 has 4 gears plus "road" and "field" gears. It won't take my driveway in 4th gear (road). The last section needs 2nd gear. Likewise, out on the road requires downshifting on some of the hills.
My driveway averages 10% for 1500 ft.
RjCorazza
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My L4060 will start bogging down in high range on steeper hills in my area. As others have mentioned, letting off the hst pedal is the first step, then switching ranges if necessary. I can shift on the fly with a HI / Low for each range, so I can stay in the high range.
LouNY
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I believe that this explains it all:
"High gear with full acceleration"
So he is likely using this linked throttle I hear about on these fancy Hydro's.
So pedal to the floor to try and get full rpm's also max's out the transmission speed.
As has been said back off on the hydro pedal for lower gearing and use the hand throttle to get the rpm back up,
shove the hand throttle up till you get the desired rpm for your road speed then start using the hydro pedal, mash it down till the rpm start dropping to far then let up and let the rpm climb back up.
Also engines have a torque peak on one of mine that is around 1750 rpm while pto speed is around 2400 rpm running down the road i'll usually go for around 2100-2200 rpm when I hit a grade I'll use my foot throttle or hand throttle to max or just leave it alone and just listen to the engine she'll pull down fast till 1750-1800 rpm and then hold right there for quite a bit, she may even make the grade and the rpm will start climbing back up or the rpm will drop under 1700 at which point I'll drop a gear or two.
"High gear with full acceleration"
So he is likely using this linked throttle I hear about on these fancy Hydro's.
So pedal to the floor to try and get full rpm's also max's out the transmission speed.
As has been said back off on the hydro pedal for lower gearing and use the hand throttle to get the rpm back up,
shove the hand throttle up till you get the desired rpm for your road speed then start using the hydro pedal, mash it down till the rpm start dropping to far then let up and let the rpm climb back up.
Also engines have a torque peak on one of mine that is around 1750 rpm while pto speed is around 2400 rpm running down the road i'll usually go for around 2100-2200 rpm when I hit a grade I'll use my foot throttle or hand throttle to max or just leave it alone and just listen to the engine she'll pull down fast till 1750-1800 rpm and then hold right there for quite a bit, she may even make the grade and the rpm will start climbing back up or the rpm will drop under 1700 at which point I'll drop a gear or two.
Cycledude
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That a Very common issue for newer HST operators, once you get used to it it won’t seem as bad as it probably does now.
bdhsfz6
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All the HST Kubotas I've owned had this lugging issue on hills. With experience, you learn to deal with it.
My current L6060 HSTC with stall guard and auto throttle advance minimizes the problem by automatically adjusting HST pedal pressure and throttle. The dual range hydro shift feature also helps.
My current L6060 HSTC with stall guard and auto throttle advance minimizes the problem by automatically adjusting HST pedal pressure and throttle. The dual range hydro shift feature also helps.