12 speed versus 8 speed transmission...is the 12 necessarily better?

[bilrus61]

The minimum and maximum speeds are the same, you just get more options to find a sweet spot when your mowing and such. I have the 8 speed on my M7040. High range for my farm is too fast for anything but transport. So basically I have a 4 speed tractor for work. I would like the extra gears but it gets it done fine with the 4 I have.

 

[Herkypilot]

High range for my farm is too fast for anything but transport. So basically I have a 4 speed tractor for work. I would like the extra gears but it gets it done fine with the 4 I have.

Agreed on the high range being too fast except for road transport. At least with the 12 speed, it gives you 6 working gears for low.

 

[stuckmotor]

The 8 speed in my MF is sufficient for what I do in forward. The two speeds of reverse are a different story. Low range in reverse is usually a little slow for my liking and reverse is so fast that I'm afraid of excessive wear on the clutch because I tend to let it slip in order to slow the tractor down or achieve smooth engagement. Makes me wonder how I got along so well with 4 and 5 speeds in older tractors.

 

[SDT]

I'm looking at getting a M7060HDC. I plan to do a lot of ground engaging work (box blade, tiller, rotary cutter, etc.), not much loader work. I use an HST tractor right now and just go at a speed that seems right for me.

My dealer has a bunch of 8 speed tractors in stock but no 12 speeds. I don't know enough to know if I really need the 12 different gears or will 8 suffice.

Any suggestions?

BTDT.

If you plan to use a rotary cutter in various conditions, don't even consider the 8X2.

You must stop (or nearly stop) to shift ranges, and doing so takes time.

My experience has demonstrated that I have spent far too much time stopping to change between Lo/4th and Hi/1st with various tractors equipped with the common 4X2 transmission.

I've used various rotary cutters with various tractors to mow various conditions for nearly 50 years. The 6X2 synchronized transmission will save time because you will need to stop to change ranges less often.

SDT

 

[scdeerslayer]

The 8 speed in my MF is sufficient for what I do in forward. The two speeds of reverse are a different story. Low range in reverse is usually a little slow for my liking and reverse is so fast that I'm afraid of excessive wear on the clutch because I tend to let it slip in order to slow the tractor down or achieve smooth engagement. Makes me wonder how I got along so well with 4 and 5 speeds in older tractors.

That's the reason why I made sure my new tractor had the same number of forward and reverse speeds.