Buying Advice 1635 Hydrostatic vs. PowerShuttle

[bigbull338]

we leave the loaders on our tractors when we are shredding.as a matter of fact our loaders are never off the tractor unless they have tobe.

 

[mjstef]

Really like the idea of a Power Shuttle. I have run heavy equipment most of my adult life and have yet to run into a hydro but most every backhoe and skip loader made has a power shuttle. The Case 580Super L i used to run had north of 9,000 hours on it and NEVER once had a transmission issue. My problem with hydro's are mostly in mowing. Here in the mountains we mow some steep stuff on occasion and every hyro i have ever tried has fallen flat on it's face bush hogging when you come to a hill where you end up at a snails pace where a gear drive will power right up the hill without slowing down. I agree with the poster above talking about the whine too. It can get annoying. The other thing i don't like on a hydro is no foot throttle for loader work. Just tooling around there is no reason to run a tractor at rated RPM but when you want to lift that bucket load of dirt to dump in the trailer on a hydro, you have to use the hand throttle. A Power Shuttle and Regular Shuttle have a foot throttle for this purpose. It seems as though Massey and Mahindra are the only ones in the under 50HP line with a power shuttle or did i miss one?

 

[Wobblin-Goblin]

As someone who has direct experience with both (a 1540 with the Powershuttle and now a 1643 with Hydro), I can say they both have their plusses and minuses.

The PS is quieter and robs less power. It is also better if you are pulling things like hay balers and mowers and things like that. If you like "finding" gears (like I do), naturally the PS is better, too.

The Hydro is more precise when it comes to loader work. If you want an inch, you can get that inch. The Hydro is also faster when using the loader. Basically, if you are using either a bucket or a set of forks on your loader, the Hydro is better.

Having said all that, I think the PS is the better all-around transmission because it's slightly better at loader work than the Hydro is at pulling traditional farm attachments like hay mowers, rakes, and balers and it's quieter and robs less power. For me, it's sort of a moot point, as I no longer have the 1540 Powershuttle and instead have the 1643 Hydro, and it's a good tractor.

 

[radrock]

As someone who has direct experience with both (a 1540 with the Powershuttle and now a 1643 with Hydro), I can say they both have their plusses and minuses. The PS is quieter and robs less power. It is also better if you are pulling things like hay balers and mowers and things like that. If you like "finding" gears (like I do), naturally the PS is better, too. The Hydro is more precise when it comes to loader work. If you want an inch, you can get that inch. The Hydro is also faster when using the loader. Basically, if you are using either a bucket or a set of forks on your loader, the Hydro is better. Having said all that, I think the PS is the better all-around transmission because it's slightly better at loader work than the Hydro is at pulling traditional farm attachments like hay mowers, rakes, and balers and it's quieter and robs less power. For me, it's sort of a moot point, as I no longer have the 1540 Powershuttle and instead have the 1643 Hydro, and it's a good tractor.

I agree with you on this. I also think there is less tire spinning with a Hydo when using the loader.

MJSTEF, I have operated heavy equipment all of my life and the power shuttle is great in the Cat and Case backhoes. I did want to point out that most of the newer Massey Hydros have the throttle incorporated in the the hydro peddles. You can use either one.

 

[TSO]

Just to piggyback on what others have said ... I've owned both HST and Shuttle (not PST tho) and I prefer HST 90% of the time.

Shuttle puts a noticeable amount more power to the ground, especially when grading, plowing, pushing, etc. It's also quiet and you don't have the whine of HST.

But, using a shuttle for loader work is very annoying, and the amount of precision that HST gives you can't be overstated.

If the majority of your use will be ground engagement and/or haying, get the shuttle. For everything else, HST rules.