Advantages of a gear/synchro over HST?

[patrick_g]

Anyone here that has had HST problems? Speak up please. We get lots of folks making comments off the cuff with no experience claiming HST is too complicated, too hard to use, too fragile, too expensive to buy, too expensive to maintain, and on and on BUT... Where are all the disappointed HST user/owners suffering with any and or all of the "problems????"

If the HST is fragile why don't more of us report problems? Must be "Omerta" (the code of silence), a conspiracy to bury the truth...

Pat

 

[Alan L.]

Each to his own. I've used both and I wouldn't own a compact tractor unless its HST. One hand on the steering wheel, one on the FEL stick and one foot on the pedals. Very efficient.

 

[jimmyj]

Alan L, your signature is a classic!

 

[Bedlam]

HAND up for me. One year of it. several attempts by the dealer to fix... trade in... back to gear.
But as indicated personal preference.

 

[SunnyJim]

HAND up for me. One year of it. several attempts by the dealer to fix... trade in... back to gear.
But as indicated personal preference.

Would you provide a short recap for us. I am trully interested since I have HST.

 

[Bedlam]

Sure,
It was about 10 years ago a Ford size equavalent to a ford 1500 model.
I had gotten my first HST after many years of geared tractors. I thought that it would prove to be good for me.But lots of hills where I live, and I found it difficult to drive down the road first off it would have to be in high range and struggled just to get going .Then when I encountered a hill I would just slow down till it would need a range change.A full stop to do this.(with the geard id downshift,and even change ranges ont he fly with dowble clutching).
Anyways my main problem was the selector I guess. it would sit and then slowly engage into forward or reverse. The dealer made several attempts to set it to a neutral spot but it just got more and more difficult to hold her back. I din't think it was very safe as after they offloaded it form the reapairs, it went right into forward.
Otherwise it wasnt bad. I didnt like two things .
the noise, and having to run such high RPM s.

Overall Id say I liked it otherwise, Only had it a year, where as I usually have a tractor for 15 plus years before I trade.
Hope this helps.

 

[back2earth]

The comparison of drive train efficiencies is as follows. IH 986: 90/105 = 86 percent; IH 186 hydro: 80/105 = 76 percent. The tractor with the standard transmission has less loss in the drive train and is able to transmit more power to the drawbar. The overall fuel efficiency with the standard transmission is obviously better. In this case, the potential buyer would have to decide whether the advantages of the hydrostatic transmission were worth the increase in fuel consumption and efficiency.

This test was done by the University of Nebraska.

Other equipment I have dealt with the power loss to the rear wheels could be as high as 25%

Thanks Kenstrac. This kind of raw data is very informative.

 

[slowzuki]

Just note that is for drawbar power NOT pto power. The HST only loses drawbar power. If you look at compact tractors they do very little of things like plowing all day. Just mowing or snowblowing is almost all pto power with little loss to the hydro.

Thanks Kenstrac. This kind of raw data is very informative.

 

[greenmule]

How come my my kioti ck30 book says a hst has less pto hp than same in gear than if its just draw bar power that hst looses,think your wrong.[people love to hear that]

 

[patrick_g]

Two things...

Bedlam, Maybe HST improved over the 10 years since your problem but that is not the important part. I don't think you brought up a "family" problem but instead an "individual" problem. Sounds like you got a lemon. If the dealer had done the right thing he would have taken it back and given you another unit. Then if that had the same problems the model was a lemon not just your individual unit.

Green mule, with Kubota as well there is a small (essentially negligible unless you are super ****) reduction in PTO power but it is so small you will not notice it in operation and wouldn't have a clue if you didn't read about it in the specs. I think I recall my PTO output was rated at 39.5 HP instead of 40. OH MY!!! I feel so powerless.

Pat