Another Newbie Looking for Advice

[Soundguy]

if it bogs down you can give it more throttle but that isn't a great solution since more throttle moves the tractor through the grass faster which increases HP requirement and you stay just about as bogged. You can shift down but then in maybe 10 ft you may want/need to shift back to original gear. Shifting over and over is not convenient.
Pat

Actually.. that's not 100% correct... If you are mowing and hit a tough patch, and your machine bogs down, then your engine speed drops, thus your ground speed drops.. if you compensate by adding throttle, you are merely powering back up to rated pto speed, and thus that normal ground speed. You cannot be bogged down in engine rpm, AND have a higher ground speed.. both conditions would be mutually exclusive, since engine rpm and ground speed will be ratio locked mechanically.. thus if you can add throttle to maintain engine rpm, then your ground speed will not change.

Alternately, you can take less of a bite in that area. At that point you get into a travel speed vs width of cut issue. is it better to cut a wide path very slowly, or cut a narower path faster. in many cases, cutting the slightly narrower path faster, is the better option. I've seen it on mowing and plowing rigs where you have tractors that are just powerfull enough to pull 'x' bottoms or width of mower, in their lowest gear.. or they can drop a bottom or a size class of mower and make a better forward speed. Typically this results in lower fuel usage and work that is finished a tad faster.. IE.. why pull 3 bottoms in max rpm and 1st gear when you can pull 2 bottoms in 3rd gear at rated rpm.. etc.

Not saying the HST isn't good for any of this.. just saying the gear tractor isn't as clunky as it is made out to be. Reminds me of those 'as seen on tv' comercials.. where they show a person clumsilly cutting up food with a regular knife.. banging around wildley and making a mess.. but then out comes the new 'super-cutter' and then the person makes gracefull cuts.. etc... IE.. there is a little embellishment taking place there..

Soundguy

 

[patrick_g]

Actually.. that's not 100% correct...
Soundguy

And how exactly does that stand out here???

I should have said increased RPM not throttle. Increasing the RPM which may involve increasing the throttle if you aren't shifting will have you trying to do more work in less time which is heavier loading so you aren't getting ahead whereas lightening up on the HST handles the situatioin gracefully. Of course you can wander back and forth changing the width of your swath to compensate for having a primitive power transmission system but some folks like the results to look neat.

Don't be grumpy just because your geared tractor can't slice, dice, puree, and catch fish. We still like you.

Pat

 

[Soundguy]

Now the RPM increase I'd 100% agree with.. just not the throttle increase.. which may only return you to normal throttle range for your pto anyway, once you encounter thick stuff.

If the results are all the grass cut in the pasture, then your row witdth probably don't make too much difference.. unless you are mowing a golf course.

I like my primitive trannies just fine.. a blow hyd line won't stick me over a railroad track with no way to make the tractor move!

Having driven lots of HST, torque converter, hyd motor drives, shuttles and plain gear.. I like the shuttles the best, depending upon their implementation, with gear being next.. for a tractor that is.. for a truck I also like stick trannies.. though nowadays if you want anything other than auto its practically a special order. The torque converter style drives of much heavy equipment leave me with a spongy foot feeling... I'll be HST variable displacemnt drive would feel better.. though perhaps more $$ to implement?? vs the TC drives.. ( that's just conjecture... I have no idea what a large hst drive vs a large tc drive would cost.. or how the durability issues would stack up...)

Anyone know of any heavy equipment with HST drive?

soundguy

And how exactly does that stand out here???

I should have said increased RPM not throttle. Increasing the RPM which may involve increasing the throttle if you aren't shifting will have you trying to do more work in less time which is heavier loading so you aren't getting ahead whereas lightening up on the HST handles the situatioin gracefully. Of course you can wander back and forth changing the width of your swath to compensate for having a primitive power transmission system but some folks like the results to look neat.

Don't be grumpy just because your geared tractor can't slice, dice, puree, and catch fish. We still like you.

Pat

 

[jcims]

If you have an obstacle course to mow.. yeah.. I'd go HST... If you have an open 40ac to mow.. I'd go gear and not loose that 1-2 hp to the hst, vs putting it to the ground or the blade.

soundguy

said much more effectively than i...that's exactly what i was after.

 

[LAWALLSTRACTOR]

Have you looked well at that Mahindra 4110? When I first started reading your original post here, the 4110 came to mind, add a 509 subframe backhoe and you have as much tractor as you can get in a compact. The 12 speed shuttle transmission has plenty of speeds from creeper to road gear. You have a dealer close by as long as he is a good attentive dealer that is a big plus. I would try out the tractor and see how you like it. If you feel cramped on it have the dealer make brackets and move the seat up 2" and back 1 1/2" as it makes all the difference in the world. If the dealer would like to call me I would be glad to tell him how I do it. Good luck with your tractor desision.

'

 

[Soundguy]

Boxframe tubing?

soundguy

 

[patrick_g]

Anyone know of any heavy equipment with HST drive?

soundguy

I don't know, maybe we should take a look on

www.heavyequipmentbynet.com

Here on TBN discussing CUTs and such...

OK, I'll quit pulling your chain and admit the truth. Your experience is precisely that required to have gained a broad understanding of how little tractors should be. HST is for sissies but if you keep saying it I will hit you with my purse!

I don't try for a putting green look in my pastures but zig zagging, to me, is not first choice for modulating the tractor performance when I have much better means at hand. Of course to a man with only a hammer, every job looks like a nail and I applaud your ability to avoid screw drivers and wrenches and git 'er done!! You are to be complimented for having successfully worked out strategies for unaccommodating the limitations of your primitive equipment.

Pat

 

[Soundguy]

I didn't mean to down grade HST with my comment.. I just honestly havn't seen any really large equipment with HST drive.. vs torque converter drives.. etc.

soundguy

I don't know, maybe we should take a look on

www.heavyequipmentbynet.com

Here on TBN discussing CUTs and such...

OK, I'll quit pulling your chain and admit the truth. Your experience is precisely that required to have gained a broad understanding of how little tractors should be. HST is for sissies but if you keep saying it I will hit you with my purse!

I don't try for a putting green look in my pastures but zig zagging, to me, is not first choice for modulating the tractor performance when I have much better means at hand. Of course to a man with only a hammer, every job looks like a nail and I applaud your ability to avoid screw drivers and wrenches and git 'er done!! You are to be complimented for having successfully worked out strategies for unaccommodating the limitations of your primitive equipment.

Pat

 

[SmokemanGRP]

Have you looked well at that Mahindra 4110? ...... You have a dealer close by as long as he is a good attentive dealer that is a big plus.

I did like the feel of the Mahindra 4110 but if I decide I want HST it is not available. I'm anxious to see what the new 4035 offers.

Regarding the local dealer, he is local to where I live now but the property where we'll be moving to, and using the tractor, is 400 miles away. Also, his prices are about $3,000 higher than other prices I've found so he is not competitive.

There is a Montana dealer 20 miles from the new property. Most of the major brands can be found in Tucson (60 miles) or Phoenix (160 miles).

 

[patrick_g]

Those Korean tractors make in the Montana district of South Korea have real purty green paint and lots of value for the price.

Pat