any downside to hst?

[massiveSnow]

I really appreciate everyone's responses -- they are quite helpful. No one has mentioned reliability or long term durability so I assume there are virtually no problems with either system in terms of breakdowns or durability?

 

[JimR]

My 27 horse Cub Cadet has almost 2700 hours on it now. I bought it used and was told it has never been apart. I work it like a dog and the driveline has been trouble free so far.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I really appreciate everyone's responses -- they are quite helpful. No one has mentioned reliability or long term durability so I assume there are virtually no problems with either system in terms of breakdowns or durability?

My oldest HST is 6 years old. No repairs of any kind.

Some of the "die hard" gear folks will say that HST costs more to repair and that is why they don't buy them. I think most of them are the same folks who still hand crank their windows in their cars because they think power windows are just another gimmick that will break and cost money to repair.

And I'm sure they will cost more money to repair IF they ever break. Its just not happened to me or to anyone I know.

 

[MossRoad]

No one has mentioned reliability or long term durability so I assume there are virtually no problems with either system in terms of breakdowns or durability?

Last winter I sent my late 70's International 2500B to the scrapper... (Farewell old friend! ) He offered more for it than I could sell it outright for. I got rid of it because it was too big for my needs. The HST tranny was working fine. It had thousands of hours on it. I owned it for 14 or 15 years and never had a problem with the tranny... the distributor shaft broke, the carb would gum up, the block was leaking antifreeze into the oil, the pins on the FEL arms wore holes in the frame, the draft control chattered, the steering rusted shut so it would only go forward and backward, the hydraulic hoses blew, the bucket cracked a few times and I couldn't shut off the cab heater....

The HST tranny outlasted the rest of the tractor.

 

[michiglenn]

On my John Deere the cruise control will hold a constant speed if desired. The optional "Speedmatch" will hold the speed up or down hills within a couple of tenths MPH (digital speedo). I normally use it for brushhogging large fields.

 

[FamilyFarm]

My first HST was the BX22 and it was an easy choice as there were no other sub-compact TLB units available then and it only came as HST
When I bought the L5030, I drove GST models and shuttle shift M series tractors. I liked them all and seriously considered them as possibilities. I understand many people like them for loader work, but after using the little BX for 4 years, I know how easy loader work is with the HST. I also have boys that are learning to drive and operate tractors. For them HST is a real plus. It allows them to focus more on learning the implement operation and safety issues IMHO.

 

[john_bud]

There is one "pro" of the HST that I didn't see mentioned yet.

It is the easiest for hooking up attachments. There is nothing like being able to go 1/4" back or forward. My gear tractor has a 50% underdrive/overdrive and in super low, it is still a pain to go back slow and stop on the exact spot. This may not apply if the attachments are light, but a 1200# cutter or 950# box blade is no fun to move around into position!

Also, the ability to drive into a pile of dirt, slow down without loosing traction and power the bucket full is priceless. I can move about 25% more dirt in the same time with a 10 cubic foot bucket on my HST tractor than on my gear tractor with a 20 cubic foot bucket.

jb

 

[chrisjbell]

My own tractor is HST, but I use a couple of different gear tractors at one of my jobs. One thing I didn't see mentioned here is that when working on hills, HST offers some real benefits over gear drive. I don't worry at all about getting close to an obsticle or near a hazard with my HST, but the "pucker factor" can get a bit high when I have a manual tractor in a sticky spot.

 

[Soundguy]

On the other hand, for tasks like lawn mowing, ...Others will have different opinions!

I'm pretty happy with a gear tranny for mowing. Put her in gear.. let out on the clutch and mow... when done, aim for home and reach down and kill the pto on the way...

Soundguy

 

[fish_wisperer]

im not quite sure how an hst works but it sounds like a hydrolic pump running a hydrolic motor, to me that sounds like a perfect transmission, if you need more power get a bigger engine and enjoy the user freindly hst transmission. my tractor dont have one because its too big but it would be nice. i think hydrolic motor power is limited or they would offer it on the bigger machines, but if your going under 35hp go hst.