I agree there are specific tractor uses for which geared rather than hydrostatic transmission would be an advantage, but arguing that gear saves you from moving your ankle joint an inch or two when you want to change speeds or direction.....are you kidding us?? Can you drive a car? Does that wear you out?? Maybe you need Geritol.
And, unless you have your custom solenoid activated shuttle shift lever mounted on your FEL joystick or steering wheel, I'm guessing you let go of one of those every time you change direction doing loader work. How convenient.
There is absolutely no comparison between the throttle on any of my cars or trucks compared with the pedal of the HST. The HST takes much more pressure on every single one and the movements are much more constant than when in the car or truck except for maybe city driving.
I have problems with my legs/Knees/Hip and ankles. Old injuries and old age combined and honestly prefer the gear over my HST for most of my work as it takes the least out of me . Maybe I am the odd ball but pushing a clutch here and there seems to be less stiffening for me than holding my leg steady on the HST pedal. I also avoid long drives that wont allow me to use the cruise control in my truck as sitting still with my foot on the gas pedal will also cramp my leg up.
As for people who use their cruise on their tractor and don't think they have a problem with it holding the correct speed that's fine but I ask is your land the same as mine? How many hills? How long are those hills? How much does the slope vary from bottom to top? What jobs are you doing on those hills? Have you ever timed any of those jobs to figure out the best most efficient way to get them done? IF so have you ever timed them with different tractors?
You see when you cut a 3 or 4acres it might not matter much but when you have to cut a 50 acre field small differences become much more noticeable.
When you have to travel 1/4th to 1 mile on relatively flat land to an other field its a little different than traveling 4 miles or more over the mountain to do an other 50+ acre field. Now consider all the possible differences between people and things that can happen to them over time, all the different jobs that could be done with a tractor and the different size and type of properties we have and you can easily see that some of us might not be as comfortable with the same thing as you are especially when you consider the person your trying to convince already owns HST, straight Gear, power shuttle and torque converter tractors and is telling you they prefer one over the other. Maybe its time to accept that not everyone is the same and gear and Power shuttle has their place and those that like and use them have their reasons. Just like the single -vs- dual HST pedal thing one can be a deal breaker for many people for many different reasons weather its a problem for you or not really doesn't matter to me but most of them put my leg in an awkward position no matter how I try I end up cramped and disgusted with them while with the dual pedal I can operate for a few hours without cramping as long as I am not just holding a steady speed for long distances.
I use My HST for chores around the house but rarely stray more than 5 acres from the house. FOr anything beyond that the gear comes out and over time it has proven to be faster at most things with the least impact on me.
I couldn't understand why so many people think using a shuttle shift could be considered hard work when for most chores you rarely have to do anything other than push a lever back and forth that's located near the steering wheel. The question was answered as I drove the other day and watched everyone on the road. It seems no one can figure out how to use a turn signal in their cars and trucks, they don't understand stopping distances and they have no understanding of the need to drive ahead as opposed to what is directly in front of them. They brake at the last possible minute, cant turn without coming to a complete stop no matter which way they are turning or how sharp the turn is, think Yield on a highway ramp means to stop every time and have no Idea how to merge safely with the traffic.. After thinking about it I can understand why so many think HST is the best for everything its because they cant drive their cars and trucks let alone a tractor which requires much more attention and forethought than any car or truck. So with that shuttle shift thing the turn signal lever is located very similar position and it also requires the same type of movement with your fingers as the turn signal and at least on mine it doesn't require me to move my hand from the steering wheel at all just a flick of my finger.
My brother in law was talking about buying a new car but after looking at it online here this morning I will have to tell him he shouldn't bother because it has what is called a paddle shifter located close to the steering wheel and he might not be able to shift gears since he is a die hard HST person
Any way folks have a nice day and enjoy what ever tractor you have because the one thing that holds true for all of them is they sure beat a wheel barrow and shovel !