Thank's for your reply's... I tried gear and hst on Friday the dealer had a pile of stone dust in the back so I finally had the chance to try both trany's and put it to the test, the loader lifted fine without rear weight but I would not recommend it for everyday use, as for comparing HST to the shuttle shift I did not see any power lost with the HST, it was as aggressive, as shuttle, even in mid range, I guess it's a question of choice... Now for the box blade it will be the kioti brand,so I think the best bet would be the 72 to make sure it cover's those R4 tires, again thank's for all your reply...cag