DK 4510 HS transmission operation

[clarkharms]

Hi, I am new to Kioti, currently have a Kubota but am considering making the switch. Kioti FEL numbers are very impressive and wish I had considered them before purchasing the Kubota.
Anyway I am confused by the hydraulic transmission as it compares to a HST. Kioti's web site claims you don't use a clutch, so when you get on the machine from a stand still you put it in gear, then select fwd/reverse from the column and then just press on the gas to start moving, is that correct? This seems sort of like a cvt on a quad? Is there a clutch pedal? How about shifting on the fly, do you need to do anything with the column selector? I will definitely check one out when I get back to the states but that won't be for another month or so. Can one of you owner/operators chime in and shed some light in the mean time?
Thanks!

 

[Lemo]

The one I am familiar with is the RX7320 power shuttle. There is a clutch pedal. This has three ranges with four speeds in each range for a total of 12F and 12R. Once you select a gear you can use the directional lever which is like a turn signal stalk in your car to select forward, reverse or neutral without using the clutch. There is a switch on the tractor that allows you to change the engagement rate if using the shuttle lever. It is nothing like a CVT in that you are only working in the selected gear. The gears are synchro and can be shifted on the fly by clutching with your foot or pressing a button on the gear shift which disengages the clutch. Gear and range changes require the use of the clutch. The power shuttle monitors what the tractor is doing at the the time you select forward or reverse and keeps you out of trouble. If you are traveling forward at some speed and select reverse the tractor will slow itself down to safely alter the direction. I have not used the tractor enough to really get used to but so far it is much nicer than the gear jammer I had before.

I believe that Kioti makes a similar iteration of a semi automated clutch transmission called a hydro shuttle. My understanding is that if you do something stupid with that setup (like popping it into reverse with forward momentum) it will break something.

 

[DK35vince]

I don't believe the DK 10 series main transmission gears are synchronized to shift on the fly.

 

[clarkharms]

The one I am familiar with is the RX7320 power shuttle. There is a clutch pedal. This has three ranges with four speeds in each range for a total of 12F and 12R. Once you select a gear you can use the directional lever which is like a turn signal stalk in your car to select forward, reverse or neutral without using the clutch. There is a switch on the tractor that allows you to change the engagement rate if using the shuttle lever. It is nothing like a CVT in that you are only working in the selected gear. The gears are synchro and can be shifted on the fly by clutching with your foot or pressing a button on the gear shift which disengages the clutch. Gear and range changes require the use of the clutch. The power shuttle monitors what the tractor is doing at the the time you select forward or reverse and keeps you out of trouble. If you are traveling forward at some speed and select reverse the tractor will slow itself down to safely alter the direction. I have not used the tractor enough to really get used to but so far it is much nicer than the gear jammer I had before.

I believe that Kioti makes a similar iteration of a semi automated clutch transmission called a hydro shuttle. My understanding is that if you do something stupid with that setup (like popping it into reverse with forward momentum) it will break something.

So if my foot was on the brake, tractor in gear and I moved the column shifter into fwd without taking my foot off the brake the tractor would stall out, same as a standard transmission if letting off the clutch with the brakes on? The Kioti dealer is talking me out of hydro shift due to problems he has seen with them. Says it is better to go with a standard transmission or HST, which would require an upgrade to NX series since the DK is not offered with HST. It will be later in the year just not yet. From everything I have read there are an extremely small number of people who would take a standard transmission over an HST, especially if they have tried both. Most say they would never go back. I know there are concerns with the cost to repair an HST however the reliability seems to be as good as a standard without the need to replace and adjust a clutch. I have to believe that means a lot when it comes time to trade in, standard transmission tractors probably see a much higher rate of depreciation since the market is going to be more limited.

 

[Lemo]

Yes, that is correct, the tractor will stall. The clutch operates as a normal clutch, it is just electric over hydraulic (on the power shuttle, not sure about hydro shuttle) so you don't have to push on the pedal to reverse direction. A hydrostat is a matter of personal preference. My last tractor, a DK50SE, was a standard geared transmission. The HST should command a better price when selling or trading it in. When it was time to trade mine in, though, I did between 4 and 5 grand better selling it privately than the best offer I had from several dealers. YMMV.

 

[Haneyrm]

The hydraulic shuttle just lets you shift from forward to reverse without clutching. You can put the hydraulic shuttle in neutral, put the tractor into gear and let out the clutch. The tractor will not move. Without clutching, push the shuttle lever into forward and the tractor will gradually begin to move forward. If you want to reverse, without clutching, simply move the lever from forward to reverse. The tractor will slow and and shift to reverse.

The transmission is synchronized so you can shift through the gears without stopping. The range selection is not synchronized so you have to stop to change ranges.

It's a nice transmission and offers the benefits of a straight gear drive tranny without having to clutch quite as much.