Gear or Hydrostatic Transmissions for Compact Utility Tractors?

[gladehound]

So Gladehound, by this statement, you're admitting that the HST is better because you would have gotten one "in a second" if all other things were equal. Am I misreading something here?

As you know from my other posts, I am a fan of HST. I'll gladly swap straight up for a 60hp Kioti NX with HST. Any takers?

But if I had to pay the extra money for it I'd get a geared Kioti RX instead, because the extra size would still be better for my purposes. And certainly, the 25-35hp HST tractors I could have bought for my $20K cash are not better for my purposes. :confused3: (note, the 25hp was at a JD dealer. They told me the 2000 series was the biggest they could get me into for under $20K!!! at least it had HST :laughing

So in some fantasy world where I can get a HST with a bigger engine than the same gear tractor for the same price, HST is better for me.

But "all other things were equal" includes price! In reality, I can't get a Kioti NX 60hp for the same price as my DS4510HS. So I guess that makes me a gear guy! :laughing:

Clear now?

 

[ovrszd]

HST units have split brakes too:thumbsup:

Yep. Larry mentioned that as well. Problem is usually ability to access them and utilize the HST at the same time.

 

[gladehound]

:thumbsup:

Even if that's true, it will only become a factor when you haven't correctly sized the implement for the tractor and PTO rating. If you're running out of power, you either miscalculated on implements, or tractor size/power, not transmission style.

Yea, you can easily fix it just by making the engine on the HST tractor bigger than the engine in the gear tractor it is compared to. That way they could both pull at the same rate of speed! :thumbsup:

 

[murphy1244]

Yep. Larry mentioned that as well. Problem is usually ability to access them and utilize the HST at the same time.

Brakes on the left and forward and reverse on the right. Easy as pie. No problem

 

[k0ua]

Yesterday, my helper and me were in the woods, cutting/skidding firewood logs. We are working out way to a BIG oak that has blown over... Anyway, my helper was worrying that I wouldn't be able to get the tractor into a good spot to use the skidding winch from, but I just locked one brake and pivoted the tractor right where we needed it.

That got me to thinking, how do you do that with a hydro?

Hi Rob, well it is very easy with some Hydro tractors, Like mine for instance, and not quite as easy with others.

I have my split brakes on the left, and I use them frequently, for things like you described and also when pushing snow/ice.

Just stomp the split brake pedal with a left foot, and press either hydro pedal at the same time.

Now for the ones with their split brakes on the right side, it is not quite as easy, but it is do-able with a couple of methods. One method is known as the "Kubota shuffle", where you split brake with your left foot even though it is on the right hand side and you press the kubota hydro pedal with the right foot.. Another method is to press the hydro pedal with your right foot and with your left hand push forward on the cruise control lever to hold that hydro setting and then use your right foot to split brake. Once you learn how to do this, it isn't as hard to do as it is to describe, and it works pretty well.

The third method I have heard about, but never seen done is supposedly people with larger feet can brake with right toe and pedal with right heel. I could never pull that off, but others say they can.

But again, my Kioti is set up perfectly for this with its Split brakes on the left. Some JD's are set up like this also. Probably others too.

 

[gladehound]

Hi Rob, well it is very easy with some Hydro tractors, Like mine for instance, and not quite as easy with others.

I have my split brakes on the left, and I use them frequently, for things like you described and also when pushing snow/ice.

Just stomp the split brake pedal with a left foot, and press the hydro pedal either forward or backward at the same time.

Now for the ones with their split brakes on the right side, it is not quite as easy, but it is do-able with a couple of methods. One method is known as the "Kubota shuffle", where you split brake with your left foot even though it is on the right hand side and you press the kubota hydro pedal with the right foot.. Another method is to press the hydro pedal with your right foot and with your left hand push forward on the cruise control lever to hold that hydro setting and then use your right foot to split brake. Once you learn how to do this, it isn't as hard to do as it is to describe, and it works pretty well.

The third method I have heard about, but never seen done is supposedly people with larger feet can brake with right toe and pedal with right heel. I could never pull that off, but others say they can.

But again, my Kioti is set up perfectly for this with its Split brakes on the left. Some JD's are set up like this also. Probably others too.

Wow! and people say gear tractors are hard to master! (you know I'm just playing James)

 

[k0ua]

Wow! and people say gear tractors are hard to master! (you know I'm just playing James)

Its' all good Glade.:thumbsup:

 

[MinnesotaEric]

When I was a kid, our farm had a Farmall H and a Farmall BN on it...

Yesterday, my helper and me were in the woods, cutting/skidding firewood logs. We are working out way to a BIG oak that has blown over... Anyway, my helper was worrying that I wouldn't be able to get the tractor into a good spot to use the skidding winch from, but I just locked one brake and pivoted the tractor right where we needed it.

That got me to thinking, how do you do that with a hydro?

Nothing I've seen/owned with a hydro would have got into the spot we needed to be in, so we would have had to cut out more tree's that I didn't want to be cut, nor did I want to spend the time cutting all those extra tree's.

That also got me to thinking about how much I use the individual brakes on my tractors...and actually I do quite a bit, even quite often when doing rotavating jobs...

That's something I've been doing for years, without even thinking about just how useful those individual brakes are!

SR

My HST has differential braking. Here is a demonstration.

 

[gladehound]

Eric - when I saw that you had the most recent post on this thread, I thought you were chiming back in to trade me your tractor straight up! What a let down! :thumbdown:

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Eric - when I saw that you had the most recent post on this thread, I thought you were chiming back in to trade me your tractor straight up! What a let down! :thumbdown:

I must have missed something.