gear vs. hydro for pulling tiller

Moon · Dec 19, 2004

My wife's scallops are awesome. I think she got the recipe from her grandma, not sure.

ingredients:
sliced raw potatoes
stick of margarine
2 cans of Campbell's cheddar cheese soup
2 cans of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
A few slices of onion (med size)
salt and pepper
1 to 2 cups of milk (depends on the pan size)

We use a corning type bowl /pan that is 10 x 7 and about 6 inches deep.
You need a pan deep enough for four layers (layers described below).

1. put a layer of potatoes enough to cover bottom of pan - 3 4 or 5 slices thick
add two big tablespoon fulls of each soup (about half of each can)
add two pats of butter, salt and pepper, and a few individual onion rings (broken out of the slices)

2. repeat step one 3 times more.

fill with milk about 1/4 to 1/3 up

cook at 375 1 to 1 1/2 hour / or until potatoes are tender when poked with fork.

(hint put flat sheet with edges under bowl/pan to avoid a mess in the oven)

ummm they are good.

Moon of Ohio

JerryG · Dec 19, 2004

A side form all of this gear vs hydro talk, either tractor should do just fine for what the poster wants to do. He just needs to get the one that "He" is happy with.

_RaT_ · Dec 19, 2004

DO you use yellow onions with that?

CMunger · Dec 19, 2004

Yes you are right IVT, or CVT, what ever brand you are dealing with are expensive, but I think it's because it is fairly new, I have heard on larger tractors JD want 8,000 to 9,000 more for the option, I think as more people come out with it the price will come inline. If you have a chance drive a new Ford 500, or Freestyle with their CVT, it's neat.
Chuck M.

MossRoad · Dec 19, 2004

To re-cap:

Hydro folks like the hydro.

Gear folks like the gear.

Some folks like both depending on the application.

Hydro allows zero to many MPH which means you can go as slow as it takes to get the job done in one pass.

Gears allow not zero to many MPH. Which means you can only go so slow without riding the clutch. You may have to make several passes at different depths or ride the clutch to get the speed you need to do it in one pass. One option that you should investigate is the mentioned "creeper gear" to see if it is available on the models you are considering. You will still have a minimum speed, though.

Gears have been proven to last a long time, with clutches seeming to be the only thing to wear out.

Hydros haven't been around nearly as long. There haven't been many reports of failures by folks that use them in commercial applications here on TBN.

My advice would be to test drive a gear tractor with a tiller in your conditions and then test drive a hydro tractor with a tiller in your conditions and see which one you like best. Make your decisions based upon your own observations and the recommendations of a dealer that you trust.

Moon · Dec 19, 2004

Yeah, I guess thats what their called. Regular onion as far as i know.

Moon of Ohio

bluecarpenter · Dec 19, 2004

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gifI wasn't aiming to start anything. Just trying to get some info. guess it still seems a bit confusing to me cause I love the hydro but still wonder about the gear. My experience with hydro is my small 644 case loader. it has a hydro drive which seem to do ok most of the time. had a 14 hp engine in it. oil cooler and all. worked good till engine threw the piston rod. need to find a new motor and maybe a hydro pump. made back around 1950 I think. couldn't seem to get it to go in the winter though. that is why I asked about using hydro in the winter. I know that there is no comparison from that one to the tractors of today.
I won't be getting one till sometime in the spring so I have plenty of time to look around and ask you guys a lot questions. also have a lot of fun test driving different tractors. I'm looking at the 35 to 40 hp range.
What kind of HP lose can I expect with a hydro at the pto. would these HP still be enough to power a 5 or 6 ft tiller and a backhoe 7.5 ft depth? What kind of HP do I need for a post hole digger? The rest I will be pulling mostly. Course I guess If my brother-inlaws 8n will do it what ever I get will be more that do it. mark

eee · Dec 19, 2004

( Why? It is all in learning to operate the equipment )

Nope..you cannot go from reverse to forward on a geared tractor as fast as you can a hydro.

eee · Dec 19, 2004

( A side form all of this gear vs hydro TALK )

/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

RoyJackson · Dec 19, 2004

I guess the bottom line is, do you want to spend the extra $1500-$2500 on a hydro, knowing you can do the same job with a gear...and less maintenance?
Personally, I wouldn't pass up a good deal on a used tractor with a hydro, but I wouldn't pay the extra upfront for the hydro.

I've read all these comments about the hydro being an advantage over gears in tilling, but weren't folks tilling before the advent of HST's?

There's little doubt in my mind that my 790 will outlive me. I consider it the 90's and 00's version of that indestructable beast, the 8N. This is because it's over built and extremely simple...the key to a long productive life.

So..there ya go..

The LAST word on the subject??