GST vs HST?

[RayH]

I test drove all three (FST, GST, HST) before I bought and ended up with the GST. The only advantage I saw in the GST was that it didnt have ranges. It is 1-12, slow-fast, just like that. No stopping to change from L range to H range and back to L range. I can push the loader into a pile of dirt in 3rd gear, backup and zip down through the yard in 8th gear, slow back down to 2nd gear to dump it, go back up to 8th gear on the trip back, never touch the clutch and the closest thing to a stop is when I shuttle between forward and reverse.
If it werent for the lack of ranges on the GST, I probably would have gotten the HST because I do alot of loader and back and forth work.

 

[Bucky4]

Hey Ray,

When you slow down from 8th to 2nd, or any other fast to slow speed, do you go directly from the fast speed to slow or do you gradually slow down by changing them one at a time until you get to the desired speed?

I leave skid marks if I go directly from fast to slow.

bucky4

 

[RayH]

I slow gradually and make sure my speed is what it should be for the gear Im choosing before I actually change gears. Sometimes Im on the brake a little just to take up some momentum and slow faster. When Im going up from a low gear to a higher one I will let off the throttle a little during the gear change. The clutch doesnt seem to slip as much and it shifts smoother. Its hard for me to get used to not using the clutch pedal, alot of the time I still do. Its such a habit that I have to make a conscience decision not to use it.
At first I wasnt at all impressed with the GST and thought I had made a huge mistake. I do alot of work on hillsides (West Virginia and all) and it took me a while to figure out how to feather the brake some while making gear changes going up or down hill to keep from momentarily rolling out of control. Its like the same learning curve as driving a stick shift car. Once you figure it out you dont realize what was so hard about it.

 

[art]

I don't know why you would need a good high gear road crusier with the pick-up you have, I would think that would be my choice for road work. The plus of a hydro is it's ability to work in close quarters with out clutch work or shifting. This leaves both hands on the wheel for steering or on the loader control for easier manuverability.

 

[Bucky4]

The standard GST tranny (12 fwd/8 rev) is not good if you plan to use any implement that requires super slow ground speeds. (tiller, soil cultivator, Harley rake, etc.)

I've just demo'd three rotary landscape implements recently (reports are forthcoming) and none of them work well with the standard GST.

With the PTO at normal operating speed, about 540 rpms, the tractor ground speed is too fast (~ 1 mph) to do much more than just skim the surface. Repetitive clutching or shuttle shifting, a.k.a. stopping & starting, is required if you want to really chew up some dirt in the least amount of passes.

Although clutching & shuttle shifting do work, they undoubtedly put undue wear on the gear engaging system and would not be my choice for performing the task. The HST or GST with creeper gears would be much more advantageous for these applications.

Just my $.02. Good luck with your decision.

bucky4

 

[Rainbow6]

I have a L3010 w/ GST, its great.

 

[icat]

I went with the HST because it works very well for my intended usage and the terrain on my land. I'll also agree with the others that pushing the pedal to the floor on an HST is very counter productive. The thing to keep in mind is that it is NOT a gas pedal (more like a diesel pedal). And that's hard to do until you get use to the way it works. The best part of the HST for me is the lightning quick direction changes you can make. It's also a heck of a lot easier to work when all you have to do is ride. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
If I want to shift and go fast I'll fire up the sports car in the garage. When I'm working I want to be as efficient as possible. By the way, I've had mine up to 17mph on the road and that was VERY scary. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[retiredsquid]

I went with the L3130 with FST and the only time I feel the HST would have served me better is when I am using the cultivator in my garden. If I did not run the garden with the contour of the hillside it would probably be a mout point.

I'd also have gone with at least a 40hp rig, too.
Rich

 

[texbaylea]

icat:
I am very close to buying an L3130HST. I am very interested your dealer experience. Did you buy from the Houston dealer or another? I have a quote from that dealer plus another closer to me: the Houston dealer is 85 miles away over 95% freeway roads, the closer one is 35 miles over a rough, narrow tertiary road thus my dilemma.

Vernon

 

[cisco]

Ah yes, we've been through this issue - before - for years. Anyhow, Kubota (see web site re. stats of current and prior models) lists differences in pto of gst vs. hst of various models as about 5-6%. Folks have other opinions, but I've seen nothing that definatively refutes Kubota data, so ....
HST is the most convenient, and if you don't need every last bit of pto, get it. That said, if you mostly need straight runs (like a farmer plowing the "back forty"), HST is not cost effective (purchase price and upkeep of hydro), or particularly useful. For a compromise between a strictly gear tractor, and HST convenience, some choose GST. It ain't perfect (I darn near renounced GST last weekend when I had to make a billion forward/reverse switches while distributing dirt from a large pile), for multiple reasons - do not try to shift the gst on a steep grade - for a short while you're in neutral.
I got a GST because I didn't want to scar up the lawn areas of my property with an overly heavy tractor, yet I needed every last bit of pto to run a decent sized brush cutter when I first cleared the property. In addition, most of my work now is just running around 7.5 acres trimming weeds, with few reverses or speed changes - so, GST suffices.
So, what will you habitually do with your tractor (usual tasks)? Answer that, and the gear change issue will clear up.