HST driving tip needed

[daTeacha]

While using the hst DX29 last night, I got myself into a situation that seemed a little awkward. I can see it being a problem in similar situations in the future.

I was moving several buckets full of glacial debris rock -- chunks of granite and similar dense material. A loosely filled bucket was about enough for me to have in there since even with 900 lb on the rear the tractor was a little spooky on the hills. The place I'm putting the rocks temporarily is a pile off to the side of a slightly elevated gravel driveway that angles uphill. To approach the pile from the lower side with a heavy load in the bucket is out of the question -- the downhill front tire on the driveway would have to go another 6 or 8 inches downhill as I go off the driveway to get next to the pile. I tried this very slowly and lifted the uphill rear wheel.

I can approach the pile slowly from the uphill angle and ease both fronts off the drive at the same time. Then I can slowly raise the bucket while fully it's fully rolled back and carefully dump the load. Then comes the problem -- how do I get the thing to back out without rolling forward when I come off the brake? The only thing I can think of is "heel and toe" with the brake and hst at the same time, but the brake takes a lot pressure at this angle.

Any ideas from you guys with more experience?

 

[PineRidge]

If you can't approach your dump site from the bottom or even back down the hill to make your dump then you need to reduce the amount of material that you are moving in your bucket.

Get as much weight on the rear as you can muster, Sometimes even the 950 pounds that I use seems light for certain jobs.

 

[daTeacha]

Yeah, I lightened it up after the first load. I was a little surprized at the weight compared to limestone gravel.

The question is, how do I back the tractor uphill without getting some forward roll as I move from the brake to the go backwards pedal? My foot isn't long enough to reach the back of the treadle while simultaneously pushing hard on the brake pedal, and the brake doesn't seem to have a hand release feature like in a car. Does Blue Thunder have the dual pedal setup or a treadle on the same side as the brake?

 

[IslandTractor]

This may be dumb but how about putting a 4x4 timber in front of the gravel pile to "rest" against while you are dumping. Then you'd have the front tires blocked while you were moving to the hst pedal. I guess you'd need to move it occasionally but could do that from the driveway with the FEL.

 

[GaryM]

Not familiar with your model, but on my JD 4100 Hydro the right side has the hydro pedal and a brake pedal. The LEFT side has the independant turning brakes. When I'm in a situation as you describe I use my right foot on the hydro pedals and the left foot on the turning brakes. Makes it easy to keep control.

Does your unit have turning brakes? If so, which side are they on?

 

[daTeacha]

Yeah, I know that about JD. If it would have fit in my shop without taking the ROPS down and if it had been cheaper, I would have looked more seriously at getting a green one. Mine has the brakes and hst pedal on the right side, which seems very common and also very poorly designed.

I could use a timber in this case since I know where I'll be working, but I'm thinking of future situations where I'm likely to find myself wanting to go from holding the tractor on a downhill with the brake and then move back up the hill without moving further forward. My hills are steep enough that the hst alone will not prevent the tractor from moving. If I just stop and take my foot off the pedals, it will roll downhill even in low range.

It's real exciting for a short time if I forget to put the range selector in I or II and let the brake off as I let the clutch out. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I'm still getting used to this HST business. It's compounded by having to shift the range lever to neutral when I get off or the engine quits. With the gear tractor, as long as one or the other was in neutral, I could dismount with the engine running with no problem -- unless my pant leg snagged the gearshift.

How wise is it to disconnect the engine kill associated with getting off the tractor with the brake set and the range selector not in neutral? Is this just an OHSA thing or is there some logic to it? I can see setting the brake, but I wonder about having to put the range selector in neutral.

 

[russG]

I thought that as long as your in a range the HST will hold you still. Maybe I never had enough weight but when I release HST the tractor stops dead.

 

[JoshJ]

Normally if you are on some sort of an incline, most HST's with roll a little.

For the original poster-
Some people the do the "both important pedals are on the same side what was the manufacturing thinking dance" and brake with the right foot and swing the left foot over to do the reverse. Or some variation

Perhaps you could make some sort of hand linkage to operate one or the other.

Or, drop your loader to the groud with the cutting edge down (having it flat works occassionallly) to hold yourself while you
adjust.

You say it has a clutch? That's interesing. I'm presuming that is on the left. Be nice if you could just switch the linkages from the brake pedal to the clutch pedal.

 

[_RaT_]

When I'm in low range on my tractor, even with a heavy load, I will creep, but very little. I could easily get my load dumped and be back out of there even with only six inches to spare. I typically already have everything ready to go when I reach the dump area, that is, loader height and bucket dump angle which isnt always fully rolled back.

I'm wondering just how long your taking to unload the material. I know with practice, you get faster. You could also consider applying the parking bark to help hold along with low range in hydro. I am not familiar with your tractor and I assume all tractor makes will vary.

 

[daTeacha]

I think the clutch is for the PTOs, but being an unreformed gear guy, I just automatically use it when changing ranges, putting it into a range from neutral, etc. I probably don't need to do that, but it's a hard habit to break and I don't think it hurts anything.

Resting the bucket on something would work, but I can envision a situation where bucket contact is what I'm trying to avoid. I've thought about lowering the weight on the rear, and maybe that would serve as kind of an anchor. I was hoping someone had a hand activated brake release or something like that to tell me about.

This is a new Case DX29, so NH TC tricks would also help out. The hand operated brake lock does not release the brake. Only pressure on the brake does that, so far as I've been able to determine at this point.