hst shift or manuel?

[beppington]

You mean you have to plan to use cruise to operate a brake pedal?

Definitely not. You can:

1) Use your right foot to press forward on the treadle & your left foot on the brakes, or

2) Use the cruise control to go forward & use either your left or right foot on the brakes

:thumbsup:

 

[TripleR]

The neighbor is out in my driveway, plowing it and the road. with his little Bolens.. looks almost like 6 inches on the part of the driveway he has cleared, still lightly snowing. I am at "work" on a seminar now, cannot go out and help, but he seems to be doing a good job so far.
James K0UA

Ah, I remember working for a living; seminars, training etc., sure glad I don't have to do all that anymore. We are baby sitting three of our grad children today as school has been called off. We don't really have enough snow to bother scraping off yet and probably won't as it seems to be coming to an end.

Mine has Kubota's upside down & backwards "L" shaped treadle, & I think it's great. I have the option of either resting my foot completely on top of the pedal like you describe, & rocking my foot forward & backward, which so far I haven't really liked to do, or set my heal on the floor to the right of the treadle & press the treadle's extension bar to go forward. To go back I slide my foot back & press the rear of the treadle. That's how I do it & I'm pleasantly pleased

In fact, I found this picture from member "ovrszd"'s L3240 which has my same treadle:

When we bought our L5030 HSTC, we were going to buy a L4240 HSTC and really liked the treadle on the Grand L40 Series. While we don't have any problems with the treadle on the GL30, the GL40 fit us better. Of course the price difference between our used tractor and a new one pretty much decided that.

 

[bp fick]

If the OP is interested in Shuttle Shift, he isn't going to get that in the tractor he mentioned as his beginning point. He isn't going to get it in a Deer either, in this size/price range.

The small CUTS, really small CUTS, don't offer it, AFAIK. Mahindra offers a gear in some of their 23-26 HP CUTS and Kubota only offers gear in the B2320 that the OP mentioned. Not in any of the other Bxx20 tractors.

All the posters who have described the shuttle to the OP need to assist, perhaps, in pointing him toward those models where the Shuttle comes into availability. The overall size of a shuttle shift tractor is larger, the engine is larger, and so is the price tag, in comparison to the small Kubota. Just saying.

 

[bp fick]

I drive a 5 speed pickup. Since I don't live where there is stop N go traffic, it's not an issue. I like it, always have. 45 year's worth of similar trucks.

But, imagine yourself backing up to a trailer, to hook up, with a stick shift. Everyone knows it is easier with an automatic, to just "creep" up to the hitch and ball, by using little brake pumps. It just is. Who is kidding who.

Imagine launching a boat with a stick shift, on a steep ramp. I've done hundreds and hundreds of times, but still prefer to do it with an automatic tow vehicle.

Stick shifts in stop and go traffic? Not a lot of fun. Stick shift and stop sign on the top of a hill, and a guy on your bumper in back? Yup, it happens. Not so much fun. Not over and over an over again.

Now, none of these things are BAD once a month, or once a year, but do these things everyday, all day long. The economy and joy of a stick shift in a truck wanes quickly.

Yet, these are precisely the tasks I find myself doing, in a corollary way, with my tractor everyday I use it around my place. Mowing, backing up, getting close to things, stopping and starting, snow plowing around trees and cars and buildings, backing up my trailer into the barn, hooking up 3 pt implements, cultivating near fence lines, and a 100 other things.

All of them can be done with a gear. Better with a shuttle, and even easier with an HST.

I came very, very close to trying to "save" a grand and buy the B2320 in gear. In the end, I thought better of it and eyver time I have to do close in stuff, I am thankful. YMMV.

 

[TripleR]

Those pedals are a nightmare in my opinion. You mean you have to plan to use cruise to operate a brake pedal? Kubota makes a a very good tractor with the exception of this pedal arrangement.

That pedal arrangement is laughable.:laughing::laughing:

That is a common comment on here by people who don't use them. We really don't have any problems with them and would not own a tractor with brakes on the left, well actually another one as I already have one.

I repeat, if there was one "right" way, they would all be the same; kind of like it is mandated that motorcycles have the shift on the left and the brake on the right.

 

[beppington]

I haven't found anything yet not to like about my HST.

Seems to make a tractor less "tractor-like". A little smooooother. More civilized. Less bull-in-a-china-shop.

At the cost of a little up-front money, about 1.5 PTO HP, & a little more heat on your feet sometimes.

 

[Soundguy]

ooooo.. can't wait to see how this one pans out..

 

[k0ua]

I drive a 5 speed pickup. Since I don't live where there is stop N go traffic, it's not an issue. I like it, always have. 45 year's worth of similar trucks.

But, imagine yourself backing up to a trailer, to hook up, with a stick shift. Everyone knows it is easier with an automatic, to just "creep" up to the hitch and ball, by using little brake pumps. It just is. Who is kidding who.

Imagine launching a boat with a stick shift, on a steep ramp. I've done hundreds and hundreds of times, but still prefer to do it with an automatic tow vehicle.

Stick shifts in stop and go traffic? Not a lot of fun. Stick shift and stop sign on the top of a hill, and a guy on your bumper in back? Yup, it happens. Not so much fun. Not over and over an over again.

Now, none of these things are BAD once a month, or once a year, but do these things everyday, all day long. The economy and joy of a stick shift in a truck wanes quickly.

Yet, these are precisely the tasks I find myself doing, in a corollary way, with my tractor everyday I use it around my place. Mowing, backing up, getting close to things, stopping and starting, snow plowing around trees and cars and buildings, backing up my trailer into the barn, hooking up 3 pt implements, cultivating near fence lines, and a 100 other things.

All of them can be done with a gear. Better with a shuttle, and even easier with an HST.

I came very, very close to trying to "save" a grand and buy the B2320 in gear. In the end, I thought better of it and eyver time I have to do close in stuff, I am thankful. YMMV.

+1, You have described the situation in a different and more elegant way, than I have, but I agree completely. Hardly a day goes by, when I am using my HST tractor, that a smile doesn't come to my face, because I am so glad I got the HST. When inching up to my expensive new truck to load something, or putting the finishing touches on my gravel drive, or maintaining the Stone/gravel pad beside my building with the 5 foot drop off and about 2 inches to spare in places between the wheel and the building, or even today pushing snow off the driveway just to the edge of the grass, the ability to go slow and precisely one instant and fast the next by just barely rotating my ankle is worth the extra $1000 to me. My point is in my opinion anyone that says a gear tractor is best for precision loader work, does not know what they are talking about, just like a person that would say that a hydro tractor is best for plowing a 40 acre field all day does not know what they are talking about. Each has their role, and strengths. But when a new guy comes on here and is obviously a homeowner maintainer /suburbanite/new to machinery and country living, he is not looking to plow that 40 acre field, he is looking to push some snow, move some dirt/gravel, maintain his road, or mow around his place. So why try to push him toward the tool that is not optimum for him? Unless the money is the concern, he probably needs a Hydro. It will be easier to learn on, less likely to take the side out of the garage, or run over someone. Sure we can allude to Macho things, but there is no shame in using more modern technology is there? I would be willing to bet that most of us drive automatic cars and trucks. Sure some still drive gear, heck I drove a service truck for over 20 years and they were all gear, and most without power steering also. Did that make me feel Macho, no just more fatigued at the end of the day. Well I have been on the soapbox for quite a while now, and I am sure most of you are tired of listening to me yammer on. Have a good evening all.
James K0UA

 

[Soundguy]

lots of heavy equipment is torque converter driven.. more like an auto tranny than an hst..

soundguy

I'd only go with a manual shift if you're going to spend long hours pulling a plow or other ground engaging equipment where the tad better efficiency of the manual would be to advantage. Doubt you're doing this with such a small tractor.

HST is MUCH easier to manage. I drove manual shift tractors in my youth and a 1970s one of my neighbors for a while before getting my own (HST) tractor.

HST does not stall out in low range. It will in high range if you push it beyond what the relief valve is designed for. Low range will pretty much hold it from rolling when the engine is off, but you also need to apply the parking brake.

HST is NOT an automatic transmission. It's a very heavy duty hydraulic system used in ships, tanks and other very heavy equipment. It's just a pump that sends approximately 3,000 psi fluid around to various systems: power steering, valves/slaves to make it go and FEL and 3ph lifts. Even with a manual transmission, you'll have all this but the valves/slaves bit to make it go. You'll never wear out a clutch.

Ralph

 

[crazyal]

Each reply adds info that is showing me that the people that have hst do think its an ok thing to have or not just ok but they really like it. i have also been a gear person for a long time but i do know progress. i have a sportsman quad that if it was a shift model it would be the best. i hate the weak belts they have and i have never had problems with gears.

I figured that if anyone was having problems with the HST it would shine through here. i will most likely be doing a lot of in close back and forth work with mine. i won't be plowing big fields or really doing much steady long distance work.

I appreciate all of the responses even if it seems like its just a shot in the dark trying to figure out what the best way to answer the original question might be. its the shot in the dark answers i was hoping to have because it will answer questions i cant think of because i don't know the HST system. So keep answering!!!...

The nice thing about HST is you can rev the engine up to PTO speed and still have excellent control over tractor speed and direction. Basically the "gas" pedal controls speed and direction. With HST you always have the exact gear needed. With gear you have to idle down to change directions.

A second thing is your brakes get used a lot less with HST. When you let off the pedal it slows you down and comes to a stop, even if going down a hill. I think you'll find that HST will fit your needs nicely and like you've said, if it had issues people would be talking about them here.