HST Transmission

[slowrev]

Good input Daryl,
It does appear that your tractor is engineered on the edge of its capabilities though. An 8 degree margin is not very much, Plus the outer case of the tranny would be cooler than the oil inside heating it up. The oil temp might well be over 230, I would change my hydro oil frequently if I had your tractor.
Ben

 

[art]

Wasted a hour today and found no service bullitins to build a case for runaway hydro's! People buy them here for safety as they do hold back on hills and they don't wear out the clutches and brakes. The only way it could happen is if the servo's were way out of adjustment or left out totally and that couldn't happen unless someone that didn't know what they were doing was trying to make adjustments.. Maybe the same guy that can't adjust a fuel pump on a 1066 in five minutes was the mechanic. Sorry Doc, to the rebuild? You can't prove your case in any of our stores, sorry! Boys checking the records we still have a fine selection of over 56 in our computer base on farms that are working these thirty year old hydro's and going strong on the farm! These tractors range from 17 to over thirty years old!

 

[art]

My lead mechanic came into my office while typing the last response, when disscussing the hydro issue, "I've been here for 17 years and I've never had one apart or had to do more than adjust one"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[_RaT_]

Art, I posted this back about a year ago. I asked 3 different Kubota dealers, 2 locally and one out of town where I was working how often they experience failures on the HST transmissions. Without exageration on my part, all three gave the same response, "we don't have any experience with failed HST's". Two dealers had no clue what a new/rebuilt would cost, the third said that in this case, Kubota does not rebuild them, they would send a new one for about $2K. What ever the case, it was enough for me to feel the HST was reliable enough. My experience in using it now exceeds about 400 hours, still far shy of my experience with a manual be it shuttle or standard, but I must admit, for my uses which are pretty general purpose, I can't think of a better way to go. I got an email from Derek Rowski here at TBN who was all set on a manual/shuttle until he borrowed a HST and he I believe is a convert. HST, it's not for everybody but for my needs, it's ideal.

 

[ledebuhr1]

My uncle, an engineer, told me a well engineered HST system will outlast the engine. Sometimes outlasting two engines. Of course this assumes you do the proper maintainance.

 

[5030]

Ben:

Because what I do to or with the 5030, I change the fluid a 1/2 the change period recommended in the operators manual.

When the tractor comes out of warranty, I am going to change out the oil cooler to a Hayden unit with 2 times the cooling area of the stock unit. I won't do this until the warranty expires though. Kubota really frowns on that type of modification.

 

[leaddog]

yooper dave,
I heard that century is comming out with a larger tractor with a hydro. It will have a cumings engine. Don't know much about it but the rumor about a BIG Press release from them may be this. Stay tuned for more info. I've got a century 3045 gear and it is a 48hp yammer but this is supposed to be bigger. They are REALLY tough tractors
leaddog

 

[yooperdave]

This is good news.

I have a Branson dealer not too far away - I hope it crosses over from the Century line.

Thanks

Yooper Dave

 

[Tractors4u]

I have had 1 HST tractor and a whole herd of gear tractors. They were all used tractors. The one hydro was a Deere 855, the rest were grey market and two Bolens gear tractors. I now have a new and what I consider permanent tractor. It is a John Deere 4310 ePowreverser. The HST in my old 855 was OK but it didn't knock my socks off. When I went shopping for my new tractor I knew I could get more HP for my money with a gear tractor. I don't have a problem with HST, but I honestly prefer gear with shuttle. If there were no such thing as shuttle shift I would probably have an HST. The thing that irks me a little is the HST fanaticism. Most treat the gear tractor as though it is some cumbersome to use that it is worthless. Yeah it is probably easier to go forward to reverse with an HST and most on this board say if you do loader work get an HST. Funny thing is in the John Deere and Kubota brochures that I picked up they both extolled the virtues of the shuttle shift tractors for loader work and HST for other things! Come on guys to each his own.

 

[mustelid]

don't forget about one other piece of farm equipment with HST....combines. i know they're not pulling a ripper burried 40ft into the ground but they still do a lot of work. and at harvest time those suckers are running 12+hrs a day for a couple weeks straight!!