Hydro on 40 and 45

Jimmy Joe · Sep 2, 2008

How smooth are the hydro's on these tractors? I test drove a New Holland 45 horse, seemed to whine kind of noisily and a bit jerky. Are they better when they get some hours on? To get the features I like I guess I will have to get a hydro.

cperky · Sep 2, 2008

Jimmy,

I have a 35hp NH with hydro and yes it whines. Having only driven gear tractors this seems a little odd to me but I am getting used to the sound now and hardly notice it. I don't think the sound has change any with use I am just adjusting to it. Pretty much the same with the jerkyness, I thought the hydro was kind of jerky but with use, my foot control has adjusted and I can operate the tractor smoothly now but I don't think the tractor has changed any with use. This is the only hydro I have owned so I can't really give you any comparison's to other brand's.

Chris

Jimmy Joe · Sep 2, 2008

Thanks for the reply Chris, sounds like it was a tough decision for you to go hydro too. What steered you towards it? Are you happy so far? Jim

LoneCowboy · Sep 3, 2008

all hydro's whine, it's the pump making noise. From lawnmowers on up, all manufactuers. (how do you spell that word? arrrgghhh)

The jerkiness is you. Once you get used to it, it can be very smooth. (any hydro, not just NH).

Hydro's are fantastic for FEL loader work and anything that's a lot of back and forth. (bush hogging in tight places for example).

Not so great for ground engaging and long running at the same speed. (although they work for both).

Remember, HST's cost you about 4-5hp, just to run the big pump. You'll notice it at altitude or real steep hills. It's also more money and one more thing to go wrong. (that said, almost all modern hydro's are very reliable, but it is one more thing. one more filter to replace too)

Depends on what you want to do with it.

jinman · Sep 3, 2008

The hydro does whine and groan some under heavy load or starting up. Many have said they reduce this with different fluids, mostly synthetics or blends. I have become so used to the whine that I don't hear it unless I am thinking about it. I just subconsciously ignore it.

The jerkiness of the tractor may relate to spring tension on the hydro pedals and how well they are greased. I found that when I was teaching my wife to drive in the beginning, she was very jerky. I suspect you were operating in the high range, probably High-Turtle. That's the one that is easiest to jerk in my opinion. If you are in Low-Turtle or Low-Rabbit, it takes more pedal movement to produce movement. In High-Turtle with no load, it's easy to jerk the tractor. If you are in High-Rabbit, it won't jerk because the engine will pop the relief valve if you depress the pedal too far. The gear ratio causes you to start off slowly.

In my opinion, almost every job you will do besides pulling a plow will be easier with the hydro. The hydro allows you to keep the tractor at full power and vary your speed dynamically without moving your hands. While doing loader work, you can keep one hand on the joystick and the other on the steering continuously. Your total concentration can be devoted to what you are doing. A simple tap of the Rabbit/Turtle button on the joystick will provide an instant speed shift in the hydro. I don't think it gets any better than this. Having the brake pedals on the left and the hydro pedals on the right means you can use both feet to aid operation in addition to both hands at the same time.

You will soon find you don't need brakes except for parking and differential braking. Because the hydro works with the pedals, you will be able to do things with that tractor that you would never attempt with a gear-driven tractor. Backing down slopes and changing directions without shifting or clutching is child's play on a hydro. Anything that requires quick change of direction and complete speed control is duck soup for the hydro. I think you'll love it. The drivetrain has a much "softer" feel because of the hydro transmission, but after learning to use the hydro most efficiently, I think you will be very happy with it.

cperky · Sep 3, 2008

Jimmy Joe said:
Thanks for the reply Chris, sounds like it was a tough decision for you to go hydro too. What steered you towards it? Are you happy so far? Jim

You are correct Jimmy Joe I was not interested in a hydro while I was tractor shopping. I wanted a shuttle shift because I thought is was more reliable. I bought the hydro only because I got a great deal on a tractor with about 30 hours on it with some warranty.

Now that I have some seat time I am very happy that I have the hst. I could list several reasons but I think jinman's post above is the perfect list of reasons to have the hydro.

Jimmy Joe · Sep 3, 2008

Thanks again for the replies. It is helping to steer me toward a hydro more and more. On the Case model DX 40 do you automatically get the rabbit turtle switches on the joystick with a hydro and loader or is it an option? The toggle rabbit switches must be a standard on the hydro. So is it a four speed hydro?

jinman · Sep 4, 2008

Jimmy Joe said:
So is it a four speed hydro?

Jimmy Joe, you are essentially correct in saying four speeds, but purists will have some issues with that. There are two ranges (Hi/Lo) shifted by a lever on the left fender. These are mechanical gears in the transmission after the hydro. The hydro itself has a 2-speed motor that is shifted by the Rabbit/Turtle switch. That switch controls a solenoid that changes the motor's swashplate between 9 and 15 degrees. Of course, you have unlimited variation of speed within each gear and range because of the hydro pedal.

Always remember when using the pedals that more pedal does not get you more power, it actually is increasing the gear ratio. New hydro owners always want to push down on the hydro pedals like an accelerator pedal, but letting off the pedal is what gives you more power in a hydro because that is essentially shifting to a lower gear ratio.

If you buy the DX40 with a Case loader, you will have the rabbit/turtle joystick. Only if you buy a DX40 and an after-market loader like a Bush-Hog would you not have the rabbit/turtle joystick. In that case, it would be an option.

Jimmy Joe · Sep 7, 2008

jinman. If I am skidding trees out of the woods will a hydro be suitable for this also? I'm thinking a gearshift would be better. But this would be a small portion of what I would use the tractor for, I think for my all around use a hydro ia going to be my best bet.
Does pushing the pedal on a hydro increase the oil flow to the transmission? If it does does that the higher the flow the lower the power?

jinman · Sep 8, 2008

Jimmy Joe said:
If I am skidding trees out of the woods will a hydro be suitable for this also? I'm thinking a gearshift would be better. But this would be a small portion of what I would use the tractor for, I think for my all around use a hydro ia going to be my best bet.
Does pushing the pedal on a hydro increase the oil flow to the transmission? If it does does that the higher the flow the lower the power?

JJ, I've never skidded large logs, but I've pulled several oak trees that probably weighed 1/2 ton or more. I loved the hydro for that because you can adjust the speed of your tractor to any situation with the hydro pedal. If you stop, you don't worry about taking the tractor out of gear. If you want to get off the tractor, you just set the parking brake and get off. You don't worry about clutch or gears like a gear transmission. As a matter of fact, if you are on flat ground, you probably won't even have to set the parking brake.

Yes, when you press the pedal on a hydro, it increases the pump flow to the transmission's hydraulic motor. That's higher speed and less power. The most power is always available on a hydro at the minimum pedal deflection required to do the job. Once you get used to this, you have the hydro mastered.