Hydrostat owners and did not like it ???

[DocHeb]

The question is:

<font color="blue">Hydrostat owners and did not like it ??? </font>,

not which trasmission is best for what task.

In my case I will not be able to answer since I like my HST for use in my battles with the earth - rototilling, subsoiling, PHD use, and mowing.

 

[timb]

True enough, I was just trying to cover Dumbdog's comment.

As for why a hydro owner may not like it - maybe we should ask those owners whose better halves have taken over the seat time! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I still can't get SWMBO to drive our (gear) tractor!

 

[MikePA]

I agree with DocHeb. The question is not which is better since that's been beat to death. The question was has anyone switched from one type of transmission to the other and if they have, why?

 

[_RaT_]

I was very hesitant to go with a hydrostatic transmission. I was partially talked into trying one by a fellow here at TBN back in 2000. My entire life had always been with a manual or shuttle tractor. My first experience with a hydro was nice, but not overwhelming. I tried it more and it did grow on me. I had used hydro before, on a JD lawnmower and it was very nice for that task. I was concerned about the durability, the constant RPM that you typically run a hydrostatic at and to a much lesser extent, the power loss through a hydrostatic. All good concerns, but now well understood by me. The more I use my hydrostatic, the more I enjoy it and find out just how useful it can be. The other transmissions are very good and could never be considered the wrong choice. True their ability to pull a set of rippers in the ground is no doubt better, but I find my hydrostatic more then up to the job, pulling the rippers on my 6' box scraper in low range. There is no question that I would buy hydrostatic again. I tell folks who ask my preference, but there are times I would recommend a manual or shuttle tractor over a hydrostatic. Rat...

 

[PineRidge]

OK Mike we get the idea. We had a gear and switched to a hydro. For our needs the hydro was instantly responsive to speed changes, easy to use, and the learning curve was minimal. Dang I feel like taking a bow now or something.

 

[roccon31]

after several years of using farmall cubs and a super a to do the mowing, snowplowing, ditch cleaning, and other misc. tasks, i bought my 4115 hydro.
things i have noticed- for snowplowing, mowing, and now front end loader and backhoe work, i wouldnt trade my hydro for the world. instant speed changes, no clutching, and best of all, infinite speed adjustment. the super a had 4 gears and the cubs had 3. it seemed like at full throttle, you were never in the right gear. i no longer have that trouble.

for things like pulling stuck trucks out of the mud and dragging stuff through the fields, and trying to yank stumps out of the ground with a chain the gear is a lot better. but now i have the loader and backhoe, so i dont have to abuse my new tractor like i did the old ones.

 

[ronjhall]

<font color="blue"> did not like it ??? </font>
I cannot respond to this thread. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
I purchased 2 HST tractors during the time I owned a gear drive tractor. Sold the gear drive tractor and will not go back.
Well at least not for the projects I have to do at this time. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[WhiteRock]

I have gone from hydro to gear and wish I could have hydro. Reason, I wanted more hp and could find the tractor I wanted in hydro. So I settled.

EXTRA: /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
While this may be a little off of the original question, out of all the hydro/gear discussions, I think this is one of the better write ups of what is going on in a hydro.

The thing that I always feel is missing in the previous hydro discussion are suggestions on preferred operations. Are there things that can be done to take additional care of your hydro? I feel there are. As mentioned, the heat generated/dissipated doing work is what risk longevity. If the heat gets to high, seals can be damaged.

Hydros have gears too. Usually high/low or high/medium/low. Various tractors may have different configurations. These gears do not get any hotter than the gears on a geared tractor. These gears are driven internally by a hydraulic motor controlled by the hydro input. Running a heavy load in a higher gear using minimum hydro input will generate a lot more heat in the oil that running a lower gear with full hydro input. The may or may not be obvious to the typical hydro operator.

I wish the hydros had temp gauges so you could see. Maybe the reason they don't is because of explaining the green arc or info on the gauge and how to use it.

So with ground engaging equipment, if you can choose a gear for full or near full hydro input, I doubt you would every see a problem with the temps getting high. Yes it is true that there is power being lost due to heat dissapation in the fluid, but its not that much and I will take it any day for all the productivities the hydro gives you.

 

[thcri]

Would not ever go back to gear. Love my Hydro. This is just me personnally.


murph

 

[JASTN70D]

I have switched from Hydro to Gear. Only because the size tractor I wanted from the brand I wanted did not have a hydro. It is nice to have but I don't miss it. I do have sync shuttle though.
It just was not a big deal to me either way. I have used both for quite some time and have had and do have now both types on different equipment.
In fact when I purchased the TN70 I did not think twice about not having Hydro. I see it nice like electric windows is nice but not as important as say air conditioning or no air in a car when it is 90. Not much of an analogy but the best I could do./forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif