Kubota HST vs standard transmission

[RoyJackson]

You are so old....... you were around when 'Old Spice' was just called 'Spice' !

Yeah...I drove a number of vehicles that had the three speed with the shift on the steering columm...even drove one (an old SAAB 96, IIRC) that had a 4 speed on the columm.
Of course...these were all old cars when I drove 'em...

 

[k0ua]

I am old enough that I learned to drive with a 3 on the tree too..We never owned any cars growing up in my family .. just pickup trucks. and I have owned plenty of both manual and auto cars and trucks since being out on my own. I have owned 2 gear and 2 hydro tractors... In my opinion if you are going to have a loader on it, you will benefit from the HST. But everyone is different, why not try both if you can. I have offered to let others come over and operate my HST tractor. I am a firm believer in the benefits of HST.. I have operated in 100 degree heat and never noticed any problems with my Kubota. I have hundreds of hours of loader work with gear tractors, and they work fine, but Hydro's are easier, quicker, more precise, and less tireing to operate. They are also safer for people that do not operate all the time. There must be dozens of threads thru the years on this forum about this subject.

James K0UA

 

[jimbobs61]

The L3200 should be a fine size for that type of work. One thing to consider is in order to get a live PTO on the L3200, you have to get HST. To me that is worth the price.

The L3800 has live PTO on both the gear and HST.

Hey Verticaltrx, can you enlighten me about the live PTO. Thanks all for the input. Jim

 

[Alan L.]

I cannot imagine not having HST. Scooping dirt out of a large pile requires backing out of the pile just the slightest bit to lift and curl and get the biggest load. This is all done with a a quick push with my heel, I can't imagine having to mess with a lever to do that, when my right hand is on the loader control. Also, tilling the garden and being able to creep at a crawl is so easy with the HST. Changing speeds to match material conditions while mowing or brush hogging....so easy with the HST, no hands needed.

 

[RobertN]

I forgot to add earlier...

Try them all! You might find you like a shuttle shift better than an HST. Or the GST.

And, as much as I like my old Kubota(know the guy who bought it; still get to see it and it is still working awesome for him), try all the brands.

And if you really want some fun, try an ASV or CAT compact track loader; the ones I have used are driven with a joystick; worked awesome! One joystick to drive, one for the loader...

 

[Goog]

HST all the way. As others have said this is an endless debate and there is now wrong answer. But for loader work you just can't beat the HST. JMHO. Brian

 

[k0ua]

Hey Verticaltrx, can you enlighten me about the live PTO. Thanks all for the input. Jim

here you go..


Power Take-Off (PTO) Types


There are three basic types of PTO control on a farm tractor:

Transmission

The simpliest, and earliest, form of PTO is the transmission PTO. The PTO shaft is directly connected to the tractor's transmission. The PTO is only working when the tractor's clutch is relased, so if you take the tractor out of gear while slowing down the PTO will stop working. This is a disadvantage in applications such as mowing.

An overrunning clutch is often needed with a transmission PTO. Without it, the driven equipment (such as mower blades) will put a force on the PTO shaft, and then the transmssion, due to inertia. The equipment will "drive" the tractor, and you will still move after using the tractor's transmission clutch. An overrunning clutch prevents this from happening by allowing the PTO shaft to freely spin in one direction. In more recent models, this is built into the tractor. In older tractors, it is an extra piece of equipment mounted on the PTO shaft.
​

Live (two-stage clutch)

A live PTO works with the use of a two-stage clutch. Pressing the clutch half-way will disengage the transmission while pressing it fully will disengage the transmission and the PTO. This allows the operator to slow down or change gears while the PTO is still operating.
​

Independent
An independent PTO means that the PTO shaft is controlled with a separate clutch. As with a live PTO, this allows for full control over the tractor while separately controlling the PTO. There are two major types of independent PTO; mechanical and hydraulic. A mechanical-independent PTO uses a separate on-off selector, in addition to the PTO control lever. Often the tractor must be stopped or off to change this selector position. A hydraulic-independent PTO uses a single selector.


James K0UA

 

[RJD2516]

I have used both gear and HST. If I was doing a lot of work turning soil, etc.. I would probably have gotten a gear. However, most of my work is with the loader, a tiller, box scrapper, etc. So I went HST. I have a L3800. And I am happy with my choice. I think if you end up with a gear drive, you will change your clutch riding because it sounds like you are conscious of it. Also, I have never had a loss in power due to the HST heating up. And I have run my tiller in 100 degree weather.

 

[Dutch61]

Get what you are comfortable with, but for me after testing a Gear and then HST, the HST was my choice. I tried to simulate dropping a FEL load into my new F250 truck, and had a hard time controlling the fwd motion as I got closer to the target (not the actual truck, but a low concrete wall at the dealer, with empty FEL). I asked the sales rep if I was doing it wrong and I was told, "nope that's how it's done, you get better with practice, but till then, I'd only dump into your old truck" (I only have the one, and I assume this was JD Humor). I'm sure others are more capable and coordinated, but if I ever need my wife to help me, and I'm between the unit and a wall, MAX control is a must.

 

[Barnone]

Had both over the years and now vote for the HST especially with a FEL. My last JD was gear but had the shuttle shift which was nice but the HST is better.