L5030 GST or HST

DmansPadge · Jan 27, 2005

No dought Rat. I think that there are pros and cons of both. I think it really depends on what you are using the tractor for. HST has really came around lately and they are quite popular. IMO they are a little easier to control... that being said, I have limited use on gear tractors. It just seems to me that if I need to pull up another inch the HST is easier versus using the clutch. I guess it's all about what an individual perfers.

Bob_Young · Jan 27, 2005

Hi mike,
In your post you indicated an appreciation for peace and quiet....didn't care for the HST whine, liked the quieter Kubota engine. I like it quiet too.

Keep in mind that running the HST you'll be setting the engine speed at a 'high idle' probably over 2000RPM and leaving it there. Progress over the ground will be controlled by the HST pedal. You can, of course, throttle down when the load is light but to simplify things, it's usually kept at high idle. The power is kept online and tapped as needed by the HST; either for speed OR pulling power.

Every diesel I've operated makes a fair amount of racket at 2000RPM .... certainly more than it makes at 1200 or 1500RPM.

Point is, with GST, you can select an appropriate gear and, quite possibly, get the job done at 1200 or 1500RPM; and there'll be MORE jobs you can get done at the lower RPMs as the transmission losses will be less. Speed AND pulling power, in any specific gear, will be proportional to throttle setting. When you need neither, you back off on the throttle and enjoy a moment of quiet /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Using the foot throttle makes this quite natural and the quiet moments more numerous.

Don't know about the others, but I hate the sound of an engine revving when it could be accomplishing the same thing at low RPM...but that may just be me. Besides noise, there are things like fuel consumption and wear that go along with the high RPM. Rarely are my gear tractors operated above 1800 RPM. On the other hand, the HST NH TV140 that I operated for the county last winter rarely operated below 1800RPM.

Now that I've thrown gasoline on this perennial debate, I'm outta here /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif!
Bob

jhbusa · Jan 27, 2005

DMLTrac, I have been pushing over / uprooting 12 - 14" trees with HST at 1800 RPM or less for 30 hours now. (I'm still breaking in the tractor ... hope I am not breaking the tractor). I have less than 50 hours on rented gear tractors of slightly less horsepower than the L5030. I too was worried about losing a couple of HP. But, you won't believe the power with the L5030 HST. Everyone's posts are dead on to what I have experienced in my short tenure with HST. My wife loves it so much, I barely get to drive the tractor anymore. She does the heavy work (sit and push the trees over) and I have to do the chain work while she drags them. Then I get to cut it all up with the chainsaw.

You won't regret HST. Don't plan on driving the tractor much if your wife or significant other decides to drive it a bit.

_RaT_ · Jan 28, 2005

Bob, I think your going to find that what you mentioned here really ends up rarely being the case. I operate my tractor at about 1800 when doing loader work. It's just a nice RPM and the loader is still very responsive. At 1800 to 2000 RPM that little Kubota diesel is not only very smooth, but remarkable quiet. I would say it's not until your at over 2300 RPM that it is no longer "quiet". I much as you pretty much thought that would be the big drawback especially after operating 743 Bobcat skidsteers which need high RPM's to really to any skid turning. I don't think with a GST your going to be getting any more work down at 1200 RPM then a HST and at 1500 RPM, it's starting to really develop the torque. It's funny how just a hundred RPM or so can make such a vast difference. I rarely if ever mow at full PTO RPM, I typically go no higher then 2300 RPM which as I recall is somewhere around 475 - 500 on the PTO. Nonetheless, I do agree that you can be slighlty quieter on a GST, but not as much as you would think. If your getting a lot of whine, you need to drop down a range. I love it quiet as well.

txdon · Jan 28, 2005

<font color="blue"> "...She didn't like the jerkiness of the HST..." </font>
dmltrc, what really impressed me about the HST was the smoothness and the ability to move very slowly without holding in a clutch. I think RaT hit on the wrong ways to operate the pedal, mainly to keep the heel on the floorboard and use lower RPMs. I usually operate my 5030 at about 1800 RPM also except when I mow. To get the 540 RPM I go to a little over 2300 RPM. At 1800 RPM in Low I can push brush and sand till I loose traction. I hardly ever bog down unless I'm in the wrong range.

Since we all love pictures, the attachment is a road I just made by clearing all the underbrush with the FEL and then dragging the box blade. What Fun!
Have fun tractor shopping. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

dmltrac · Jan 28, 2005

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like we all agree these are great tractors! I'll have to decide which direction to go, but it appears that neither would be a mistake.
mike

InlineDieselFan · Jan 28, 2005

You can't go wrong either way. But for me the boss drove both and then started to play with the bucket controls and 3-point. It was a quick decision, hydro or no tractor. She said it was so much simplier, that the decision was made right then and there.

steve

btolle · Jan 28, 2005

Neither would be a mistake but I love the HST on my B7510.

One thing that no one seems to have mentioned is the better control you have going downhill with the HST. If you want to slow down on a hilll ust let off the pedal a little and you will slow down, all the way to a stop if you want to.

I use the loader about 75% of the time and the HST is so much easier to use than gears would be. If you are going to be doing a lot of back and forth the HST is much easier.

As for any jerkiness, if it was jerking you should drop it into a lower range and press gently on the pedal. It didn't take me but a few hours to get used to.

Most of the time with my B7510 I operate in the 1,500 to 2,000 RPM range for loader and box blade work. Has plenty of power at those speeds.

The transmission does whine a little but seems to have gotten quieter now that I have 53 hours on it or maybe I have just gotten used to it.

I remember the days on my old 8N when I would get off and limp for an hour or so on my left side from working the clutch. I sure don't miss that!

Good luck with whatever you decide. Either way you will enjoy your new tractor.

Bill Tolle