O my, I am comfused

[AxleHub]

Don't bother with anything but HST transmission for your uses -- it's not even something you need to read up on.

I agree with s219 . . Hydro is an enlightened choice because It gives you forward and then immediate reversing capability. It gives you dynamic engine braking. Lastly you eliminate clutching.

And with the discussion about the wood splitter being either a stand alone gas unit or a 3 point tractor mount; I'd submit that many times when I've been working with wood . . I'd cut a big pile and then move it and maybe split the next day. Myself I'd want a separate splitter for the following reasons:

A. Its alot easier to leave the splitter out overnight with the wood to be split, instead of leaving the tractor out.

B. Much easier to take a free standing splitter in for maintenance instead of tractor/3pt. splitter.

C. Much easier to position the splitteŕ near the wood effort . . than tractor and splitter . . and cover and leave it out over night.

D. Pricing. Everyone carries gas wood splitters. Every bigger equipment store has them. But 3pt. Splitters are a whole different pricing scenario.

E. What if you are getting wood from another location away from your property? Easy to transport a standalone unit by truck or smaller trailer. But with a 3pt splitter you'd need a much larger trailer and your tractor would not be available at your home.

 

[Ooklaa]

Well im not sure what a splitter attachment costs. I have bigger shed coming next year so storage wont be a problem. A gas engine sitting around all year especially carb is only asking for problems even with stabilizer. Splitting wood is only going to happen once every year or 2. So a attachemt can sit a lot longer in assuming. Dont want 2 different fuels around. The tractor will be used all the time so im not worried about diesel getting bad if it does.

Will take note on the transmission choices. just a question tho i would thinka manual would be stronger, last longer wont over heat etc. yes a auto is 50 times easier and safer. I domt wamma turn this into a auto vs manual debate. Ill read on that in the forum .

Too bad you guys are far away i would bring some delicous greek desserts while you teach tractors opa!

 

[4570Man]

These small tractors loose traction a long time before they run out of power so power isn't a issue. I haven't ever read of a worn out HST transmission. I have a lawn mower with HST transmission with 3,200 hours. I have two other HST machines that have over 1,200 hours.

 

[motownbrowne]

I'm tossing my hat in with the HST crowd on this one. Also, I'll add my name to the list of people trying to convince you that the standalone splitter is a better option. Forget about fuel stabilizer if you're only using it once or twice a year. Just get one with a drain on the tank. Drain it and run the motor until it stops. Get one with a Honda motor. Think about it: what's a Honda motor cost to replace. 5-600 dollars maybe. What's a motor cost for you SCUT? $4-5000. So, if they both split wood, why on earth would you use the much much more expensive motor.

Yes, the diesel in the tractor will probably last longer, but good luck wearing out a Honda motor on a wood splitter. It's gonna take years.

 

[AxleHub]

Splitting wood is only going to happen once every year or 2.

If you are only wood splitting for 1 or 2 days once a year or every other year . . Cost justification of owning a stand alone or 3 pt. splitter doesn't seem logical. You could rent a splitter for 2 days for what . . $100.00? That's either 15 years worth or 30 years worth based on a $1500 purchase price.

I think you'd much better use a 3 pt. Sprayer for your yard and outer lot edges and wooded areas. I love mine and it was $325 with tax. I use the wand to spray the edges while driving the tractor or weeds/brush in the wooded area. I use the boom for the open areas of the lawn. No more pump or backpack sprayers to speak of needed . . and the lawn is healthier . . still with no fertilizers.

P.s. dynamic braking is a huge advantage of having a hydro transmission on my lawn mowing and on slopes and hills. I almost never use the brake.

 

[4570Man]

I don't think you will really split a two year supply if wood in two days. Splitting wood is a lot if work , and I like to divide mine up over a couple weeks.

 

[s219]

Will take note on the transmission choices. just a question tho i would thinka manual would be stronger, last longer wont over heat etc. yes a auto is 50 times easier and safer. I domt wamma turn this into a auto vs manual debate. Ill read on that in the forum .

It's not really automatic like an automatic in cars with torque converter, automatic shifting, etc, so this isn't a manual versus automatic debate like you'd have on a car forum. HST is actually a manual transmission except power is fed to it via a hydraulic pump, controlled by your foot. Think of it as a 2- or 3-speed manual transmission connected to a hydraulic motor, which in turn is driven by a hydraulic pump powered by the engine. You get infinitely variable input/control without wearing out mechanical parts. There is a still a geared transmission between the HST and the wheels.

If you have any plans for a front loader, think about how much fun it would be shifting gears to do stuff like spread dirt. Put it in 1st to nose into pile, feather clutch to keep from stalling, push in clutch, shift into reverse to back out of pile, push in clutch, shift into 1st to go dump the load, etc... Repeat about 100 times over. All that with a balky shifter and what are going to be non-synchro'd gears on most small tractors, so you better come to a stop before shifting but you'll still get gear grinding anyhow. And don't forget you need a hand on the loader control, a hand on the steering wheel, and a hand for the shifter. You won't have enough hands.

With HST you'd push forward, push reverse, push forward with one foot. One hand stays on the wheel, the other stays on the loader control. It's a night and day difference, and this is why many tractor models don't even offer manual transmission anymore. When I have to do loader work on my wife's Uncle's older Deere with gear transmission, it's like going back 60 years in time and is a zillion times less productive.

So that's why most people here are saying HST and don't even waste time reading/thinking about gear. Unless you are doing dedicated row-cropping or mowing, there is no advantage to gear.

 

[AxleHub]

I don't think you will really split a two year supply if wood in two days. Splitting wood is a lot if work , and I like to divide mine up over a couple weeks.

I don't know what Texas weather would require. My Dad burned 10 full cords each year heating the house and separate shop 24/7. Then we did mine. When all you have to do is split with the splitter and stack . . He and I would do his in about 2 full days with no tractor. He was 83 when he had to quit doing the cutting and splitting

I figured Nikko with those Greek pastries could get a few willing and eager volunteers

What I'm more wondering about . . It sounds like his neighborhood is all manicured yards and hired landscaper done activity. And log piles and wood piles and chain saws . . how accepting is that going to be?

 

[boggen]

HST = speed up in areas were grass is not that tall / thick. and then slowing down just a bit in thicker / taller areas of grass.
HST = adjusting speed on the fly and no relient on gear you are in.
HST = easier to 1/2" your way up ti side of a pickup truck to load something into it. unlike a manual, that has clutch, brakes, etc... that might be on same foot. plus dealing with FEL (Front end loader) adjustment.

HST = you loose a couple HP over a manual/gear. but you will never feel it. you would have to be using tractor as a "day job" type of thing using it constantly to even notice difference.

HST = do normally have a 1,2 and hopefully 3rd adjustment gear. to pick a better speed range. hi/lo really does not cut it for some things, having a low / med / hi like adjustment more likely more beneficial overall.

HST = more power when barely pushing the pedal down. as you speed up (pushing pedal down) you loose power for RPMs / faster MPH.

one way to over heat per say a HST. is "pedal to the medal" in to high of a gear. most HST has internal max pressure valves. and they will kick in for example pulling to much of a load behind you, in to high of a gear. this can cause a lot of heat build up. lowering down the shifter (low / med / hi) will help keep the internal max pressure valve/s from kicking in. and keep you going smoothly.
other words unlike a manual / gear transmission when you overload vehicle or tractor, you might stale the engine out. for HST hopefuly the internal max pressure valve kicks in. (saftey feature for engine in a sense)

=================
"power reverse" for HST can be a big deal for many folks. ad's might state same speed forward or backward. many companies / folks use tractors for "loader work" a lot of say diging up manure, dirt, rock, etc... and dumping the FEL bucket into a truck bed, trailer or like.

without power reverser option. reverse can be rather slow.

==================
while a lot of work has been down to "manual / gear" transmission to reduce need to constantly clutch every time you goto shift to another gear, brake, etc...
i find myself in many situations, were i have "one foot" on the forward/back pedal. and the other foot on one of the "split rear brake pedals" and i no long have a foot to operate a clutch pedal, to get myself unstuck. and most likely one hand is on steering wheel, while other hand is on FEL (front end loader) joystick or 3pt hitch levers. to help get myself unstuck or just simply general operation of tractor.

for a multi purpose machine HST way to go.

now farmers on other hands. they might go 2WD, were they might get out on the road, and just upshift into gear. and they are done, or get into a field and set a gear and they are done on a manual / gear transmission.

to state things different "down town traffic" at nearest largest city near you. and hitting non stop "RED" lights. with bumper to bumper traffic. in a manual / gear transmission vehicle STINKS. and even worse when you are facing upward on a steeper hill going through lights. this is going to be you many times with tractor, operating FEL, or perhaps with something on 3pt hitch backing up, or simply turning around at end of driveway and around garage and like clearing snow, or what not.

a car / truck, you may drive 5 minutes to a few hours without ever really needing to shift a gear. but for tractor. *shakes head no* maybe for mowing a few acre yard (5 plus acres) and you just turn never slowing down. but tractors they are stop, go, stop, go, reverse, forward, stop, go, reverse, constantly all within a couple hours.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

My recommendations:

Stick with a light machine, SCUT or smallest frame CUTs only for mowing. Turf tires only. My machine is 1400 lbs, 300 lbs form for the MMM, then me...weight adds up quickly, so if you want to keep your lawn from rutting, stay light. Don't load the tires, use a ballast box when needed, remove it and the loader when mowing.

I would get a 3pt splitter. I am also not interested in maintaining a separate machine. These smaller tractors have low flow rates, so I would recommend a splitter with a "power pack", which is a hydraulic pump that runs off the rear PTO, and a hydraulic tank. You'll get a much more reasonable speed out of the splitter this way.

As stated already, logs are heavy, you won't be lifting whole trees unless they are very small. But, I am constantly using my machine for firewood duties and fine it invaluable. A set of forks, or ideally a grapple would be a huge bonus here. I get around without either though.....at least for now!

Stick with a HST. Makes moving around so easy. I would not worry about longevity at all as long as you perform recommended maintenance and don't abuse it.

While you're buying...and I assume financing, get the attachments you want NOW! Snowblower maybe?

For my money, I like the Massey Ferguson GC1705 in the SCUT category ( I have the previous model GC2400), if you want to go up to a small CUT, the Kubota B2601 is a great package.