Sold L3200, Time to Upgrade. GST Opinions?

[kubotacres]

Well after much thought and lots of looking, I decided to put the L3200 up for sale. Within a day I got my asking price and the tractor will be picked up tomorrow....The l3200 is a very good tractor but I'm spoiled on the Grand L luxury. I went looking at the L60s knowing good well I despise the Tier 4 engine. I got some nice quotes on the L3560 and L4060 however I can't get past the engine. So I'm looking for a low hour L3940 with the 724 loader. I'm sure it will take time to find the "right" tractor with all the things I want, however I'm not certain on the tranny. I'm leaning towards the GST, having not never drove one. I was to test drive one at the dealership, but the battery was dead and it was the only one they had on the lot. I'm used to the FST on my dads tractor and in my opinion would be fine considering the non-syncro tranny I've been used too....So I'm open for suggestions. The HST seems to be most popular, but I prefer the FST or the GST.. What are your opinions of the GST for those that have it? Is there any lag when shifting gears without a clutch? Would you buy it again? Downsides?

 

[s219]

To me the only downside of GST is when doing lots of loader work nosing into piles of material -- it means you have to take a hand off the wheel or loader control lever to shift into reverse to back out of a pile. I know that doesn't seem like a real issue, but do it a couple dozen or hundred times in a day and you start to see the appeal of HST for loader work.

Other than that, I have always thought GST was pretty cool. It eliminates the gear crunching issues of shifting a gear transmission and makes it easier to change direction with a little motion.

 

[DK35vince]

To me the only downside of GST is when doing lots of loader work nosing into piles of material -- it means you have to take a hand off the wheel or loader control lever to shift into reverse to back out of a pile. I know that doesn't seem like a real issue, but do it a couple dozen or hundred times in a day and you start to see the appeal of HST for loader work.

If that was an issue why is every commercial front end loader I have ever used the same way with a forward/reverser lever.
They are designed to load all day every day and have a forward/reverser lever.

 

[kubotacres]

To me the only downside of GST is when doing lots of loader work nosing into piles of material -- it means you have to take a hand off the wheel or loader control lever to shift into reverse to back out of a pile. I know that doesn't seem like a real issue, but do it a couple dozen or hundred times in a day and you start to see the appeal of HST for loader work.

Other than that, I have always thought GST was pretty cool. It eliminates the gear crunching issues of shifting a gear transmission and makes it easier to change direction with a little motion. And you don't have the power loss penalty of an HST.

Personally I WANT the shuttle on the steering column. I just need to know the pros of the gst compared to the FST.

 

[s219]

If that was an issue why is every commercial front end loader I have ever used the same way with a forward/reverser lever.
They are designed to load all day every day and have a forward/reverser lever.

I don't disagree with you, I am saying that when doing a lot of front loader work, there's no question that using a foot control to change direction is a heck of a lot more streamlined process than a hand lever, because you can keep your left hand on the wheel and right hand on the loader control. This became very apparent to me after a few years of using HST and then working on a gear tractor and a GST tractor. It might seem like a small thing, but it really adds up every time you have to take your hand off the wheel. For me, it's a noticeable pause or delay in the workflow that I don't have with HST, and it happens over and over through the whole day.

I operated a rental Case loader once that had a left hand joystick for steering and direction control (loader control was on the right side). It was specifically for repetitive operations like going in and out of a pile of dirt. It also had a steering wheel and shuttle type lever on the dash for regular driving, but for loader work you'd be using the joystick. I believe other many other construction loaders are like that too, so clearly somebody has recognized the advantage of that type of setup where you have dedicated hand controls.

 

[DK35vince]

I operated a rental Case loader once that had a left hand joystick for steering and direction control (loader control was on the right side). It was specifically for repetitive operations like going in and out of a pile of dirt. It also had a steering wheel and shuttle type lever on the dash for regular driving, but for loader work you'd be using the joystick. I believe other many other construction loaders are like that too, so clearly somebody has recognized the advantage of that type of setup where you have dedicated hand controls.

I have yet to run a wheel loader with that setup.
All I have run simply had the forward/reverser beside the steering wheel.

 

[Fallon]

I'm close to being in the same boat. My L3200 HST was dam cold plowing snow this winter. And I want more toys. I've got around 250 hours on mine & have been looking at cabbed machines. It might be a year or more before I do it, but I'll end up with a cabbed machine of some color at some point.

I've driven my brothers father-in-laws L4?40 with a GST. The little bit of lag on shift always bugged me & I didn't get use to it in the hour or so of operation. I was using the clutch rather than hand shuttle as my instinct control. I'm sure with more hours I'd get use to it & start using the wet clutch on the shuttle rather than the dry foot clutch. It just wasn't nearly as precise as my HST. I get within inches of stuff with my pallet forks, mower, box blade & other stuff. I rely on being able to get within 2-3" of something when backing up or inching up to my truck. I wouldn't be nearly as comfortable or fast doing that with any of the GST or power shift machines I've run.

Summers in college in the late 90s I drove a pile of John Deere 7000 & 8000 series tractors with the power shift & power quad tractors. I recall them shifting a lot faster than the GST. Very different usage patterns & not nearly as precise as the HST

Personallt I'll never get non-hst machine. The flexibility & precision of the HST is just so powerful for my varied usage its worth the minor cost increase & 15% HP tax.

 

[Baby Grand]

My first tractor was and is a GST L3240. I love that thing. I prefer a manual shift in cars & trucks. The best gearbox I have ever driven was a Mack Quadruplex - no clutch needed once you had it rolling from a stop - smooth as black ice.
Back to the GST - yes, some delay in shifts, as Fallon mentioned, but you learn to anticipate and work with it. As my tractor is 32 HP and about 5000 lbs with the 724 loader and the BH92 subframe, not sacrificing power for convenience, as S219 mentioned, is of considerable value to me. On the L3240 it's 26.5 vs 25 at the PTO, so about a 5% conversion of available power to rejected heat. We also have a B2320 HST and a G5200H, so I'm familiar with HSTs, which are great trannies, too. Another consideration is the noise from the HST. It's a high pitched whine that always makes me think my hydraulics are going into bypass. That's one of the few things that I don't like about the HST. But really, you won't be sorry whichever you choose - you'll still get plenty done in a day.
-Jim

 

[Gary Fowler]

I really have come to love the HST on my small tractor. I can inch up to something much better than riding the clutch on my LS. Other than the whine, I rarely run out of power before I run out of traction so the parasitic loss of the HST is not an issue for me. I love the rocker shift with my foot (although many like separate pedals) because it is so easy to use. I hate that it is on the same side as the brakes though which is a P--Poor design. I haven't really looked at tractors since I finished buying for my needs so I cant say if they have changed that on Kubota's but some folks here have reported on some brands having the HST pedal on the left which would be great.

 

[mike69440]

The GST is OK for Loader work, I am so used to it, I don't think about it. GST is sure better than a manual gear. Not so great on hilly terrain.
GST wins putting power down and better roading, Less RPM needed, Quiet. if you travel a lot, I sure would prefer GST.
HST has it's place, 6 speeds on new HST sure is better than 3 or 2.