Dirt Moving New 6040 owner question, dirt moving

[cmbertrand]

Hi guys, I am going from a NH tc40da hydrostatic drive over to a 6040HD open station 4wd with hydraulic shuttle. I will not receive tractor until I return from work in another few weeks but wanted to speed up learning curve. I made the change for the extra hp to speed up my thick grass mowing but I do some occasional loose dirt spreading. The boomer made it very easy in that I could hit the dirt pile with bucket and shift to low and raise bucket and be pedaling in reverse and then shifting back to high for transport of load...all this would happen between a foot pedal and the high low button on the loader lever with ease. So on the 6040, I know I have the hydraulic lever for direction change but what about dig gear versus transport load gear? Would I be going from hi to lo or 2nd to 4th and stay in lo? Talking average pile of top soil dumped on same day and dry. Any experience with this transmission setup would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[TripleR]

How far will you be transporting? If it is just a short distance, I would try shifting from low range 1st gear to low range 4th gear. For longer distances, you are going to have to change ranges and go to a higher gear. I don't think there is one "best" way and will depend on the tractor and operator. My sons and I use an M8540 12/12 hydraulic shuttle shift and we vary a bit in how we operate it, but get the job done. Sometimes I will switch up myself. It is something you are just going to have to experiment with to find the right balance for you.

I imagine you will find it initially somewhat daunting going from an HST to a hydraulic shuttle shift, but given time, you will get use to it. When given the choice, I will use our L5740, but there are times a bigger tractor is needed. I grew up on gears then synchro shuttle then hydro shuttle then HST, so I came about it from a different direction, but I am sure you will be able to adapt and will appreciate the extra size and power of the M6040.

Others will have a different take, but that's what has worked for me. Oh and I always get the manual before the tractor is delivered so I can get a head start when it arrives. Don't forget to post pictures and your impressions when you get it.

 

[Verticaltrx]

What TripleR said is about how I go about it, M9540 with the 12x12 hyd reverser. If going a short distance I pick a gear that gives both enough speed and power. Maybe like 3rd or 4th on low range, then set the throttle to about 1500rpms. Come up to the pile and get a scoop at mid throttle, flip the lever to back up, flip it again to go forward and apply full throttle for transport. All this I do with the foot throttle, I only set the hand throttle at 1500 to keep adequate hydraulic flow going to the loader. Sometimes I'll shift up into 5th-6th gear if the transport is taking to long, but generally I just leave it in a gear.

If I have a long way to go, I'll pick one of the lower gears, like first or second (low), use that to scoop up a bucket full, then shift the range lever to high for transport and so on. No exact way about it, often different conditions take a different approach.

 

[xring100]

Yes what they said. Considering your new bucket is probably significantly larger any inefficiency going to the shuttle will be over come by the increased in volume of dirt moved per trip to the pile I also have a hydraulic shuttle and have moved and leveled 13 tons of crushed concrete 120 yards from the pile in just over an hour. Even on a hydrostatic Trans you still need to shift ranges.

Dave

 

[TripleR]

Just a side note, my son and I often work both machines on bigger jobs and he can match me load for load with me on the L5740 and him on the M8540. We are more tired at the end of a day using the M8540 than the L5740 doing this type of work, but they can be pretty darned efficient with practice. My son is a better operator than I and can operate the M as quickly as the L, it takes me a little longer on the M, but I am pretty old and creaky, creaky, not creepy though some may disagree.:laughing:

 

[xring100]

Just a side note, my son and I often work both machines on bigger jobs and he can match me load for load with me on the L5740 and him on the M8540. We are more tired at the end of a day using the M8540 than the L5740 doing this type of work, but they can be pretty darned efficient with practice. My son is a better operator than I and can operate the M as quickly as the L, it takes me a little longer on the M, but I am pretty old and creaky, creaky, not creepy though some may disagree.:laughing:

LOL
Agree the gear Trans is slightly more work but with synchronized gears shifts on the fly take under a second for a fast operator. Assuming the trans is warm mine fights back when its cold. It tells me "im not ready to work yet therefore have fun getting me into gear" if i shift with shuttle level in neutral its fine but with foot clutch not so much when cold

Dave

 

[TripleR]

LOL
Agree the gear Trans is slightly more work but with synchronized gears shifts on the fly take under a second for a fast operator. Assuming the trans is warm mine fights back when its cold. It tells me "im not ready to work yet therefore have fun getting me into gear" if i shift with shuttle level in neutral its fine but with foot clutch not so much when cold

Dave

Yeah, the linkage on the new M60 Series is supposed to be better than our M40's and mine can still be balky from time to time. I rarely use my foot clutch anymore unless I am on a steep slope or something that interfered with using the shuttle lever.

 

[cmbertrand]

Lol...thanks triple and the rest of the gang. I grew up using tractors with no fel, but we did have a 580C TLB with shuttle so I have some experience with that lever on side of steering wheel. I thought the larger bucket would make up for the loss efficiency but will see how the capacity and extra hp work together. As for transport distance, it will vary as we just started a project on six acres to house my wife's two horses and have all kinds of stuff that needs doing. Many thanks

 

[TripleR]

Well, you are well ahead of the game then as I used the same synchro shuttle on our Case back hoe and Case CX80 before getting the hydraulic shuttle on our M540, I think you are really going to like it compared to the back hoe.

 

[cmbertrand]

The big difference is I could hit a pile with the case bh and it could come to complete stop and drivetrain was designed to keep running although forward movement had stopped. I tried the 6040 out and it seems to stop the engine when movement stops like a regular gear tractor. Tires will be loaded so will try to do scooping in 2wd and tires will probably have tendency to spin before engine stops but I also figure it will just prompt me to shuttle into r pretty quick.