Hydro vs SS for 45 HP Compact Tractor

[boggen]

I would be using it to scrape gravel driveways, haul much around the yard, plug and seed yard. Might occasionally use loader/box scrape to fix go-kart track. Prob have 2 - 2 1/2 acres of grass.

go-kart track / fixing. suggest posting some pictures of it. to give folks some idea of upkeep you most likely will need to deal with. and might be able to lower the HP of tractor down to say 20 to 30HP range.

HST or hydrualic like transmission = what you want for sure.

small size yard. large enough push mower is no way. but small enough maybe not 2 dedicated machines needed for mowing.

 

[4tillingdirt]

Have 60 inch dedicated mower. Basically for the track would just be initially leveling some ground where a track used to be and then after would just be keep track smooth. Track would probably fit and 75 x 75 section if that much. Forgot that I might also use it to plow, till, lay off rows for small garden - small as in 60 x 60 space.

 

[boggen]

SCUT = sub compact utilty tractor = riding lawn mower on steroids. with a FEL and 3pt hitch maybe limited 3pt hitch.
CUT = compact utilty tractor

a CUT tends to get away from the riding lawn mower frame, has higher clearance underneath. more weight for traction, offers some extra controls / gears for better overall usage.

it is a muddle line between SCUT and a CUT.

if you jumped into a CUT (been awhile since i looked around) i am guessing 25ish to 30HP. with higher end being in the CUT size. would be more than enough tractor for you.

down sizing the tractor and getting all the various small addons that quickly add up. would more likely benefit you much better.

 

[4tillingdirt]

One other thing for your thoughts - would you get ag tires or the industrial tires. My brother has had industrial tires on his boomer for I guess 14 years now and they still have decent tread, but he has used them in places you prob wouldn't want to take an ag tire. Pulling cut trees from woods and a lot of loader work.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Ag tires for maximum traction and maximum grass messed up in the yard. . Turf tires for the least traction and least amount of grass messed up. Industrial tires ( R4 I think ) for good traction and not a lot of grass messed up and also for the most payload capacity such as for front end bucket hauling.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I've never owned a hydro static drive CUT but as others have said if you are using the FEL a lot it is the way to go. On the tractor's that I've owned I ran R1 Ag tires on an Yanmar YM 1700 and Ford New Holland 1720. They worked well even using a rear finish mower due to their lighter weight. I thing that the Yanmar weighed in at around 1800# with loaded rears and the 1720 tipped the scales at 3300# with loaded rears. My Workmaster 50 with loaded rears is over 6K and I finish mow with it using R4 industrial tires. I was mowing the other day down in the bottoms and we have had a lot of rain lately. It was leaving some impressions but did not tear up the turf as long as I did not turn too sharply. I would recommend R4's if you are finish mowing and your tractor is over 4K pounds.

 

[jeff9366]

HST are at least as reliable as as shuttle transmissions if owner operated.

If employee operated or family member operated, HST transmission will be more reliable.

HST transmission will be much more reliable than a clutch/gear traditional transmission. Clutch rebuilds are $1,200.

I speculate that new tractors with 50-horsepower or less are 80% supplied with HST transmissions.

 

[jeff9366]

One other thing for your thoughts - would you get ag tires or the industrial tires. My brother has had industrial tires on his boomer for I guess 14 years now and they still have decent tread, but he has used them in places you prob wouldn't want to take an ag tire. Pulling cut trees from woods and a lot of loader work.

R1/ag tires vibrate a lot on hard surfaces. Will you run over the road much?

R4/industrial tires are usually six ply, sometimes eight ply. Sidewalls are much more puncture/tear resistant compared to R1/ag tires.

 

[Texasmark]

Lots of going back and forth the hydro is sure nice and easy to use.

Long rows such as mowing and the shuttle style will put a few more hp to the blades.

Why one would want a gear only style now a days except for large field work is beyond me

I'll tell you why, it's because on light tractors with big hard tires, with plenty of hp, your foot is oscillating on the pedal continuously or you put it in cruise and ever 2 seconds you have to re adjust the cruise setting because the terrain changes. If you are working close in shifting gears would be the PIA and the hydro would be the perfect match for continuously changing conditions.

 

[GManBart]

Hoping to hear input from owners who have owned both. I had a dealer tell me that if he were buying one to mow or do rotary cutting he would get a hydro but for everything else he prefers the SS.

Thanks

A five second search will give you 50+ pages of every opinion you could ever want on the subject....heck, one thread is 44 pages long.

You'll find that the same people will make the same statements (arguments) in this thread as they have done for every similar thread for years....really nothing new to be said about it.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...421-hst-vs-shuttle.html?highlight=hst+shuttle

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ns-compact-utility.html?highlight=hst+shuttle

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...hutle-transmission.html?highlight=hst+shuttle

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...vs-2565-shuttle-vs.html?highlight=hst+shuttle

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/.../297356-pst-vs-hst.html?highlight=hst+shuttle

 

[rd_macgregor]

Hydro was not available when I bought my Kioti DK45S in 2006, or I would have got it. Although I do some old-field and trail mowing, most of my work is FEL stop/go/reverse sequences.
The 12X12 (in 3 ranges) shuttle is most irritating to me when blowing snow: I don't have enough hands and feet to operate all the levers at once (up/down on blower, chute rotation and deflection, forward/reverse, gear & range selection, steering); sometimes all that clutching gets to me. HST would cut out all the clutching and most of the gear selection (and make range selection smoother).

 

[jeff9366]

A five second search will give you 50+ pages of every opinion you could ever want on the subject....heck, one thread is 44 pages long.

You'll find that the same people will make the same statements (arguments) in this thread as they have done for every similar thread for years....really nothing new to be said about it.

"ON" as usual, GMAN.

 

[k0ua]

I would be using it to scrape gravel driveways, haul much around the yard, plug and seed yard. Might occasionally use loader/box scrape to fix go-kart track. Prob have 2 - 2 1/2 acres of grass.

Yep, you need a Hydrostat. No question.

 

[k0ua]

I coined a phrase a long time ago, and I still contend that it is still valid. "If you have to ask, you need a hydrostat". It is that simple. The reasoning behind it is that if you are into using your tractor as a utility tractor, in that you will be using your tractor for row crop tasks, you probably don't need a hydrostat as it is not the most efficient transmission for the task. BUT you will have experience before you start to take on these type of tasks and will KNOW what kind of transmission you need without asking. IF you are asking it usually means you are new to tractors, and have a small acreage and need to do repetitive tasks like loader work or mowing around things, and there is ONLY ONE CHOICE for a person such as you and that is a hydro. SO "if you have to ask, you need a hydro". Thats my story, and I am sticking to it. :laughing:

 

[ovrszd]

I have a stupid question. If you never have to use the clutch for shifting on GST/FST tractors then why do they have clutches? I don't get it.

For inching up to something. Like hitching an attachment to the 3pt. Or gently crowding the FEL bucket against something. With a Shuttle shift, when it's engaged it's going to move or kill the engine. Just like an old standard shift machine.

 

[Deere Dude]

I coined a phrase a long time ago, and I still contend that it is still valid. "If you have to ask, you need a hydrostat". It is that simple. The reasoning behind it is that if you are into using your tractor as a utility tractor, in that you will be using your tractor for row crop tasks, you probably don't need a hydrostat as it is not the most efficient transmission for the task. BUT you will have experience before you start to take on these type of tasks and will KNOW what kind of transmission you need without asking. IF you are asking it usually means you are new to tractors, and have a small acreage and need to do repetitive tasks like loader work or mowing around things, and there is ONLY ONE CHOICE for a person such as you and that is a hydro. SO "if you have to ask, you need a hydro". Thats my story, and I am sticking to it. :laughing:

X2

I have seen someone almost flip over their older tractor, I think it was an 8N Ford with standard shift. It seems the load was to heavy or hooked wrong and the front came up quickly, he shoved the clutch in, the front dropped and bounced, his foot came off the clutch again and the front jumped up in the air. He repeated this 3 or 4 times before he got it under control. Maybe the new stick shifts aren't prone to do that, I don't know.

One other thing to think about is if you ever sell the tractor, what do most people want to buy. More than likely hydro's. Go with the hydro.

 

[paulfun9]

Have 60 inch dedicated mower. Basically for the track would just be initially leveling some ground where a track used to be and then after would just be keep track smooth. Track would probably fit and 75 x 75 section if that much. Forgot that I might also use it to plow, till, lay off rows for small garden - small as in 60 x 60 space.

Nothing you describe gives me the impression that you would see any benefit from a shuttle unless you are simply put a very experienced operator who already has a preference to the gear. Unless I am missing something!

 

[crazyal]

Here's the basic answer. With shuttle shift you rev the engine up to move the tractor. With hydro you don't. So any job that you will be doing where you want the engine to be rev'd up while adjusting the speed you are moving at hydro would be the choice. That includes your PTO (brush hogging, etc) or the tractor hydraulics (like the loader).

Industrial tires are a compromise that fit most people's needs. They aren't too hard on grass like ag tires but offer better traction than turf tires. Normally they resist punctures better than the other types and they wear slower if used on payment due to their larger lugs. They are the safe bet option. But if you are going to be in muddy areas or somewhere else where the best possible traction is needed then I would go with the ag tires. If you are going to spend most your time on your lawn then turf tires would be the way to go.

 

[Rmart30]

So you think the hydro would hold up just as well?

I have owned both and say the hydro would hold up just as well. What you are describing using it for isnt very hard on a HST.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I have two tractors with gear drive shuttle shift, and one with hst. I HATE THE HST. Only have 30 hours on the B2320, but am seriously considering getting rid of it, I dislike it that much.