Buying Advice 1635 Hydrostatic vs. PowerShuttle

[AdamCanterbury]

I agree that you could not go wrong with either one. The power shuttle is nice. I am going to go to dealer tomorrow and demo a 1643 Hydro and see how it feels. I drove a Kioti DK40SE HST today with the cab , a/c, and heat. That was a mistake. Spoiled!

 

[TripleR]

I agree that you could not go wrong with either one. The power shuttle is nice. I am going to go to dealer tomorrow and demo a 1643 Hydro and see how it feels. I drove a Kioti DK40SE HST today with the cab , a/c, and heat. That was a mistake. Spoiled!

I can sure identify, I went shopping with my wife three years ago for an open station 35 or so HP to go along with our Mi540, I wanted something to keep at our home farm so I wasn't going to the other farm all the time t bring a tractor here then realizing I needed it there the next day. I have driven geared units for well over fifty-years including a synch and hydro shuttle. I looked at a lot of them and liked quite a few. Before leaving my wife spied a cabbed tractor she liked. I dismissed her with, it's too big, we can't afford it...

Long story short, we wound up with a 50 HP cabbed tractor and couldn't be happier, wound up trading it on a L5740 HSTC last year to avoid the L60, LOVE a cab and HST; life is short, so enjoy it while you can.

I'm not promoting or recommending the Kubota, either the Kioti or Massey will suit you just fine and I could be pretty happy with either.

 

[AdamCanterbury]

I appreciate the feedback. I am thinking that I may spend the extra money and get a cab tractor with A/C and heat. Sure would be nice in the summer mowing under the A/C and not having to worry about wearing mask to keep dust and grass out of my sinuses.

 

[TripleR]

I appreciate the feedback. I am thinking that I may spend the extra money and get a cab tractor with A/C and heat. Sure would be nice in the summer mowing under the A/C and not having to worry about wearing mask to keep dust and grass out of my sinuses.

Can't beat it if you have alergies and the older you get or more time you spend on one, the more you will appreciate it.

 

[droptop]

I use my tractor in a very similar manner to what you described. Mostly mowing, but I add in snowblowing in the winter. I had a JD 770 previously and it had a 8x2 manual transmission and it worked well, but I knew I wanted more reverse options for the blower. The 12x12 powershift works well for me, giving me enough speed selections. The only thing that would be nice about the hydro is slowing down on a turn. I tested a hydro and it didn't feel right. It revved up a lot any time I pushed the pedal to move, and I really didn't like the hydro whine. As for thinking about a cab, Think Nike, and JUST DO IT! Hours of brush hogging and I'm cool and clean while listening to the stereo, would never even consider a tractor without a factory cab again. My dealer had to order the cab tractor so he wasn't pushing either, but he said that he sells more power shifts than hydros in the 1635.

 

[AdamCanterbury]

I was not too crazy about the Hydro in the MF tractor. The Kioti HST was much smoother and quieter than the MF. I do like the power shuttle transmission in the MF. It is the next best thing to Hydro. I got a couple of good prices on the 1635 from a local dealer. Is was quoted $19,250 OTD on the open station and $26,500 in the cab model. How does that sound with what you payed for yours? Thanks!

 

[droptop]

I thought that I got a good price on mine at 27,200. But for 26,500 jump at it. Make sure you get at least one remote (included w/ cab, but extra on open station) and the skid steer quick attach bucket, then you can pick up a set of forks. I never thought I'd use forks as much as I do.

You won't regret getting a cab. Just think of how much less you would use your car if it had no roof, no heat, no A/C the same applies to your tractor, you can mow in the rain and be nice and dry and comfortable.

 

[AdamCanterbury]

After getting my sinuses full of dust yesterday from using the box blade I can really see how nice the cab would be.

 

[radrock]

Just bought a 1635 HST bout a month ago. Was in the same boat you're in against the powershuttle. All I do is use a finish mower and a box blade for now.....might push a bit of snow this winter with the FEL. Just mowed 9 acres today with it. So far so good. When pulling hard or going up a slope you get the whine everyone will tell you about. Noticed a lot at first now not nearly as much. Don't know if it's getting quieter or I'm getting used to it. Did a lot of trimming along the woods and a sharp drop off backing up and pulling away and the hydro made it very easy and it seemed a lot safer also. The cruise control lever is nice also as it lets you set the speed and just kick back and ride as you would with a regular transmission. On a note....If you've got a lot of fairly steep hills or slopes to mow a lot you might consider the shuttle. It tends to want to power out on a steep grade while mowing. But other than that I really like mine. I also have a 2000 foot driveway too grade and upkeep with the before mentioned box blade and it works miracles. Here's a couple of pics of part of what I mowed today. Gonna build a house in the middle in the spring. Don't know anything about a Kioti. No dealers near me. Probably a good tractor also though.

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=333801"/><img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=333802"/><img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=333803"/>

Just curious. Was you mowing in low range going up hill or medium? Also do you take the FEL off when mowing? I mow without the FEL and in low range. I go about the same speed in low range as I would in medium any way. I can tell a difference with the FEL off for sure

 

[crreed67]

Mowing in low range with the FEL on. Haven't tried it without it yet. Really hadn't considered it. That's good thinking. Will definitely try it and see. Might take a couple of weeks as the mowing season is winding down here. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[bigbull338]

we leave the loaders on our tractors when we are shredding.as a matter of fact our loaders are never off the tractor unless they have tobe.

 

[mjstef]

Really like the idea of a Power Shuttle. I have run heavy equipment most of my adult life and have yet to run into a hydro but most every backhoe and skip loader made has a power shuttle. The Case 580Super L i used to run had north of 9,000 hours on it and NEVER once had a transmission issue. My problem with hydro's are mostly in mowing. Here in the mountains we mow some steep stuff on occasion and every hyro i have ever tried has fallen flat on it's face bush hogging when you come to a hill where you end up at a snails pace where a gear drive will power right up the hill without slowing down. I agree with the poster above talking about the whine too. It can get annoying. The other thing i don't like on a hydro is no foot throttle for loader work. Just tooling around there is no reason to run a tractor at rated RPM but when you want to lift that bucket load of dirt to dump in the trailer on a hydro, you have to use the hand throttle. A Power Shuttle and Regular Shuttle have a foot throttle for this purpose. It seems as though Massey and Mahindra are the only ones in the under 50HP line with a power shuttle or did i miss one?

 

[Wobblin-Goblin]

As someone who has direct experience with both (a 1540 with the Powershuttle and now a 1643 with Hydro), I can say they both have their plusses and minuses.

The PS is quieter and robs less power. It is also better if you are pulling things like hay balers and mowers and things like that. If you like "finding" gears (like I do), naturally the PS is better, too.

The Hydro is more precise when it comes to loader work. If you want an inch, you can get that inch. The Hydro is also faster when using the loader. Basically, if you are using either a bucket or a set of forks on your loader, the Hydro is better.

Having said all that, I think the PS is the better all-around transmission because it's slightly better at loader work than the Hydro is at pulling traditional farm attachments like hay mowers, rakes, and balers and it's quieter and robs less power. For me, it's sort of a moot point, as I no longer have the 1540 Powershuttle and instead have the 1643 Hydro, and it's a good tractor.

 

[radrock]

As someone who has direct experience with both (a 1540 with the Powershuttle and now a 1643 with Hydro), I can say they both have their plusses and minuses. The PS is quieter and robs less power. It is also better if you are pulling things like hay balers and mowers and things like that. If you like "finding" gears (like I do), naturally the PS is better, too. The Hydro is more precise when it comes to loader work. If you want an inch, you can get that inch. The Hydro is also faster when using the loader. Basically, if you are using either a bucket or a set of forks on your loader, the Hydro is better. Having said all that, I think the PS is the better all-around transmission because it's slightly better at loader work than the Hydro is at pulling traditional farm attachments like hay mowers, rakes, and balers and it's quieter and robs less power. For me, it's sort of a moot point, as I no longer have the 1540 Powershuttle and instead have the 1643 Hydro, and it's a good tractor.

I agree with you on this. I also think there is less tire spinning with a Hydo when using the loader.

MJSTEF, I have operated heavy equipment all of my life and the power shuttle is great in the Cat and Case backhoes. I did want to point out that most of the newer Massey Hydros have the throttle incorporated in the the hydro peddles. You can use either one.

 

[TSO]

Just to piggyback on what others have said ... I've owned both HST and Shuttle (not PST tho) and I prefer HST 90% of the time.

Shuttle puts a noticeable amount more power to the ground, especially when grading, plowing, pushing, etc. It's also quiet and you don't have the whine of HST.

But, using a shuttle for loader work is very annoying, and the amount of precision that HST gives you can't be overstated.

If the majority of your use will be ground engagement and/or haying, get the shuttle. For everything else, HST rules.