24x24 and 32x32 transmission owners

[hollowcd]

I am looking into a JD5525 size tractor and am considering the differences between the 12x12/24x24 and the 16x16/32x32 transmissions. Not having run them, I would think that the ability to have the 20% reduction button would be great for turning on the ends of the fields, getting into some thicker grass, etc, etc. I was hoping to hear from a couple of owners or people with experience to help me make my decision whether to upgrade the trans or not. It doesnt seem like there is too many of them out there in the used market world, most are the standard reversers. Thanks for the help!!
hollow

 

[hollowcd]

Nobody has the hi/lo ??

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

I have the 24x24 trans on my 5425. I use the hi-lo feature alot actually. It gives you a little added range of speed in a particular gear where you might otherwise need to shift gears. It has little effect in low range 1 to 3, but the 20% starts to make a difference in the B range higher gears. In transit on the road, in C range, 3rd or 4th gear, the 20% boost is like having a full upshift to a 5th gear.

Mostly though, it is useful for making push-of-a-button speed changes while bush hogging or baling where you need to adjust ground speed to compensate for varying field conditions. Of course it is useful for loader work too.

 

[radman1]

I have driven a 12x12/24x24 Case-IH transmission. Although the mechanics and transmission are not the same, it reminds me of my old IH's which had torque amplifiers. The push button hi/low has the same effect. When conditions are tough, it is easy to downshift and keep moving. It is a significant improvement over a straight syncho-shift tranny in some applications. I think they are most useful in tillage or heavy pulling work. In tillage work such as pulling a plow or disc, clutching to downshift usually means coming to a stop before the shift can be completed, then the strain of getting the tractor moving again. Mowing with a 15' batwing and varying grass conditions would also be useful but on the fly shifts are more easy to do when mowing. I would not see it being that useful in loader applications but certainly could be used just to obtain a faster or slower speed.

The semi-powershifts and powershifts are another significant step up which I like even more but I don't believe offered in the 5000 series. The semi-power shifts allow 4 gear changes by pushing a button. The full powershifts allows on-the-go shifts thoughout gears 1-18 or whatever the top gear is on the tractor.

 

[Zebra5]

My old 2030 has the HI-LO and since you must come to a complete stop to shift gears (other than the HI-LO shift), the HI-LO is a leg (clutch leg) saver, plus a time saver not having to completely stop to shift.

At least the 5525 allows clutching to shift the 4 gears, but not the ranges, a big inprovement over my 2030.

I am plannning on replacing my 2030 with a 5x20 or 5x25 MFWD tractor with a reverser. I have not found any 24 speeds to look at yet.