Does Gear Trans = Non-Live PTO?

[MMH]

Was looking at a L2350 w/ a gear trans. It was at a Kubota dealer. He said that the PTO was not live, nor was it on any gear trans Kubota. Allot of the intended usage will include clearing land/bush hogging. If every time I put in the clutch the bush hog stops, this would be a hassle. Should I be just looking at HSTs, or is a geared trans OK for land clearing work?

 

[k0ua]

Well, this is an opinion..I had a B7500, and mowed with rotary cutter plenty with it.. It was gear , yes the pto spun down every time you pushed in the clutch to change direction. But it worked ok. not a big deal for this application. But that said. Hydro is better, especially for loader work, or working around obstructions. When mowing around something you don't want to destroy, you have more control, to go slow. Same with the loader, just more control, and the ability to change direction instantly. also when digging a trench with the bucket, you can dig much faster and better with the hydro, by using forward/reverse power as well as breakout force to dig with. You can do it with gear, but requires a lot of clutch work/slipping. Lots of people will disagree with my assesments. I have owned 2 gear tractors and 2 hydro.. present is hydro, and love it. But to directly answer your question. you will be fine, cutting with the gear tractor, it will work well.
James K0UA

 

[RoyJackson]

If you have 2-stage clutch, it's still "live".
Single stage clutches are not "live".

However, the blades on a rotary cutter have a lot of inertia due to the weight. My cutter, a 60" Land Pride, takes darn near a minute to spin down even when the PTO is disengaged.
Depressing the clutch long enough to shift gears (even in a non-synchro transmission) won't even slow your cutter down enough to be of any concern.
One thing you do want to consider is that cutter "driving" your tractor when the clutch is depressed. You'll want an overrunning clutch installed on the cutter's drive line.

As far as loader work, the difference in time (if any difference), might be a second or so. I doubt if most HST owners have enough experience with gears to be knowledgeable on the subject. However, I would caution against inexperienced or multiple operators using a gear transmission. Clutches are tough and long lasting, but abuse can really cut their life down.

 

[TripleR]

I used Ford 600 Series tractors up to a few years ago and you can use a tractor without a live PTO for bush hogging, but I MUCH prefer live or independent. We have a geared MF and Kubota with independent PTO and find them much easier to use. As Roy says an over running clutch is a must.

Our geared and HST tractors have FEL and with experience, both are effective though HST is easier to learn.