Drawbar Power Losses?

[To20Chris]

There have been several threads on the issue of power lost to the PTO with HST, and I believe I understand how that happens, but it seems to me the bigger power loss would be in the power sent to the wheels. I am NOT trying to start up the gear/HST battle again, but does anyone have any data on comparative drawbar hp?

 

[timb]

That would be a very interesting subject but the only widely 'recognized' tractor drawbar hp testing that I've heard of is that done in the 'Nebraska' tests - and they don't test anything smaller than (I think) 40 PTO hp. The bigger problem with an HST and available drawbar force may not be the short-term loss of a few more hp vs a gear drive - but what damage may or may not be happening to the HST under sustained heavy draft loads.

Since very few people seem to be using their compacts for all-day constant tillage work it doesn't seem to be a problem but it would be revealing to run two nearly identical CUTs, one hydro and one gear, under those types of conditions and measure both drawbar force and transmission temperatures.

For what it's worth I think HST trannys are great stuff for many uses but when I discussed my 'planned' range of duties with my dealer (and before I ever mentioned a tranny preference) he told me to stay away from an HST. But only because I planned on using my 'compact' as more of a small ag tractor (plow/disc/cultivate over 10 acres) and less of a groundskeeping machine.

Tim