Forwards and Backwards

gbw · Oct 6, 2009

Still pretty new at all of this. Had a Ford Jubilee for years, finally sold it for an '06 JD 4320 (175 hrs) eHydro w/400x, which I really like - man, what power, comfort, and ease of use!

Anyhow. I have a question and I hope you more experienced guys can help.

For whatever reason the forward / reverse pedals seem backwards to me. I tend to want to use the outside pedal for forward sometimes. Although I haven't done it yet, I probably will hit the reverse pedal while in cruise or when the tractor is otherwise moving.

I'm sure this isn't the best thing to do, but is it harmful to the drivetrain to hit one pedal while moving in the opposite direction with HST?

(Sorry! this goes in owning/operating)

Dutch445 · Oct 6, 2009

Congrats on the new tractor!

The forward / reverse system follows along
with what JD has done since the early 90's when
they came out with 2 pedals on their lawn tractors,
and eventually into the 55 series hydro tractors.
It's been the same, forward on the left, then on the
right side is reverse. You will get the hang of it,
just a matter of getting some seat time to get
used to it. Before you know it, it will be 2nd nature!
If you are concerned about hitting the wrong pedal,
hold off on using cruise control until you are more comfortable
with the setup. I can't say what may happen if you have
cruise on, and you push down on the reverse pedal. With
the electronics you may find the tractor might return to
neutral, until both pedals are released, and you can restart.

enjoy the new tractor!

kennyd · Oct 6, 2009

As Dutch said...you will get used to it very quickly. You just need more seat time that's all. Congrats on your new machine.

LBrown59 · Oct 6, 2009

I thought the petals were front to back of each other bad enough.
But Side to side is even worse.

Spudland_Dave · Oct 6, 2009

Dutch445 said:
The forward / reverse system follows along
with what JD has done since the early 90's when
they came out with 2 pedals on their lawn tractors,
and eventually into the 55 series hydro tractors.
It's been the same, forward on the left, then on the
right side is reverse.

Earlier then the 90's....I'd say mid-80's... My 1988 F935 has the same pedal setup as my 2008 3520..
I want to say the 855's and such were released in 1985ish...So its been a while..

WH401 · Oct 6, 2009

LBrown59 said:
I thought the petals were front to back of each other bad enough.
But Side to side is even worse.

Beats a "treddle" any day.

Spudland_Dave · Oct 7, 2009

WH401 said:
Beats a "treddle" any day.

You got it...
Seriously, even MORE then the Crappy Orange dealer, what killed the Kubota for me was I just couldnt get over the "Treddle" B.S...... Talk about an uncomfortable monstrosity.... Seriously, I think it would be easier and more comfortable to drive one with a Hand Clutch..

Another benefit IMO to the twin pedals....when I snowblow in reverse (or any reverse tasks) I twist a little to the right...puts the reverse pedal at a nice location for extended use... When going foward...its a simple twist of the foot....my heel never leaves the rubber on the floor.

JD755 · Oct 7, 2009

The first 55 series tractors were released for the 1986 model year. The dual pedals become very easy to use very quickly. Much better than the treadle. I agree with the comment about the reverse pedal being positioned well for operating while turned around operating three point implements in reverse.

dfkrug · Oct 7, 2009

gbw said:
...but is it harmful to the drivetrain to hit one pedal while moving in the opposite direction with HST?

No, it won't harm the drivetrain, but if you do it a lot, you will heat the
hyd fluid up fast as your 6000+ psi HST relief valves get constantly actuated.
And your tractor may screech at you.

As for the cruise control, I don't know what the 4x20 uses, but it should
resist foot pressure on the pedals until it is turned off. The x55s used a
mechanical clamp for the cruise control and the 4x00/4x10s used an
electro-magnet to lock the forward go pedal. A "smart" CC system, which
the 4x20s may have, would disengage as soon as you hit the go pedal.

I have had both the rocker pedal and 2-pedal HST tractors at the same
time. That was tough because switching from one machine to the other
was not natural. The only 2 (minor) advantages I see of the treadle over
the 2-pedal system is that the treadle can be used standing up and it is
easier to find the right foot position without looking. It is easier to hit the
wrong pedal in the 2 pedal system.

JD755 · Oct 7, 2009

People should buy and use whatever pedal system they like and are most comfortable with. John Deere has promoted their two pedal system for more than twenty years and I like their claimed advantages. So I was surprised when they introduced Auto-HST with just one pedal as an option on the 3000 Twenty series. It requires moving a hand-operated lever to change the pedal from forward to reverse operation. It is hard for me to understand the advantage to that instead of just rotating my foot over from one pedal to the other. They advertise it makes it operate like a car for the new-to-tractors buyer. Maybe they are concerned about the new operator hitting the wrong pedal.

WH401 · Oct 7, 2009

JD755 said:
People should buy and use whatever pedal system they like and are most comfortable with. John Deere has promoted their two pedal system for more than twenty years and I like their claimed advantages. So I was surprised when they introduced Auto-HST with just one pedal as an option on the 3000 Twenty series. It requires moving a hand-operated lever to change the pedal from forward to reverse operation. It is hard for me to understand the advantage to that instead of just rotating my foot over from one pedal to the other. They advertise it makes it operate like a car for the new-to-tractors buyer. Maybe they are concerned about the new operator hitting the wrong pedal.

I agree, the Auto-HST seems like a step backwards IMO. Having to lift off the pedal while going forward, shift the lever to reverse, then having step on the pedal again is going to be noticeable slower in operation than just pivoting your foot. But, I can't say that I have ever seen or known of a person that actually has that particular HST on one of there tractors, so I would figure were not the only ones that feel that way.

thendricks · Oct 9, 2009

LBrown59 said:
I thought the petals were front to back of each other bad enough.
But Side to side is even worse.

You are in the JD forums. JD people like the JD system of pedals.

Do any fishing today?

LBrown59 · Oct 9, 2009

dfkrug said:
No, it won't harm the drivetrain, but if you do it a lot, you will heat the
hyd fluid up fast as your 6000+ psi HST relief valves get constantly actuated.
And your tractor may screech at you.

As for the cruise control, I don't know what the 4x20 uses, but it should
resist foot pressure on the pedals until it is turned off. The x55s used a
mechanical clamp for the cruise control and the 4x00/4x10s used an
electro-magnet to lock the forward go pedal. A "smart" CC system, which
the 4x20s may have, would disengage as soon as you hit the go pedal.

I have had both the rocker pedal and 2-pedal HST tractors at the same
time. That was tough because switching from one machine to the other
was not natural. The only 2 (minor) advantages I see of the treadle over
the 2-pedal system is that the treadle can be used standing up and it is
easier to find the right foot position without looking.
It is easier to hit the
wrong pedal in the 2 pedal system.

Hitting the wrong petal could be fatal when working close to banks ditches holes cliffs and other drop offs.

JDGREEN4ME · Oct 9, 2009

WH401 said:
Beats a "treddle" any day.

Amen brother!

Killer_B · Oct 9, 2009

gbw said:
For whatever reason the forward / reverse pedals seem backwards to me.

Here's the little mnemonic devise I use: Grandad alway kept the tractor OUT BACK. By that I mean that the outboard pedal makes the tractor go backwards.

It's fun getting old.

KB

Cocre · Oct 9, 2009

When I first got my 3320 I too thought the pedals were backwards, but after a bit of driving I realized that when I turned my body (to the right) to look backwards in the direction I would soon be going, that my right foot naturally moved toward the right reverse pedal. JD thought the pedal placement out well.

gbw · Oct 11, 2009

Thanks for all of the replies and tips.

I wasn't actually too concerned about Deeres' ergonomics - they are what they are and seem fine to me. But I don't know much about HSTs and so wondered about going one way and hitting the other pedal, which I doubtless will do, and which Mr. Krug answered (thanks!). The equivalent on a manual will often result in a casing full of detached gear teeth.

I did a little testing. The cruise control is the JD standard for 4x20 series. It does not function in reverse, a very good thing. Hitting the forward pedal does NOT disengage it. Hitting the brake, the reverse pedal, or the cruise-off switch (duh!) does disengage and stops the tractor fairly violently.

I've really liked looking at everyone's pictures. It seems kind of silly, truly if you've seen one tractor you've seen them all. Still, I always look and enjoy, so here are a few more.

First is of the place - 25 ac. in the deep south, house and barn. This was originally built to be the home of barrel racers on horseback. I've no horses nor any interest or intention. We added the pool, blacktopped the drive, etc.

Another of the driveway.

From the back end of the barn. It is a pole barn, 40'x80' with nine 12x12 stalls, a wash area (now storage), a 12x24 tack room now a shop, and an 8' porch area. I had the barn centerway blacktopped when I had the drive done. A very large barn is a most wonderful thing to have.

My first tractor, just after I bought the place, a 1953 NAA. I loved it. (You cannot see her in the photo but Mimi is there with a death grip on the Little Dude.) I bought it on a whim, along with a very old very heavy duty MF60 rotary cutter for $3000 10 years ago, and began to learn what splendidly useful and fun machines they are.

The Blues Brothers on the 4320. It's a 2006 model I bought this year. I know I'm always curious: the tractor, FEL, forks, 175hrs. evidently in excellent condition were $19,500. I've no idea if it was a good deal. Now has about 270hrs, no problems of any sort.

The long and short of it.

The Little Dude insisted the cutter be painted green, although we fell sadly short on the shade matching portion of the exercise. Shooting range visible in the background.

A couple more of the tractor, and finally a couple of Hurricane Katrina damage - it hit us about 2 hours after it finished trashing New Orleans. Estimated winds were 90 - 110mph for about 3 hours. The NAA was invaluable in the cleanup, and it was then I began to seriously think about a FEL equipped tractor.

jenkinsph · Oct 11, 2009

gbw,
Enjoyed the pictures what town is this near ? Hattisburg?

Steve

mjncad · Oct 12, 2009

I use my 4200 for compacting soil by driving over it, then scooting over a tire's width and repeating. This results in plenty of direction changes and my HST handles it without complaint. I'm also happy with the JD side-by-side pedal arrangement. Yeah I've hit reverse a couple of times by mistake; but lifting off the pedal immediately stops the tractor.

My L130 lawn tractor has a hybrid two pedal system akin to a treadle and I hate it. I find using reverse difficult as I can't get the leverage with just my heel to smoothly go backwards, which results in jerky starts and stops. I end up sticking my toes under the forward pedal to gain added leverage for reverse by pulling up with them.

I wouldn't have a treadle; but if that works for someone else...great.