Gear or Hydrostatic Transmissions for Compact Utility Tractors?

[jk96]

Why is it that for most of my adult life I have been able to back up everything from cars and trucks to heavy machinery and tractor trailers and managed to never hit or run over anything that makes the government think we need to have just an other useless gimmick built into our vehicles that will cost us even more money than the previous model.

I never had a window fail to go up or down until I purchased a car with power windows
I never had a car or truck that couldn't run on its own with a dead battery the 10 or 15 miles to the store (after jump start)) to buy a new battery until I purchased a car with a computer.
I never got a speeding ticket with a car that had a cable operated speedometer because it wasn't right but did so when we had our first car with digital speedo
I never got stuck at the roadside with a car for a trivial part not working with an old car but have been stranded now 4 times with computer problems that were related to non essential things that IMHO should not make a car stop or at least let it run in limp mode to get you off the higway
I have never seen someone stuck in traffic unable to push the car to the side of the road because something with their electronic steering would not let them steer the car unless it was running with a full battery charge until they started taking the electronics and adding them to the steering
I never got stuck in the snow with a 4 wheel drive until the wife brought home a car with traction control (You know the ones they advertised that the wheels with grip get the power and transfers the power from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip ads ) Yep I left that piece of crap sit there all winter and sold it at the first sight of spring then got her a jeep with lockers installed and she didn't get stuck as of yet! Better if all the wheels get power weather they slip or not if you live out here!
I don't need heated steering in the winter for I have more than enough sense to wear gloves, a Hat and dress appropriately for all weather conditions
I don't need controls for the radio on the steering wheel because I can remember the placement of the dashboard controls and easily am able to reach the few extra inches over to change a station without taking my eyes off the road heck I don't even need them to be illuminated like they are
Power seats are just a waste of money because they cost more, weigh more and that means your paying to haul them around as well, and they don't ever get moved once their set just like the old fashioned manually adjustable seat. That is unless your a teenager and are going parking with your girl (found Memories of that here)
I don't even need power brakes because I never seemed to have a problem stopping a car with non power disk brakes and still don't.
Anti lock brakes? The jury is still out on this for me because I see too many people trying to play Mario Andretti style stops on pitt road now a days and they are making more and more mistakes by becoming overly dependent on them and just hitting things without any skid marks. At least in the old days you felt a little better when someone slammed into you because the skid marks proved they at least did try to stop and didn't just ram into you because they didn't like the color of your car or the hat you had on today.



I have been out looking for a medium duty truck the past few days and have test driven many new and used trucks. My best thought right now is to buy a 1964 update the engine and add non power disk brakes, move the fuel tank to the center of the frame rails and be happy because it will get me anyplace I need to go just as well as any of the overpriced overrated trucks on offer today. Yep I noticed something no one seems to mention the speed limit is the same as it was back then and in most cases lower with less places to pass than ever. So what do I need more options for when they are essentially useless gimmicks designed to give one a false sense of security.
For instance the road between my home and town used to have 5 places where passing was legal and now only has one. The speed limit was higher and constant from stop to stop but now with all the Better brakes, better steering, more power, better handling, heated steering wheels, power seats, dash board read outs that show up on the window so you don't have to look down at the speedo, better lighting, Electronic traction control, ESP and all anti roll devices that just aren't coming to my mind right now and better tires. they have taken away the passing zones lowered the speed limit built a retaining wall, installed more and more guard rails and then lowered the speed limit again! I would have to say if they spent half the time mandating proper driver training and no time mandating safety options on the cars we could still safely manage this road at the old higher speed limit in our 1964 chevy, ford, doge or plymouth without half the accidents we have now and still be very happy without all the gimmicks many think we need!

I do however have to admit that the heated seats are worth their weight in gold when you get old and become littered with arthritis and they are the one luxury I would be willing to pay for!

You can keep your 1964. I'll put my wife & kids in the newer car with the useless safety upgrades.

 

[oldpilgrim]

From an article I saw today about 10 things that will not be around long, because there are newer things that are better that have made older things obsolete. It's always been that way and always will. This article is about cars and trucks, but there are strong parallels to tractors.


The Clutch Pedal is going away

Every year it seems that an additional car model loses the manual transmission option. Even the Ford F-150 pickup truck can’t be purchased with a stick anymore.

The decline of the manual transmission (in the U.S.) has been decades in the making, but two factors are, ahem, accelerating its demise:

Number one: Automatics, developed by firms such as Borg-Warner (BWA), ZF Friedrichshafen and Aisin, are getting more efficient, with up to nine gear ratios, allowing engines to run at the lowest, most economical speeds. Many Mazdas and some BMWs, among others, now score better fuel mileage with an automatic than with a stick.

Number two: Among high-performance cars, such as Porsches, “automated” manual shifts are taking hold. They use electronics to control the clutch instead of your left foot. You can select the gears with paddles, or just let the computer take care of that, too. The result: Shifting is faster than even for the most talented clutch-and-stick jockey, improving the cars' acceleration numbers. Plus, the costs on these are coming down, and they can now be found in less-expensive sporty cars, such as the Golf GTI.

Even the biggest of highway trucks are abandoning the clutch and stick for automatics, for fuel-efficiency gains and to attract drivers who won’t need to learn how to grind their way through 18-plus gears.

Some price-leader economy models, such as the Nissan Versa and Ford Fiesta, will list manuals on their cheapest configurations (though few will actually sell), and a segment of enthusiast cars, such as the Ford Mustang and Mazda Miata MX-5, will continue to offer the traditional three-pedal arrangement for some years to come.

“It will be reserved for the ‘driver’s vehicle,’” says Ivan Drury, an analyst for Edmunds.com. But finding one will be a challenge -- those holdout drivers had better be prepared to special-order their clutch cars.

 

[jaydee325]

Boy has this thread gone way OT! (LOL)

Here is my preference.

Hydrostatic Tractor only for my 5 acres of loader and mowing work.

I love driving a stick in my play cars.

Daily driver, Auto. My wife has physical limitations so only auto will work here.

I'd love to have a proper manual in my Ford Taurus SHO. But the 365 HP turbo rush makes up for the Auto/Paddle shifting.:yes:

 

[ovrszd]

Why is it that for most of my adult life I have been able to back up everything from cars and trucks to heavy machinery and tractor trailers and managed to never hit or run over anything that makes the government think we need to have just an other useless gimmick built into our vehicles that will cost us even more money than the previous model.

I never had a window fail to go up or down until I purchased a car with power windows
I never had a car or truck that couldn't run on its own with a dead battery the 10 or 15 miles to the store (after jump start)) to buy a new battery until I purchased a car with a computer.
I never got a speeding ticket with a car that had a cable operated speedometer because it wasn't right but did so when we had our first car with digital speedo
I never got stuck at the roadside with a car for a trivial part not working with an old car but have been stranded now 4 times with computer problems that were related to non essential things that IMHO should not make a car stop or at least let it run in limp mode to get you off the higway
I have never seen someone stuck in traffic unable to push the car to the side of the road because something with their electronic steering would not let them steer the car unless it was running with a full battery charge until they started taking the electronics and adding them to the steering
I never got stuck in the snow with a 4 wheel drive until the wife brought home a car with traction control (You know the ones they advertised that the wheels with grip get the power and transfers the power from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip ads ) Yep I left that piece of crap sit there all winter and sold it at the first sight of spring then got her a jeep with lockers installed and she didn't get stuck as of yet! Better if all the wheels get power weather they slip or not if you live out here!
I don't need heated steering in the winter for I have more than enough sense to wear gloves, a Hat and dress appropriately for all weather conditions
I don't need controls for the radio on the steering wheel because I can remember the placement of the dashboard controls and easily am able to reach the few extra inches over to change a station without taking my eyes off the road heck I don't even need them to be illuminated like they are
Power seats are just a waste of money because they cost more, weigh more and that means your paying to haul them around as well, and they don't ever get moved once their set just like the old fashioned manually adjustable seat. That is unless your a teenager and are going parking with your girl (found Memories of that here)
I don't even need power brakes because I never seemed to have a problem stopping a car with non power disk brakes and still don't.
Anti lock brakes? The jury is still out on this for me because I see too many people trying to play Mario Andretti style stops on pitt road now a days and they are making more and more mistakes by becoming overly dependent on them and just hitting things without any skid marks. At least in the old days you felt a little better when someone slammed into you because the skid marks proved they at least did try to stop and didn't just ram into you because they didn't like the color of your car or the hat you had on today.



I have been out looking for a medium duty truck the past few days and have test driven many new and used trucks. My best thought right now is to buy a 1964 update the engine and add non power disk brakes, move the fuel tank to the center of the frame rails and be happy because it will get me anyplace I need to go just as well as any of the overpriced overrated trucks on offer today. Yep I noticed something no one seems to mention the speed limit is the same as it was back then and in most cases lower with less places to pass than ever. So what do I need more options for when they are essentially useless gimmicks designed to give one a false sense of security.
For instance the road between my home and town used to have 5 places where passing was legal and now only has one. The speed limit was higher and constant from stop to stop but now with all the Better brakes, better steering, more power, better handling, heated steering wheels, power seats, dash board read outs that show up on the window so you don't have to look down at the speedo, better lighting, Electronic traction control, ESP and all anti roll devices that just aren't coming to my mind right now and better tires. they have taken away the passing zones lowered the speed limit built a retaining wall, installed more and more guard rails and then lowered the speed limit again! I would have to say if they spent half the time mandating proper driver training and no time mandating safety options on the cars we could still safely manage this road at the old higher speed limit in our 1964 chevy, ford, doge or plymouth without half the accidents we have now and still be very happy without all the gimmicks many think we need!

I do however have to admit that the heated seats are worth their weight in gold when you get old and become littered with arthritis and they are the one luxury I would be willing to pay for!

So what car/truck do you own/drive daily?

 

[coobie]

So what car/truck do you own/drive daily?

Model T.LOL

 

[houstonscott]

From an article I saw today about 10 things that will not be around long, because there are newer things that are better that have made older things obsolete. It's always been that way and always will. This article is about cars and trucks, but there are strong parallels to tractors. The Clutch Pedal is going away Every year it seems that an additional car model loses the manual transmission option. Even the Ford F-150 pickup truck can’t be purchased with a stick anymore. The decline of the manual transmission (in the U.S.) has been decades in the making, but two factors are, ahem, accelerating its demise: Number one: Automatics, developed by firms such as Borg-Warner (BWA), ZF Friedrichshafen and Aisin, are getting more efficient, with up to nine gear ratios, allowing engines to run at the lowest, most economical speeds. Many Mazdas and some BMWs, among others, now score better fuel mileage with an automatic than with a stick. Number two: Among high-performance cars, such as Porsches, “automated” manual shifts are taking hold. They use electronics to control the clutch instead of your left foot. You can select the gears with paddles, or just let the computer take care of that, too. The result: Shifting is faster than even for the most talented clutch-and-stick jockey, improving the cars' acceleration numbers. Plus, the costs on these are coming down, and they can now be found in less-expensive sporty cars, such as the Golf GTI. Even the biggest of highway trucks are abandoning the clutch and stick for automatics, for fuel-efficiency gains and to attract drivers who won’t need to learn how to grind their way through 18-plus gears. Some price-leader economy models, such as the Nissan Versa and Ford Fiesta, will list manuals on their cheapest configurations (though few will actually sell), and a segment of enthusiast cars, such as the Ford Mustang and Mazda Miata MX-5, will continue to offer the traditional three-pedal arrangement for some years to come. “It will be reserved for the ‘driver’s vehicle,’” says Ivan Drury, an analyst for Edmunds.com. But finding one will be a challenge -- those holdout drivers had better be prepared to special-order their clutch cars.

What don't realize is you are experiencing big government regulations. So many are trying to turn it back, but they just keep voting them in, to sit around an figure out what else you need to be safe and enjoy life. HS

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Well, the good news is that the Gear forever guys are happy with their machines, and the Hydro Fanboys (of which I am the charter member) are happy with their machines, so the net result is we have a LOT of happy people.:laughing:

Roger that... I'm just not getting my skirt blown up by my b2320 hst. Now the gears drives, let's just say, there's a lot of azz showin'...

 

[k0ua]

I really like the backup camera. I would have run over a little girl in the parking lot of Wal Mart that got away from her mother and parked herself on my back bumper. She was too short to see in any way. When I went into reverse I check all of my mirrors and the backup camera. She only showed in the backup camera and she wasn't there when I got into the car. Her mother was busy wrangling 2 or 3 other children. I didn't run over her. I am glad I did not. That backup camera saved that child's life and me from the agony of killing a child. I wish all of my vehicles had a backup camera.

I have had vehicles with heated seats and heated steering wheel. Its nice but I can do without it. None of my vehicles have it now. I drove cars and trucks with standard transmissions for decades. I don't miss them one tiny little bit. Many modern kids and even some 40 year olds cannot even drive them. My father hated automatic transmissions and would never buy any vehicle with one. Of course he based he experience with them on 1940's and 1950s automatic transmission technology.

I embraced computers and electronic things as soon as I was able. When I found some technology that made my life better I have always wanted to learn about it. As soon as a smart phone came out I wanted one. I have one now, and have had them for some time. While I have some of the last decades finest Digital radios money can buy, now that there are SDR's (Software Defined Radios), I lust after them. I don't have one, but I would like to. Much of the radio's functionality is now done in software instead of physical hardware.

Yep, I may be an old geezer, but I like my toys. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[ovrszd]

James, all this technology has it's place. In that place it's extremely valuable. We ALL use it daily. Whether we realize it or not is debatable.

Glad your ordeal worked out.

As a sign of youthful rebellion, I fight it as much as I can. Yeah, I'm stupid like that.....

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I have had vehicles with heated seats and heated steering wheel.

Once a person has grasped a heated steering wheel in -10 below fahrenheit temperatures anybody who claims to wish to give it up is labeled a Luddite. That genie cannot be put back into the bottle.