How does an HST compare in pulling power with the same tractor and a gear trans?

[4570Man]

Put the tractor in gear and she won’t move. My tractor will start up that hill in any of the lower 4 gears and you do not slip the clutch. It’s a diesel maybe in a gas tractor you might need to slip it.

Any tractor built in the last 20 years or probably longer has a clutch depress interlock to start. And just because it will start in gear doesn’t mean it’s helping the starter motor. You’re making problems where there aren’t any. If you aren’t smart enough to set the parking brake on a HST then you aren’t smart enough to use a clutch either. Better yet don’t park the tractor on a hill. Park across the hill if it can’t be avoided.

 

[5030]

15 pages of opinions.... Sheesh.

 

[jyoutz]

I just bought the highest HP tractor offered with HST and it works for any ground engagement activities. It pulls my all purpose plow with no effort. If you want HST, just buy a big enough tractor to do the job and don’t worry about a geared machine vs HST.

 

[jyoutz]

One advantage a geared tractor has, and if it has been said, I missed it. On a geared tractor; a certain gear at a certain engine speed gives you a constant ground speed. Not so with a hydro. For weed spraying where constant ground speed control is important, that can be an issue. Especially on hills. Few hydrostatic tractors (if any) have speedometers. I spray with a hydrostatic, so I use a automobile gps to tell me my ground speed. That helps immensely, but I still have to constantly jocky the throttle to maintain a constant speed (even with it's "cruise control"). This is a little off topic cause it has nothing to do with pulling power, but it does have to do with hydro vs gears.

Cruise control fixes that issue with HST.

 

[Edward Romero]

For loader work, the HST is the way to go. For snowblowers, I also think the HST is the way to go as the HST can keep the blower's rpm up under varying loads easier than a gear tractor.

Anyway, one of my popular videos discusses HST verses gear transmission.

Point “A” to point “B” at one speed - geared tractor

Point “A” to point “B”, pick up a load of gravel, back up to point “C”, go to point “D” and start spreading the load between point “D” and “E” then back it up carefully between & around point “F” to park it at point “G” - HST tractor

I did the same thing with my gear drive. Easy. What is so difficult about using a clutch, all big rigs use a manual transmission so that should tell you what has more pulling power

 

[Edward Romero]

I just bought the highest HP tractor offered with HST and it works for any ground engagement activities. It pulls my all purpose plow with no effort. If you want HST, just buy a big enough tractor to do the job and don’t worry about a geared machine vs HST.

Good point. I’ll stick with my gear drive

 

[Edward Romero]

Cruise control fixes that issue with HST.

Cruise control fixes that issue with HST.

Hand throttle and the gear of your choice is all you need on a gear drive

 

[jyoutz]

Hand throttle and the gear of your choice is all you need on a gear drive

So no more difficult than a range selection and and cruise control on HST.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Sure, you give up 10% or so of your HP to an HST transmission. Whether it's worth the sacrifice or not depends on how you use the tractor. I've used both gear and HST for mowing hilly fields with many obstacles, stacking pallets and a lot of FEL earthwork. I'll take the HST every time. For doing field work requiring less shifting, there's nothing wrong with a gear machine.

I never did get the hang of operating the clutch while standing to line up an SSQA FEL attachment. I swap implements frequently and the HST makes it a snap.

For what I do, an HST is a time and labor saver. If it means buying a machine with more HP to compensate, so be it.

 

[Chevyguy0819]

A lot of the work I do is heavy pushing and pulling and a hst just doesn’t cut it. It all depends on what you are doing with your tractor