HST Transmission

slowrev · Jan 8, 2004

Good input Daryl,
It does appear that your tractor is engineered on the edge of its capabilities though. An 8 degree margin is not very much, Plus the outer case of the tranny would be cooler than the oil inside heating it up. The oil temp might well be over 230, I would change my hydro oil frequently if I had your tractor.
Ben

art · Jan 8, 2004

Wasted a hour today and found no service bullitins to build a case for runaway hydro's! People buy them here for safety as they do hold back on hills and they don't wear out the clutches and brakes. The only way it could happen is if the servo's were way out of adjustment or left out totally and that couldn't happen unless someone that didn't know what they were doing was trying to make adjustments.. Maybe the same guy that can't adjust a fuel pump on a 1066 in five minutes was the mechanic. Sorry Doc, to the rebuild? You can't prove your case in any of our stores, sorry! Boys checking the records we still have a fine selection of over 56 in our computer base on farms that are working these thirty year old hydro's and going strong on the farm! These tractors range from 17 to over thirty years old!

art · Jan 8, 2004

My lead mechanic came into my office while typing the last response, when disscussing the hydro issue, "I've been here for 17 years and I've never had one apart or had to do more than adjust one"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_RaT_ · Jan 8, 2004

Art, I posted this back about a year ago. I asked 3 different Kubota dealers, 2 locally and one out of town where I was working how often they experience failures on the HST transmissions. Without exageration on my part, all three gave the same response, "we don't have any experience with failed HST's". Two dealers had no clue what a new/rebuilt would cost, the third said that in this case, Kubota does not rebuild them, they would send a new one for about $2K. What ever the case, it was enough for me to feel the HST was reliable enough. My experience in using it now exceeds about 400 hours, still far shy of my experience with a manual be it shuttle or standard, but I must admit, for my uses which are pretty general purpose, I can't think of a better way to go. I got an email from Derek Rowski here at TBN who was all set on a manual/shuttle until he borrowed a HST and he I believe is a convert. HST, it's not for everybody but for my needs, it's ideal.

ledebuhr1 · Jan 8, 2004

My uncle, an engineer, told me a well engineered HST system will outlast the engine. Sometimes outlasting two engines. Of course this assumes you do the proper maintainance.

5030 · Jan 8, 2004

Ben:

Because what I do to or with the 5030, I change the fluid a 1/2 the change period recommended in the operators manual.

When the tractor comes out of warranty, I am going to change out the oil cooler to a Hayden unit with 2 times the cooling area of the stock unit. I won't do this until the warranty expires though. Kubota really frowns on that type of modification.

leaddog · Jan 8, 2004

yooper dave,
I heard that century is comming out with a larger tractor with a hydro. It will have a cumings engine. Don't know much about it but the rumor about a BIG Press release from them may be this. Stay tuned for more info. I've got a century 3045 gear and it is a 48hp yammer but this is supposed to be bigger. They are REALLY tough tractors
leaddog

yooperdave · Jan 8, 2004

This is good news.

I have a Branson dealer not too far away - I hope it crosses over from the Century line.

Thanks

Yooper Dave

Tractors4u · Jan 8, 2004

I have had 1 HST tractor and a whole herd of gear tractors. They were all used tractors. The one hydro was a Deere 855, the rest were grey market and two Bolens gear tractors. I now have a new and what I consider permanent tractor. It is a John Deere 4310 ePowreverser. The HST in my old 855 was OK but it didn't knock my socks off. When I went shopping for my new tractor I knew I could get more HP for my money with a gear tractor. I don't have a problem with HST, but I honestly prefer gear with shuttle. If there were no such thing as shuttle shift I would probably have an HST. The thing that irks me a little is the HST fanaticism. Most treat the gear tractor as though it is some cumbersome to use that it is worthless. Yeah it is probably easier to go forward to reverse with an HST and most on this board say if you do loader work get an HST. Funny thing is in the John Deere and Kubota brochures that I picked up they both extolled the virtues of the shuttle shift tractors for loader work and HST for other things! Come on guys to each his own.

mustelid · Jan 8, 2004

don't forget about one other piece of farm equipment with HST....combines. i know they're not pulling a ripper burried 40ft into the ground but they still do a lot of work. and at harvest time those suckers are running 12+hrs a day for a couple weeks straight!!

yooperdave · Jan 8, 2004

Is a true power reverser option roughly the same price as the HST option?

Does Zetor, Mahindra, or New Holland offer a true power reverser?

Thanks

Yooper Dave

Tractors4u · Jan 8, 2004

I'm not sure what you mean by true power reverser? The power reverser on my Deere was less than the HST and the Kubota was also less.

yooperdave · Jan 8, 2004

I thought that the Mahindra and Zetor required the clutch to also be engaged in order to move the switch to reverse.

I also thought that John Deere only required a flip of a switch in order to promptly reverse. This is what I consider a true power reversing option.

Yooper Dave

Tractors4u · Jan 8, 2004

Gotcha, the Deere does not have to be clutched to shift. I am not sure about the Zetor though. To tell you the truth I don't remember about the Kubota 3130 I test drove either. I'm so used to clutching though, that I clutch 9 times out of 10 /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

AndyMA · Jan 8, 2004

(
I also thought that John Deere only required a flip of a switch in order to promptly reverse. This is what I consider a true power reversing option.
)

How does the Deere Power Reverser compare to the Hydraulic Power Shuttle on the New Holland TN series that allows you to flip the left hand steering post lever with one finger, never touching the clutch, at any throttle position. You go from any speed forward to an identical reverse speed with a gentle transition with the 16Fx16R trans. The New Holland trans is also available 32Fx16R or 44Fx16R.

I'm not familiar with the Deere system. I will also state that the New Holland system is great for loader operation as I suspect the Deere is.

Andy

grandad · Jan 8, 2004

Gosh, Dave, see what you started? A simple question and the transmission war erupts!

What a great thread though... this is what makes TBN such a special place. All messages on the subject and with great detail, no personal flames and something for everyone to learn. Thanks, guys!

JerryG · Jan 9, 2004

I'm so used to clutching though, that I clutch 9 times out of 10 
Ha Ha I thought that I was the only one that did that. I have just had my power shuttle for about 3 months and more times than not I forget and use the clutch. It is nice to just flip the lever when I remember. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

yooperdave · Jan 9, 2004

I get the feeling that the New Holland hydraulic power shuttle is similar to the Kubota - which should be a good thing.

My local Kubota dealer has a M6800 with a loader and hydraulic shuttle shift on the lot. He wants well over $30,000 for it. I still need to go have a test drive, or look for something a bit more affordable.

Yooper Dave

art · Jan 9, 2004

Richard, I do believe that there are problems with many things built today as well as in the past. I know that many things being sold have been misrepresented. For the people in this hilly area the hydro's are still in demand. I feel after listening to you that you might have had some prior experience with one that didn't work which is unfortunate, if you didn't then I also feel that as a moderator here on this board that it shouldn't just be someone else said. IH sold hydro's for 15 years and for us up here when the last ones were built they were gone like hot cakes. I wish as well as our older sales staff that we still had them because of there performance in the field, not in our shop. We do buy tractors from the west and having been out there having farmer friends across the west I know or feel I have a reasonable grasp of the conditions and practices of the full time farmers as well as the size of them. Roughly 70% of the compacts we sell are hydro, that means over 400 new hydro's left our yard this past year and we don't work on them. Richard for the type of farming you are doing I would not have recommended the option of a hydro to you. I wouldn't have recommended the power shift of JD either nor should a salesmen from them as being a good transmission for what it sounds most of your work or for the amount of work you have brought up here and the type.

_RaT_ · Jan 9, 2004

Jerry, I will just flip the lever when I'm not rolling, but there are times, be it on a hill or even at times in loader work that I will clutch, flip and then release the clutch gradually. More often then not it's because of the speed at which I'm doing things. I anticipate the slight delay inherent in shuttle's as the reverse/forward clutches engage. It works very well for me and makes the shuttle transmission all the better for my needs when I'm on a shuttle tractor. All the shuttles on the tractors I have driven be it Deere, NH or Kubota work nearly identical.