hydrostatic transmission question,,,

bandit99 · Jan 30, 2009

I have a BX 2200 Kubota. When plowing heavy snow will it hurt the transmission to plow in high range? I'm talking a foot or more in one storm and pushing back the drifts. I have chains and a steep driveway.

RalphVa · Jan 30, 2009

Doubt it. If mine is stressed too much, it just bypasses. The tractor quits moving in this case, but no harm done.

Ralph

john_bud · Jan 30, 2009

Harm? No, but you probably won't get the best result flying around.

Atobuk2001 · Jan 31, 2009

I had a B7500, just one step up on size from the Bx, I have done that and it will just start to stall the tractor, or the wheels will break loose, depending on how slick the ground is. I plowed my 80' driveway for 6 years with it. I sometimes would use high on fluffy snow, and low on any other snow. I just bought a L4740 HST, and the dealer basically told me, HST is way tougher than gears, and said that 95% of the transmission they fix are gears, even though out of all the tractors they sell 80% are HST. And the only reason HST is not in really big tractors is that they have not figured out how to make them that big and work properly, maybe it's a line of bull to get me to get the HST model, which I was going to get anyway, so I wasn't really listening so maybe I missed something important. Note: I never had any problems with my B7500, except normal maintenance and a flat tire.

kthompson · Jan 31, 2009

Realize temp is way different but when I first got mine it would overheat moving dirt in high range. Now that was summer and our temp was probably 90 plus. I rather use it in lower range if me just due to speed control.

jaybrad · Jan 31, 2009

I use both high and low range when snow blowing depending on the terrain.

Last summer I was moving some pretty big rocks and at one point it was not moving very well and I got a rather hot smell coming from the tranny - there may have been a puff of smoke too - and then I discovered that I had it in high range.

When I put it into low range, it hauled the rock just fine.

I was a bit concerned that I had done something to hurt the tranny, but everyone I have talked to assured me that was not likely.

Jay

pat32rf · Jan 31, 2009

If the load is light enough, then high range should be OK, BUT the higher speed is more likely to bend or break something. If you can put the go pedal to the floor without stalling the tractor you should be good, range wise. I mostly use the middle range on my JD4300 and set the revs at about 2000rpm, unless I need the higher rpm for the blower.