Hydrostatic vs shuttle shift

[psyched123]

I bought and enjoyed a shuttle shift 38hp tractor 19 yrs ago, but I'm 78 and thinking I'd like to end my days with a new tractor. Most now seem to be hydrostatic. I just talked with my brother-in-law who has both transmissions and he recommended staying with shuttle shift. I do some mowing and he says his hydrostatic gets way too hot when mowing. He likes it when doing dirt work and moving hay, etc. but not for something where you'll be driving it steady for a long time. It seems the dealers around here are mostly pushing hydrostatic. What's your experience?

 

[DonRybak]

I too am getting ready to hit 79 in a couple months and love my hydrostatic. I have never noticed mine getting hot when mowing but I mow pasture once or twice a year and with horses the grass isn't that tall. I do move round bays of hay every week or so and the hydro really shines there. So I guess really the answer is what tasks will the tractor be used for the most.

 

[mikester]

I prefer hydrostat over shuttleshift...But there's a catch

I would not buy a purely mechanical hydrostat. E-hydrostat is the only way to go IMHO. I wish I had cruise control for mine for mowing.

My hydrostat throws a lot of heat in summer. In winter the cab is very comfortable. Get the A/C if you have a cab.

I strongly recommend a test drive and seat time to make your decision. Not all hydrostats are made equal and some are weak and gutless and undesirable as a work machine and on hills.

 

[Cycledude]

Very true that all hydrostatic transmissions are not created equal.
My hydrostatic LS has never overheated or given me any kind of trouble but it currently only has 500 hours on it. If I was buying another new tractor I would most likely choose hydrostatic again.

 

[edgarrian]

I have been on both and i think hydrostatic is the way to go if you are homeowner. Easy to get into piles of stone or dirt and move. its convenient. I would say the only downfall is if you are doing a job with it. I have installed a few driveways with mine and that can be exhausting pushing the pedal down all day. But thats the only time i didnt like it. My tractor has (cruise control) so when im mowing thats helpfull

So id say if you aren't using ur tractor more than 4 hrs at any given time you will be fine

 

[JJT]

1500 hours on an HST with many hours of mowing and brush hogging, never had an issue with tranny over heating. I have lots of hours on geared tractors and will never go back.

 

[big bubba]

OP: how are your knees for shifting if you go gear? also, there's a difference between shuttle shift (on K requiring clutch depression) and hyd shuttle (no clutch used in direction change).

good luck, my take on this subcompact forum is that given the higher age demographic (i'm 78 myself) of owners, they usually go for the ease of hydrostat.
it's a personal decision (i have always been and will be gear) but that should have no bearing on your choice.
I feel my own hyd shuttle and gear offer me the best of both worlds, esp for repetitive fel work. i feel the shuttle shift alone doesn't offer that much advantage, esp for tractors not synchronized in 1st & 2nd gears. regards

 

[edgarrian]

In regards to overheating. I have not experienced that either. Ive had mine since i purchased it new in 2016

 

[big bubba]

in terms of overheating, if a smaller hydrostat tractor transmission overheats in heavy work, it's not the fault of the tractor. just that a bigger tractor is needed for the job. many sub owners push their machines over the limits that their tractor is designed for in terms of safety and tasks.

 

[oldnslo]

Some of the smaller HST tractors like Kubota BX series do not have an oil cooler for the hydraulic system and can run hot. I know my old BX1850 would get hot when running brush hog for a couple hours.

 

[edgarrian]

in terms of overheating, if a smaller hydrostat tractor transmission overheats in heavy work, it's not the fault of the tractor. just that a bigger tractor is needed for the job. many sub owners push their machines over the limits that their tractor is designed for in terms of safety and tasks.

very true statement. the subcompact page on facebook is full of people misusing subs and causing issues with their tractors. Either by complete ignorance or lack of understanding.

 

[dieselscout80]

I’ve never noticed my TC45DA hydrostatic transmission getting hot while mowing.

If you’re mowing and it involves lots of forward and reverse changes in direction I would recommend a hydrostatic transmission.

Shuttle transmissions including a hydraulic shuttle need to decrease engine RPMs when changing directions.

I really need to get the cruise control system working on my tractor as that will make pasture mowing more enjoyable.

 

[bdhsfz6]

For hydrostats with an oil cooler, it's important to clean the filter screen regularly. Many owners clean the radiator filter but don't know about the oil cooler.

 

[scootr]

Mowing is so much easier with the HST now, I can slow down for thick sections without compromising cutter speeds. I'll never go back to shuttle shift for mowing.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

I'm also in my 70s and agree that the convenience of the hydrostatic is a great selling point. I grew up with gears and have made the switch quite happily.
I think that those who worry about overheating are overloading their tractors, pushing the machine to level of performance for which it was not designed. That seems to be common in subcompacts that get pushed a bit too far. Plan to purchase a machine that will comfortably handle a bit more than you plan for...you'll likely find a way to use all the potential eventually.

 

[Irap]

I bought and enjoyed a shuttle shift 38hp tractor 19 yrs ago, but I'm 78 and thinking I'd like to end my days with a new tractor. Most now seem to be hydrostatic. I just talked with my brother-in-law who has both transmissions and he recommended staying with shuttle shift. I do some mowing and he says his hydrostatic gets way too hot when mowing. He likes it when doing dirt work and moving hay, etc. but not for something where you'll be driving it steady for a long time. It seems the dealers around here are mostly pushing hydrostatic. What's your experience?

I had a shuttle driver for about 15 years (TYM). I bought a new one (TYM) that is hydrostatic a couple months ago and already wished that I would have stayed with the shuttle drive.

 

[scootr]

I had a shuttle driver for about 15 years (TYM). I bought a new one (TYM) that is hydrostatic a couple months ago and already wished that I would have stayed with the shuttle drive.

What tractor do you have? How do you use it? And why do you wish you hadn't bought it?

 

[BlueKnife]

I just talked with my brother-in-law who has both transmissions and he recommended staying with shuttle shift.

I agree with him. Much prefer shuttle shift.

 

[bdhsfz6]

The salesman who sold me my first tractor let me try each type on the lot. I chose the hydrostat, and have stayed with that choice on 6 of the 7 tractors I've owned. This is just my opinion however, YMMV.

Much of this debate is personal preference. You really need to try both to see which suits you best for the work you do.

 

[rScotty]

Much of this debate is personal preference. You really need to try both to see which suits you best for the work you do.

I bought and enjoyed a shuttle shift 38hp tractor 19 yrs ago, but I'm 78 and thinking I'd like to end my days with a new tractor. Most now seem to be hydrostatic. I just talked with my brother-in-law who has both transmissions and he recommended staying with shuttle shift. I do some mowing and he says his hydrostatic gets way too hot when mowing. He likes it when doing dirt work and moving hay, etc. but not for something where you'll be driving it steady for a long time. It seems the dealers around here are mostly pushing hydrostatic. What's your experience?

I'm a little older, and I also grew up with geared tractors and then powershift/shuttleshifts.

When we went looking for a new tractor in 2008, I was worried that the HST wouldn't stand up, but they do. Yes, I've heard they can get hot at full throttle and full load....but so does any tractor. I resolved to keep the cooler clean and to look for a HST that had more ranges so as to match the tractor to the work. In that respect, a HST is no different from any other transmission.
Our 60 hp Kubota has three ranges and Hi/Lo in each, so 6 speeds forward and in reverse.

The HST shines when doing careful close chores or any loader work.
The big difference is something I didn't expect, it's that the hydrostat makes me look forward to using the tractor because it is just that much easier on my old body. Much more relaxing to run.

Tell your brother I worried about the heat too. And like he says, I always leaned towards the shuttle shifters myself. But the model tractor we were wanting only came with the HST+ tranny.
So what I did after I bought it was put an inexpensive temperature gauge on the lines to and from the hydraulic radiator. Here's some photos. I don't mow with it, but hard backhoe and loader work doesn't change the temperature much at all.
rScotty