Kubota vs Kioti, hydro vs gear trans.

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I doubt that someone buying this sized tractor is going to spend many ,if any, 12 hour days plowing. With a hydro, you can put it in low, set speed control and kick back. I don't see much difference other than the power loss you get with the hydro.

I doubt it too. My point was simply that IF that is indeed the intended use, then a gear tranny is better than an HST for that use.

 

[94BULLITT]

Why is plowing the only thing always brought up when considering how fuel efficient a hydro tractor is? What about box blading, plowing snow, loader work or most other tractor related task. A gear is going to me efficient because it does not have to drive a pump to drive the tractor.

 

[murphy1244]

Pick your poison as they say. How many people farm with a CUT? Not many I bet.

 

[motownbrowne]

Pick your poison as they say. How many people farm with a CUT? Not many I bet.

Agreed. Not many at all. I farm with ours, or will when the snow melts. But there aren't many of us. Most people farming with small tractors can't afford this new-fangled technology. We saved up for years farming with the 8ns to afford the Kubota. Hydro is often preferred for vegetable growing because of the infinitely variable ground speed for using tillers, transplanters etc.

 

[Bluegill2]

I farm trees here, but that's not what most think of with farming...

 

[Fallon]

I doubt that someone buying this sized tractor is going to spend many ,if any, 12 hour days plowing. With a hydro, you can put it in low, set speed control and kick back. I don't see much difference other than the power loss you get with the hydro.

My Kubota L3200 HST doesn't come with cruise control. I've been somewhat looking for the Kubota cruise control kit, but haven't found it, not that I've been that concerned about looking that hard. Gear has cruise control somewhat intrinsically, HST may not have that option at all.

 

[k0ua]

My Kubota L3200 HST doesn't come with cruise control. I've been somewhat looking for the Kubota cruise control kit, but haven't found it, not that I've been that concerned about looking that hard. Gear has cruise control somewhat intrinsically, HST may not have that option at all.

Fallon, it is worth having if you can find it, it allows you to brake steer much easier than doing the "kubota shuffle"

 

[Fallon]

Why is plowing the only thing always brought up when considering how fuel efficient a hydro tractor is? What about box blading, plowing snow, loader work or most other tractor related task. A gear is going to me efficient because it does not have to drive a pump to drive the tractor.

Plowing typically means driving in the same gear going in circles for hours on end. Efficiency of power transmission can really add up & is the main driving factor there. Loader work, snow blowing, & utility work that means lots of speed or direction changes favors efficiency of equipment manipulation. In those scenarios the "less efficient" HST can get the job done faster with less operator fatigue, machine (clutch) wear. Different measures of the concept called efficiency.

These days the HST is the most efficient use of my time & abilities to do a wide variety of tasks with the tractor. Back when I was driving a big John Deere articulated monster pulling a huge disk in college, the company was probably paying more to fuel the tractor than they were paying me to operate it. Therefor they cared more about the tractor being more efficient than me being efficient.

 

[jenkinsph]

Why is plowing the only thing always brought up when considering how fuel efficient a hydro tractor is? What about box blading, plowing snow, loader work or most other tractor related task. A gear is going to me efficient because it does not have to drive a pump to drive the tractor.

I used my box blade all day long cutting down a ditch bank on the edge of a field. The hydro 4520 with 84" Gannon worked great with no over heating issues and most of the time today was under heavy load. Another day of it tomorrow and I should have this part finished. A gear tractor might have saved a couple of gallons of fuel but the hydro made this work rather pleasant and easy.

 

[coobie]

Agreed. Not many at all. I farm with ours, or will when the snow melts. But there aren't many of us. Most people farming with small tractors can't afford this new-fangled technology. We saved up for years farming with the 8ns to afford the Kubota. Hydro is often preferred for vegetable growing because of the infinitely variable ground speed for using tillers, transplanters etc.

Agreed also.I bet 90% of people use there tractors for loader work,tilling,brush hog/mowing,rear blade and snow plowing.