Tom:
John is right. It all depends on what the majority of your work will be. I do a lot of backhoe work, and hauling work with the loader that really isn't back-and-forth. I don't mow with mine, so an HST didn't make any sense for me. If you're going to be doing a lot of mowing or quick back-and-forth work, the HST will probably suit you better. As for the gear, the shuttle works really well, with just a flick of the wrist--although you have to be completely stopped or you'll grind. And since it has a 2-stage clutch, you only have to press it down halfway (which isn't very far), so the overall motion of changing direction is pretty much an afterthought after just a few hours use.