M5040 Hydraulic Shuttle operation

[Take-er-EZ]

Ive got a tough decision im trying to make between tractors (L with hydro, and M with hyd. shuttle). I fully understand the hydro trans (own one) BX2200. I purchased 42 acres of mostly wooded and hilly land. Ive managed to clear approx. 6 acres for a yard, house, barn. My current tractor is way undersized for this property and what I want to do (clear another 4 acres, clear an area and build a pond, haul firewood, maintain a 1500' gravel drive up a hill, buy a grapple to move trees/stumps, maintain over a mile of trails in the woods).........and so on. I purchased a 6' RFM to mow with.

Could someone please tell me how the hyd. shuttle sequence would go when mowing. I'm thinking: Running at 540 pto, place tractor in gear, place in forward on the column and start mowing, not sure what you do when you must stop (throttle down, go from forward to reverse) How do you maintain 540 at PTO and still change directions. To me this is big because I dont want to throttle down every time I change directions while mowing.

I really like the M5040 cabbed tractor for the money. I just need a little clarification on how the hyd. shuttle works when mowing (this will be the deciding factor for me on which tractor I get) Im not worried about the M on the yard, Ive got some hard ground that is almost always dry, even right after a rain.

Could someone please clarify this for me THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!

 

[Happyman]

Have you considered an HST? That's what I have on my L3940 and I wouldn't want anything else!

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

With the PS you don't have to throttle down to change directions. The tractor is equipped with a more robust multi-plate wet clutch instead of a single plate dry clutch found on synchro-shuttle tractors. The power reverser will give you a smooth clutch engagement no matter what the rpms are set for. Having said that, you will still effect less wear on it by throttling down somewhat, but you don't need to drop to idle or anything. This is why I love PS on my JD 5425, especially for mowing the paddocks or haybining. I set the hand throttle, flip the PS into fwd and mow a strip. If I need to stop, reverse turn and go the other way, I cut the hand throttle when I finish the pass, reverse, turn, start the next pass and bring the hand throttle back up to full pto speed. All this without touching a foot pedal. I don't buy any of this nonsense about HST being superior. I can flip a turn signal-like stalk with one finger a lot easier than I can contort my ankle into un-natural positions on a pivot pedal. If I want to use the foot throttle instead, I have that option.

If you are considering the larger framed M series (4wd I'm assuming), considering your intended usage and the amt. of land you have, you might want to go more horsepower and spring for the M7040 which will not only give you 62 pto hp. instead of 45, but a limited-slip front axle. I don't think you would regret it. Beautiful machines.

 

[Happyman]

I don't buy any of this nonsense about HST being superior.

I have not heard anyone say that HST is "superior" to anything else. HST is an option that most people tend to prefer once they have had the opportunity to use it. But that does not mean it's everyones choice or that it's better then another transmission option. And I don't think it's "nonsense" that I prefer it over shuttle or anything else.

 

[Dead Horse]

I have not heard anyone say that HST is "superior" to anything else. HST is an option that most people tend to prefer once they have had the opportunity to use it. But that does not mean it's everyones choice or that it's better then another transmission option. And I don't think it's "nonsense" that I prefer it over shuttle or anything else.

I have a 3710 HST that I use for mowing (both midmount finish and bushhog), snow plowing, grading logging roads, running a chipper, tiller, disc harrow, sander and log splitter. The HST is a god send for mowing, especially on steep slopes where I mow down and back up.

The tractor is young, with only about 2,400 hours on it and I have had it in some pretty muddy, swampy places. I really like the control I have over it in low gear on a slope, even with the rpms at full PTO speed.

When I cut my fields I use a Heston 90 100 DT with a 11' wide, semi-mount, double, slewing rotary cutter. By the end of th day my clutch leg is in agony!

LOVE the HST!

 

[razor]

My first tractor was a M9000 with hydraulic shuttle. I figured it would just take a bit of time to get use to for snowblowing. I put up with it for a few week then I traded it in for my 5030 HST. I lost a few $ on the deal put it was worth it to me. For the type of work that I do (driveway snowblowing) I would never buy anything but HST.

 

[talltale]

I traded in my Grand L 3830 HST for an M5040 Hyd. Shuttle. Both great tractors, but the M5040 is much more "industrial." I mow a little over 10 acres with my setup and find the hydraulic shuttle convenient and easy. I simply lower the engine RPMs a little, keep the mower RPM at 540, stop the tractor, and flip the lever from forward to reverse. Easy. The HST was great, but just not enough tractor for my needs.

Terry

 

[Take-er-EZ]

I think I got it. An M5040 HST would be a nice option!

 

[rbargeron]

Could someone please tell me how the hyd. shuttle sequence would go when mowing. I'm thinking: Running at 540 pto, place tractor in gear, place in forward on the column and start mowing, not sure what you do when you must stop (throttle down, go from forward to reverse) How do you maintain 540 at PTO and still change directions. To me this is big because I dont want to throttle down every time I change directions while mowing......

The hydraulic shuttle sequence is: Running at 540 pto, place tractor in gear, place in forward on the column and start mowing. To stop moving, just place the shuttle lever in neutral. To start moving again, place the lever in forward or reverse. The valving engages gradually so it doesn't jerk. The exception is if you shift quickly from forward to reverse without stopping briefly in neutral - then it changes direction abruptly (not recommended). Keep in mind that you always have the clutch pedal available too. When going along and you see a hazard you can tromp on the clutch pedal and brakes to stop NOW. I find that even with the hydraulic shuttle I use the clutch pedal quite a bit - like when backing the mower in under bushes, near trees etc. That's the kind of situation where HST shines. But generally as acreage goes up, there are fewer shifts and HST makes less of a difference.

 

[Take-er-EZ]

When you push in the clutch does this disengage the PTO on the M5040 hydraulic shuttle?