Mechanical shuttle question and questions on TD5050

[F3506]

I've never had a shuttle transmission. Never even had a synchronized transmission on a tractor, so bear with me if this is a stupid question. I get I have to push the clutch in on a mechanical shuttle to go from forward to reverse. I'm not opposed to that. My question is, if I'm round baling hay and it's time to stop and wrap the bale, can I push the clutch in, pop the shuttle lever into neutral, and let the clutch out while the bale gets wrapped? I assume the answer to this is yes. The more important part of that question is, when it's time to go, is it as easy as just pushing in the clutch and going back into forward, or do I have to wait a minute so the gears don't grind? I'm assuming the synchros make it a smooth shift with no waiting, but before I spend a bunch of money, I want to be sure.

Tractor I'm going to look at is a 2009 TD5050. This one is made in Italy, not Turkey like tractordata claims. Any known issues with these tractors? Any reason to stay away or jump on it? Looking to bale hay, stack bales, and maybe do a little mowing with it.

 

[Deerherd]

A synchronized shuttle allows you to change gears or direction without coming to a complete stop. All other operations are the same as what you are used to.

The answer to your questions are yes and yes it's as easy as pushing in the clutch and going.

A Power Shuttle omits the clutch in directional changes and when you want to stop or go. Just flip the lever to neutral to stop or forward/reverse, no clutch needed. Think of it as a "Hydro on a stick"!

Good luck with your tractor search.

 

[downslope]

Instead of moving the shuttle to neutral, why not move the gear shifter to neutral? The gears (1-4) are synchro as well on this tractor and you may find that the gear shifter is a little easier to move.

If you look in the operator's manual for that tractor I believe it says not to do PTO work with the shuttle in neutral as it will cause loss of lubrication to internal PTO system components.

Also, you can't always assume as Deerherd says that a tractor with synchro shuttle has synchronized gear shifting without coming to a full stop. There are tractors where the shuttle is synchro but the main transmission is not; but on the New Holland TD you should be OK.

 

[F3506]

Instead of moving the shuttle to neutral, why not move the gear shifter to neutral?

To be honest, the thought never crossed my mind. I can't do that on my tractor, so I didn't even consider it for some reason. I was just thinking about this new shuttle lever and figured the new lever would hold all the answers. This idea does sound easier. Thanks.