Please talk to me about Electro-Hydraulic Shuttle Shift

[geedub]

If you don't remember (how could you not?) I'm tractor shopping for my #1 girlfriend. I've said many times that I wouldn't recommend any tractor to her that didn't have a HST tranny. That's because we're both novices and expect a lot of FEL work and time in some dense wooded areas and around ponds. Well, I found a TC55DA that looks like a great tractor, but it has EHSS. Without making this a HST debate, can anyone compare the difference in operation between these two trannies? Is the EHSS essentially the same experience as driving a regular Shuttle Shifter?

Thanks.

 

[jimg]

EHSS precludes the need to clutch when changing directions + you have a wet clutch instead of dry. Wet clutches are supposed to have a better life expectancy. You still have to clutch to change gears (w/i range and range). The clutch can also be calibrated to your taste...when you flip the switch to change direction the tractor will automatically slow, change direction and then speed up again. That is, the smoothness of the direction change is programmable.

So, yes its the same in that it will cause a direction change but dissimilar in that you dont have to clutch.

 

[geedub]

Thanks jimg. That doesn't sound like enough of a difference to make me give up on HST.

 

[Grrrr]

A power reverser (EHHS) is a darn sight lot better than a normal syncro for tractor work.

It can make a long day in a tractor much more bearable, especially if doing a backup intensive job (loader work).

For the majority of time you put a tractor in a gear and can leave it there for a long time before you need to change again. Like when doing loader work filling a trailer from a pile or moving a short distance, you would only need to use the electro shift.

But if you were doing a job where you had to move a longer distance where you could go faster than you would have to change gear a bit (or just drive up to the pile faster and then clutch and roll into the pile and then power reverse and let the clutch out again).

For normal field operations you are not wanting to change gear at all so there is no speed changes.

I agree that HST is easy to use but very often you don't actually need to be able to change speed that often. Fergusons only had three speeds and reverse

Some EHSS transmissions also have the option to slide into neutral. This makes loader work easier again as you can speed into the pile, slide into neutral and get a bucketfull, come to a stop and then move the lever into reverse and go again all without clutching.

But, if you want a HST go with one and they are probably easier to use overall.

 

[AndyMA]

Thanks jimg. That doesn't sound like enough of a difference to make me give up on HST.

Personally having been on hundreds of machines over 40 years and currently owning 2 EHSS machines, I prefer them. My legs get tired using a hydro. I can easily keep up or surpass a hydro user with EHSS. On all the EHSS machines I have been on you can go into neutral anytime or start off from neutral using the clutch. In my opinio between the smoothness of the EHSS and the fact that I maintain throttle control (and thus power and loader speed) it is superior for loader work.

Andy

Andy

 

[geedub]

Thanks AndyMA. This info might help us in the future, but the tractor in question already sold. Somebody got a sweet deal.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/detail.aspx?OHID=5269134&guid=BF40133E35FC44E791869F953F1379B8

 

[kennyd]

Somebody got a sweet deal.

I would sure say so!

 

[geedub]

I talked to the seller for about 15 minutes today and he seemed mature and sincere. He has one home near Tampa and a place in NC. He bought the tractor new and I expect that it was properly maintained. He emailed me several close up photos of the equipment and it looked very clean. After 4 emails with the large images he sent a fifth saying that someone from Alabama had just bought the tractor. I imagine they closed the deal over the telephone.

I wonder if he got the full 22K.

 

[shaley]

My concerns on HST vs EHSS are several. I don't like running my engine at 2200 RPM all the time. Sometimes I sit in neutral at the loader pile just long enough to figure where to put the next bucket full. Another scary issue is hydraulic contamination. Hyd. fluid is the life blood of the machine. Would you hook a log splitter with 300 hour oil in it to your back remotes? Would you hook your buddies log splitter to your remotes. Same goes for the B/H. Should you change all of the oil in all of the atachments at the same time.
Also, you lose about 5HP in the HST system as heat and other. I don't know, I'm just too much of an old gear head to go HST on anything big.

 

[kozak]

Thanks AndyMA. This info might help us in the future, but the tractor in question already sold. Somebody got a sweet deal.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/detail.aspx?OHID=5269134&guid=BF40133E35FC44E791869F953F1379B8

Oh my GOD !! You must be bummed. What an incredible deal for a low hours tractor and all those attachments. You must be kicking yourself in the butt big time !! Of course you never know if something was wrong with it. Almost sounds too good to be true.

Vic