Question about 5030hst

[rstone]

What are the pros and cons on a kubota 5030hst. I have never owned an hst tractor and I am not sure about the longevity of a hst tractor.

 

[RjCorazza]

The L30 series Kubota tractors have a solid reputation, and are pre T4 emissions... a real plus. If properly maintained I would not be concerned with the longevity of any Kubota hst transmission.

 

[jeff9366]

90% of compact tractors sold in the last ten years came with an HST transmission. For many tractors, especially light tractors, HST is the only transmission offered.

 

[dieselscout80]

The L5030 was one of my favorite choices when I was tractor shopping a couple years ago, but in my mind I was looking for the Glide Shift Transmission.

However, I ended up buying a NH TC45DA with a hydrostatic transmission. I really like the hydrostatic transmission.

Now I would look at both options in the L5030.

 

[Fixastuff]

Many people worry about hst tractors but I've never seen one destroyed in one afternoon like a clutch from a bad operator.

 

[treefarmerguy]

I've had a 5030 for about 16 years and am very pleased with it. The only trouble I ever had was a bad battery clamp that I was able to replace with little trouble. The battery itself is the original and still works as well as when I bought the tractor. Keep up with the scheduled maintenance and it will give you many years of great service.

 

[2manyrocks]

HST transmissions allow infinite fine control over ground speed where gear drives do not. HST transmissions require periodic filter and fluid changes. HST transmissions may operate at higher temps for sustained use like mowing. HST transmissions excel for ease of going F to R for loader work. It's easier to adjust speed more quickly with an HST transmission.

 

[4570Man]

Many people worry about hst tractors but I've never seen one destroyed in one afternoon like a clutch from a bad operator.

All the mention of HST reliability is completely unfounded. They don’t go around breaking all the time. A good gear transmission with wet clutches and syncromesh gears or whatever that manufacturer is calling it is a more complicated transmission. A dry clutch transmission has pretty common clutch failures or problems with the clutch sticking from infrequent use. A HST tractor doesn’t belong hooked on a disk or other ground engagement implement but a HST transmission is great for loader work, general chores and mowing. People are quick to mention HST power loss and if you were pulling a disk across a field it would be noticeable but a HST transmission doesn’t rob much power when you’re just driving a mower across a field. You’d gain more productivity by varying the speed to the conditions than what a gear tractor could make up by putting down a little more power. If you had a 12 or 16 speed transmission my argument would be less credible but it’s common for small gear tractors to only have a 4 speed transmission with a hi/low box behind it. That transmission is always going to leave you going slower than your potential. The tractor is bogging down trying to mow at 5 mph or it’s too rough and your getting bounced off but your next gear is 3.5 mph. You don’t have any choice but to go 3.5 where the HST tractor could travel anywhere in between.

 

[dieselscout80]

When International Harvester designed the hydrostatic transmission the big selling point was PTO work due to speed variability. I really like my hydrostatic for both mowing and loader work.

I haven’t tried it with a ground engaging attachment other than my roll over box blade and only one time.

 

[rScotty]

I'm one of those old time mechanics who doubted the reliability of HST. I grew up understanding clutches and gears, and powershift and shuttle...but when I looked at diagrams of the "wobble plate" variable displacement pumps in a HST ..... and saw all that sliding friction...... I really wondered if it was going to be reliable.

But they are. Amazingly reliable. I've been on TBN now for some twenty years and HST failures are really rare - almost unheard of. All they seem to want is clean fluid and the HST radiator kept clean.

Our TLB with HST+ has been working a 60 hp loader backhoe for 15 years now & the HST has been a joy. Even the fluid looks new when I change it.

rScotty