Board’s opinion on a HST vs shuttle transmission in a tractor

I'm still on the fence about them. Having an infinite speed range is awesome, HST is super easy to operate, as far as I know they are extremely reliable. They're also safer IMO, no way for a limb to come up and jam the clutch linkage.

I still like a clutch and sticks. Its age old stuff that works great and lasts forever. I guess it depends on how you'll use the tractor.

Eta: SUBMOA is the man to talk to, he has tons of experience with both. I've only had limited seat time on compact hydrostatic tractors.

Depends on how you will use the tractor and how discipline are you at maintenance
For use in really dusty applications or use where foliage can restrict cooling ability...shuttle would be better

are you gonna have a front end loader and be doing a lot of work with it? If so, hell yeah get the HST. If all you're gonna do is plow and cut, go with the gear shift.


I have gear shift and wish I had the HST

I have two tractors with HST and one with a clutch. No debate the HST is absolutely the way to go. You may give up a HP or two for it but it's totally worth it. No question it's what I would buy especially on 70hp and smaller.

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For use in really dusty applications

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As in disking dirt or clipping tall grass?

We have had both.
In my opinion in comes down to primary use and personal preference.

For lighter work that requires a lot of maneuverability HST all day long. For heavier work like tillage, bush hogging, pulling heavy loads, etc. I will take a geared trans.

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Submoa- at your service!

Major brand hydros are now as reliable and almost as efficient as mechanical transmissions.

Here’s the cool part- when the clutch is going out on a 10 year old mechanical transmission, the HST is still going strong.

Plus- the convenience for loader work can’t be beat!

In the end- many guys have moved to CVT and IVT transmissions on tractors in the 500+ hp range- some of those components are similar to what you find in a small compact HST. Those big transmissions go 14,000 plus hours.