auto vs 4 or 8 speed

[mikemc53 10]

Not sure if this has been discussed a lot in the past but I was wondering how people feel in this regard and what everyone sees as advantages and disadvantages.

I have had my B-100 auto for a few years and absolutely love pushing snow with it - actually doing almost any work with it. I just picked up the C-81 8 speed and so far so good. Still, I'd like to know what the experts think as to advantages/disadvantages of both. Any particular edge for one over the other when it comes to certain types of duties?

[AMC RULES 37,102]

:text-goodpost: Recently brought home an 8 speed rear too...so, I've been wondering the same thing. :popcorn:

[can whlvr 993]

well this has been brought before but its allways a good thread,i have both,8 speeds,and both types of hydro(eaton and sundstrand)i like all of them,and its really personal preferance,the main thing i can say is that hydros are very nice for snow blowing as for the capabilitie to creep even slower than the 8 speed in low,most guys like the 8 speed for tilling as they say the hydro gets pushed,i like the hydro for tilling but my tiller lives on my 87 414,so it wont get used much,it is more handy mowing when alot of back and forth is needed,but i like the 8 speeds for mowing too,so really its a toss up and as i said persoal preferance,its nice to have both,but if i had to choose it would be an 8 speed because i can fix the tranny and if the hydro goes it costs alot more to repair,i know ive had a sundstrand professionally rebuilt

[jay in nc 210]

i love my hydros for mowing, the 8 speeds 2nd gear is too slow & 3rd gear is too fast for a good cut. that said i love all my horses & i work half of them every week. i push dirt & garden plow with a c161 Jay

[Hydro 131]

This issue is a great reason to have more than one tractor. I cut grass more than anything else. This year in the beginning, I played with both tractors my 8-14 and my Hydro. I can change ground speed to adapt to the various grass growth over my acre and a half where as with the 8 speed it's second gear only. That's it. Last year I blew snow...well what there was. Again ground speed is instantly variable with the Hydro...now having said that, there is a certain amount of power loss using the hydro so it becomes a matter of priority to the operator depending what you are doing and how much HP you have. There is no doubt you have less power loss with a standard transmission. In the last couple of months, I converted my motion lever to Matt 860's foot pedal. That conversion alone knocked off about 20 minutes of cut time using the Hydro. I can instantly adapt to grass cutting conditions.

I think, if I were plowing, tilling or just playing around I would prefer the 8 speed but for better time managment the Hydro is King for me. It really is a personal choice.

[kpinnc 11,495]

Opinions will always vary on this subject. 4 and 8 speeds are no stronger than an auto, so long as you are comparing units that are all in good shape. Mechanical transmissions are less needy in the maintainance department, and less expensive to repair if you need to. But, they don't afford the convienience of a hydrostatic.

As has already been said, I prefer to till and garden plow with an 8-speed, and mow and plow gravel with a hydro. it's just a preference, as either machine will do all those chores.

My best answer to your question is this: Keep one or more of each!

[AMC RULES 37,102]

Also...does it matter which model tractor the rear came out of...is any one rear any stronger than another?

[MR49 20]

Id say Hydro for load hauling like loader and wagons. Smoother transfer of the load. and cutting the grass of course. But id say the 8 for any penetrating work. Just has more power it seems Im not sure how the hydro would hold up during a lot of tilling plowing or dirt pushing. All in all id say the 8 is better for all the back breaking work. and the hydro is better for a lot of moving around.

Just my opinion hope it helps :thumbs:

[Forest Road 594]

I prefer the 8 speeds. Put it in gear and it stays there. The hydro lever always falls causing you to slow. The 8 speeds are bullet proof. Hydros, although rare, are known to just fail. Have you ever had to move a hydro tractor with a bad engine? its not fun. Now that I've had both if I could only have one it would be an 8 speed. Like everyone else I do agree the hydros win for speed in mowing and snow plowing/blowing. But I really like grading with my 8 speed. With the dial a height you can set it and keep consistent height with the blade.

Don't get me wrong I like the hydros as well. But I'll stand by the 8 speeds. Higher hp tractors typically have 1-1/8 axles with the 8 pinion diff.

[Ken B 3,134]

i love my hydros for mowing, the 8 speeds 2nd gear is too slow & 3rd gear is too fast for a good cut. that said i love all my horses & i work half of them every week. i push dirt & garden plow with a c161 Jay

Ya took the words right out of my mouth! Ya can't beat a hydro for pushin snow and cuttin grass, its so much faster not having to change gears

[Wheel-N-It 2,968]

I must admit, I have played one against the other, and this is what I have come up with. For tilling, no question the 8speed wins every time. For mowing ( which is 99 persent of what I do with the Wheel Horse's ) there is no clear winner. When time is a factor and I have to be productive then I use the hydro. But for when time is not such a factor I always choose the 8 speed. Then I just put it in 2nd gear and go. I'm not having such a problem with the slightly slow speed of 2nd gear on my 312-8 as I am running 520 rear wheel and tires, and the tires are a little over inflated, increasing the tire diameter to raise the overall ratio of 2nd gear. Its still a little slower than I would like but not as much as with the stock wheel/tire setup. To make up for any loss of traction because the tires are over inflated, I have wheel weights on the rear wheels. I never have a problem with wheelspin with the 8speed but do spin the tires sometimes on my 417-A which is not equipped with wheel weights.

[Tankman 3,516]

I've always associated "hydro" with the big box outlets, "junque."

Always believed manual was the way to go, never thought I would see a hydro in a Horse.

Few months ago, my first '73 12 hp, automatic. Sunstrand pump.

I can't believe the performance of the WH hydro. Have three Horses, two manual, one hydro.

I think lawn mowing, hydro for its' ease of use. Manual for movin' earth 'n snow.

Both are quality Wheel Horse products.

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,156]

They both have their uses but for me it's a Hydro and here's my question back.

Q. How heavy is a snow blower (without a lift assist spring) to lift up?

A. I have no idea, it takes the same effort to pull the hydraulic handle with or without the blower.

For me, a full hydro (as opposed to a manual lift hydro) has many advantages, and I far prefer it for the work I use mine for.

[MarkPalmer 81]

I like either one, but I think the hydro on my Cub Cadet is safer, as hydros can't really get away from you. On my 867 8 speed or my Jacobsen the band brakes aren't the greatest, and if going down a hill they need to remain in the same gear until the bottom of the hill is reached. If taken out of gear they won't engage back in and start rolling in neutral at a rate where the brakes take a long time to stop the tractor. With the hydro you can change speeds on inclines/declines at will.

-Mark-

[SousaKerry 501]

I love my C-175 Auto That Eaton trany has never let me down and I have moved mountains with it. That being said the puller is an 8 speed(the only one I have) There is a point that the Hydro cuts out and just won't pull an harder but it is pretty dang high. I built my own foot pedal years ago and it was the biggest time saver ever. I will never mow or push snow with anything else. I even till and plow with the Hydro and never had a problem although the tiller will throw you around a bit

[meadowfield 2,570]

for general running around and mowing hydro is great!

if you plan to plough/till then 8 speed. It's way too hard to keep pushing the lever on an auto when ploughing to get the right ground speed. It either ends up almost stalling or spinning the wheels and going too fast!!!

[RJR49 129]

I'm a year late to the debate but for me a C-160 Hydro is the only way to mow or blow snow. The hydro really sucks up power so if mowing up hill or moving lots of snow you NEED the power of the C-160. For me the 3 or 6 speed (sorry reverse doesn't count) never seems to have the right speed. Especially for blowing snow where drifts require minute adjustments to keep the right mix of drift and forward speed

[6.0 powerstroke 62]

one thing I like about the manual shift  , when backing while mowing , having to come to a complete stop and change gear = more time to look behind to make sure the kids haven't run up behind.

[JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,497]

I am glad we are talking about this topic. I have been going over the same debate in my mind as to what choice would be right for my particular needs. I want to throw this out there to. IMHO, pushing snow with a plow is one on the biggest destroyers of equipment.

thats a fact that cant be denied.Plowing snow might be fun to a degree on your wheel horse, but it will eventually take its toll. hydro with the load, chance to burn it out. with gears, load still transfers to machine, engine and such.

 

now for the plug, thats why i want a snowblower, wouldnt mind using a hydro trans with a snowblower , my 2 cents.

 

Glenn

[pstlouis 20]

For mowing and plowing I prefer my hydros. Grass gets thin its easyer to speed up/slow down for when it gets thick. As far as doing heavy work, I prefer manual so I can really slow it down and not have to keep nudgeing the lever. When it comes to pulling, nothing beats an 8 pinion 8spd. 3rd hi, wide open, dump the clutch and hold on (helps that I'm putting 40+HP to it tho)

[Uncle Buck 246]

I am glad we are talking about this topic. I have been going over the same debate in my mind as to what choice would be right for my particular needs. I want to throw this out there to. IMHO, pushing snow with a plow is one on the biggest destroyers of equipment.

thats a fact that cant be denied.Plowing snow might be fun to a degree on your wheel horse, but it will eventually take its toll. hydro with the load, chance to burn it out. with gears, load still transfers to machine, engine and such.

 

now for the plug, thats why i want a snowblower, wouldnt mind using a hydro trans with a snowblower , my 2 cents.

 

Glenn

In one sense you might have a real good point. The most punishing thing you can do with a truck or jeep is use it for plowing snow. Plowing is hard on frontend parts, transmissions etc. Very punishing indeed. While these little tractors are not trucks at the end of the day they are still machines and certain tasks do tend to be more punishing than others.

[Tim 97]

_{I don't think plowing snow is that tough on the tractor.} 

_{getting a running start and slamming into snow banks is tough on them.}

_{that puts the stress where the frame bolts to the rear end as the front of the tractor is putting stress on the 4 bolts and "thin" plate}

_{there is no stress on the front end when under normal conditions as the attachment point is on the rear end}

_{simply dropping the plow and pushing snow is not putting that much of a strain on anything but the rear end casting}

_{the plow is floating off the front end}

_{if you are moving and get too much in front, the tires slip on the wet or icy ground and you come to a stop}

 

 

 

[js5020 111]

_{I don't think plowing snow is that tough on the tractor.} 

_{getting a running start and slamming into snow banks is tough on them.}

_{that puts the stress where the frame bolts to the rear end as the front of the tractor is putting stress on the 4 bolts and "thin" plate}

_{there is no stress on the front end when under normal conditions as the attachment point is on the rear end}

_{simply dropping the plow and pushing snow is not putting that much of a strain on anything but the rear end casting}

_{the plow is floating off the front end}

_{if you are moving and get too much in front, the tires slip on the wet or icy ground and you come to a stop}

I concur,,, slamming into snow piles is hard on equipment, any equipment. 

I had used gear drives for more years than I care to admit,, bought one hydro, then "aquired" another,,, doubt I'll ever buy another gear driver.