High vs. Low Range

[Snoopy11 5,714]

Hello my good people,

 

I have a question for all of you transmission gurus out there. Most of you guys know I am much more knowledgeable about engines than transmissions. AND as some of you know, Wheel Horses run the show here on the funny farm, and pretty much do all the work... so I do like to know a little about each of them... if I can.

 

Well, with the 416-8 now running brilliantly... I am now getting curious about the transmission. 110995....

 

I'm wondering... what exactly is the advantage of having high and low range? Does low range have more torque for pulling... or is it just a speed difference from high/low range?

 

My other tractors do not have this feature, so I am just curious about the overall design, how/why having high/low range actually matters.

 

I'd appreciate any information you guys can give!

 

Don

[SylvanLakeWH 25,557]

Low is mostly ground engagement use like dirt plowing and rototilling… power to the ground and implement… not speed…

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,484]

1 hour ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

rototilling… power to the ground and implement… not speed

Low Range is around ¼ the speed of Hi.  

It makes it tractor usable for tilling rough dry tough ground at a full engine RPM while keeping forward motion ultra slow.  

 

Another use ... The one Trina and I have 6/8 speeds for ...

Reverse. On our VERY rough terrain it's invaluable to be able to drop reverse motion to a next to nothing speed while backing into tight quarters in the forest.  

[peter lena 8,625]

@Snoopy11   SNOOP, regularly use my low range for motion control , or heavy mowing , when i,m  trimming my lawn edge close to a hedge , that low range / hi gear is just about right  for the detailing control i want , also use it on a lawn slope edge , for solid safe traction control . when you are cutting heavy dense grass , that low range takes the loading off the deck , makes it easy . once you start regularly using it  , its a very simple go to , for motion help , pete

[8ntruck 6,999]

I'll use low range when descending a couple of short, steeper grades on my property for speed control.  I'll also use low range for towing heavier loads and when I want to creep along while maneuvering around something I don't want to hit.

 

Sometimes, I'll use low range just for the heck of it 'cause I haven't run it there in a while. 

[Rob J. 1,942]

My last project was my first “8-speed”. The only use while I own this tractor is for a puller. I’m not real sure the advantage for me other than speed control. In 1st and reverse, is unbelievably slow but steady in low gear. 

[8ntruck 6,999]

low range reverse with the engine running about 1/2 throttle is a good creeping speed for backing a trailer into a tight spot.

 

Others here have made front receiver hitches.  Low 1 is even slower than low reverse.  Having the hitch in front would make things much more comfortable than looking over your shoulder with a rear hitch.

 

I think I just talked myself into building a front receiver hitch sooner than later.

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

I have used low range first gear to help pull bushes and shrubs out of the ground as an extra person, while not on it.  Half dig them up, wrap a chain a few times in the root ball, secure to tractor and put it in gear and let those tires spin.  You can dig around the root while the tractor does all the pulling and doesn't tire out.  Once free the tractor hasn't moved more than 3-5 feet from where it was and you can push the clutch in a take out of gear pretty quickly if you have even a little coordination. 

 

Only drawback is the tires will spin and eat into your turf a bit.  Other than that though it's pretty nice and easy. 

Edited July 21, 2022 by OutdoorEnvy

[Pullstart 62,851]

4 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

dirt plowing

We generally use 2nd hi for that.  Unless you’re Lowell’s clan, they run in 3rd hi!

[953 nut 55,222]

If you have occasion to load/unload using ramps you will love low range. I have also gotten bogged down in some mud and used First/Low as I get off to push. It is slow enough that even an old codger like me won't have a problem keeping up!

[adsm08 2,056]

Low range in any scenario is intended for speed control and making low speeds available at useable RPMs. However, because it is done by the use of extreme gear reduction an unavoidable side effect is a massive increase in torque.

[peter lena 8,625]

 @953 nut   also used that low range / first gear for brush clearing , do your chain saw work , nylon load strap it up , to your ball hitch and just walk that pile of brush right out of the spot .  dragged out trees also , best effect ever had was using a rope and pulley to move heavy rocks , tractor pulling the rope , attached  to heavy rock , got things going . very useful  pete

[adsm08 2,056]

1 hour ago, peter lena said:

 @953 nut   also used that low range / first gear for brush clearing , do your chain saw work , nylon load strap it up , to your ball hitch and just walk that pile of brush right out of the spot .  dragged out trees also , best effect ever had was using a rope and pulley to move heavy rocks , tractor pulling the rope , attached  to heavy rock , got things going . very useful  pete

 

Dad and I used to do that for garden work. He'd hitch up the trailer and we'd load it with water buckets, fertilizer, whatever was the order of the day, and set the tractor in 1st low and just let it run along the row while we worked.

 

The other thing it was good for, we had a few spots in that yard that would grow a foot a week during the rainy periods. 1st low would mow through anything.

Edited July 22, 2022 by adsm08

[roadapples 6,983]

Someone else said on here a while back that you could put it in 1st gear low, go in the house, get a cold beverage and when you came back out it only went 10 feet....

[Pullstart 62,851]

8 hours ago, roadapples said:

Someone else said on here a while back that you could put it in 1st gear low, go in the house, get a cold beverage and when you came back out it only went 10 feet....

Assuming you don’t sit in your chair and take a snooze, then it would go 25!

[peter lena 8,625]

@Rob J.  nothing matches a unimog for gearing set ups , torque and  hp/ ratio , thats incredible, haul a train , snow blow a valley , till down a farm , no problem ,  https://jalopnik.com/the-top-speed-of-a-mercedes-unimogs-super-crawler-gear-1797869370  used a couple of them while  in the N/G  , capable of anything , pete

[oliver2-44 9,746]

14 hours ago, adsm08 said:

. However, because it is done by the use of extreme gear reduction an unavoidable side effect is a massive increase in torque.

[rick 233]

I often use low range 2nd or 3rd gear when cutting around plantings and other obstructions in the civilized part of the lawn, much easier to control in close places.  I cut most of the yard and paths in hi range 1st gear, I've found that mowing in hi 2nd the grass laid down by the front tire won't spring up fast enough for a smooth cut.  I'm using a 48 inch deck in next to highest cut height position.

I'm retired and not in a hurry...

[adsm08 2,056]

3 hours ago, rick said:

I often use low range 2nd or 3rd gear when cutting around plantings and other obstructions in the civilized part of the lawn, much easier to control in close places.  I cut most of the yard and paths in hi range 1st gear, I've found that mowing in hi 2nd the grass laid down by the front tire won't spring up fast enough for a smooth cut.  I'm using a 48 inch deck in next to highest cut height position.

I'm retired and not in a hurry...

 

Also improves turn radius.

[RED-Z06 2,221]

Can't say ive ever used low range, i only till with my Hydro because ground speed can be infinitely variable from engine/tine speed.

 

 

[rick 233]

22 hours ago, adsm08 said:

Also improves turn radius.

It certainly does, thanks for adding that!

[Lagersolut 661]

Use my low range in high grass- backing up hills and blowing snow - once you find the gear/speed that keeps the auger full I watch the shoot thinking how nice it is compared to shoveling

[Lagersolut 661]

Edited July 24, 2022 by Lagersolut
Add

[Wild Bill in VA 1,452]

The use of what gear to use depends on the work being applied to the tractor. When tillers and snow blowers really came into use by Wheel Horses, they had to have a Speed Reduction kit installed on the unit to make them work correctly. The kit used a twin idler pulley set up, a 7-inch transmission drive pulley which needed a longer drive belt and a special belt guard for the larger drive pulley. My 654 has the Speed Reduction kit and is really slow but it would pull the front tires up in the air every time going down a tractor pull track!

Wild Bill in Richmond VA

[Pappy 4430 8]

On 7/21/2022 at 1:37 PM, Snoopy11 said:

Hello my good people,

 

I have a question for all of you transmission gurus out there. Most of you guys know I am much more knowledgeable about engines than transmissions. AND as some of you know, Wheel Horses run the show here on the funny farm, and pretty much do all the work... so I do like to know a little about each of them... if I can.

 

Well, with the 416-8 now running brilliantly... I am now getting curious about the transmission. 110995....

 

I'm wondering... what exactly is the advantage of having high and low range? Does low range have more torque for pulling... or is it just a speed difference from high/low range?

 

My other tractors do not have this feature, so I am just curious about the overall design, how/why having high/low range actually matters.

 

I'd appreciate any information you guys can give!

 

Don

When I moved into my current house with 2 acres to mow. The grass was seriously 5-6' tall. I put the 312-8 in 2lo....drove over the grass, ....let r eat.... Don't believe me, ask my wife and son and neighbors. ( All of them laughed at me at the time, but now tell me how much better this place looks) 😊👍🏼 Took me 4 times of mowing and 2 sets of mower belts. But I got r done. That's what lo range is for lmao 😂

 

I now have a 520-8 with a 60" deck to mow with. I use the 312 for firewood and snow plowing.