PowerQuad vs. PowerShift

I have been thinking about trying to find a JD 7800 or 7810. Most of my experience has been with CaseIH so I would like to get opinions on which is better the PowerQuad or the PowerShift? I do have a 4450 with a PowerShift but have never used a 7000 series tractor. Can any of you guys help me out. Thanks

Both are pretty good transmissions, I personally think the power quad is alittle more work when you have to rebuild/fix any problems. What are you going to be using the tractor for I guess is the question. A power shift you don't really need the clutch as much. I personally prefer the power shift just because i find it more comfortable to operate, and its a pretty simple transmission to rebuild. And with a power shift you do not need to stop to switch from working to road gear. Plus If you can get a service manual for the 7800 or 7810 you can taylor the shifting to what you may like by altering address codes and such.

I hope this helps -pat

The 19 speed power shift in the early JD 7800s was a hard shifting transmission. Nothing like the JD 4450 15 speed PS. I personally like the power quad transmission. You have four power shift gears in each range. Plus the range shifter is synchronized. On the JD 7810 you could get the 20 speed quad range. So therefore you had the faster transport speeds. The original 16 PQ transmission only had a 18 mph top speed. The 19 speed PS had a top speed of 25 mph. I own three power quad transmission tractors. I have owned a 19 sp JD 7800 I only kept it three years. I disliked the shift on it. On certain shifts it would realy jerk when cold. It was some better warmed up but not much.

Pat-CT you are wrong on changing the shift points on a JD 7800. You can on a JD 7810 but not a JD 7800. Even the JD 7810 is not as adjustable as the eight thousand series, they still jerk when cold. I know this because I was in the shop when they came out. I have had my butt chewed because of guys trading their 15 speed power shift and then bought the 19 speed jerk-o- matics.

As for your comments about the service requirements. I see several PS for every one power quad I have to work on. The 16 or 20 speed power quad is pretty bullet proof. I have several customers that have high hour PQs that they have never touched, one 14,000 hours.

Another thing to consider. Are you going to be using this tractor to bale with?? or loader?? The power quad is much easier to shuttle shift compared to the PS. The later models could have the left had shuttle on them.

I dont mean changing shift point per say, Im not sure what applies where, but I have re calibrated an 8400 among others. When you tell the computer that its a different tractor, for example say this 7800 was to be re calibrated to a 6800, or whatever other models are in this series, the computer would see the smaller horsepower and be more inclined to slip or slow the fluid flow to the pistons within the transmission. Im not quite sure if it applies here as I haven't re calibrated a 7800.

And with them breaking more frequently, I would say its more of a operation problem then a transmission problem. However I still think I would prefer to rebuild a power shift over a power quad.

JMHO- dont want to start a spite war.
-pat

I don't know what they changed in the 7000 series powershifts compared to the early ones, but they are some hard shifting trannys. The quad is a lot smoother but it always seems like you want to bounce between b and c ranges in the field. We ended up getting a late model 7810 with the ivt and love it.

We have a 7810 with the power shift, I like it, use it for tillage. No problems. recently we got a 4440 with the qaudrange, that is good too.
Brian(MN)

Pat-CT I am not starting anything either. I wish the JD 7800- JD 7810 could be calibrated like the JD 8000s. You can go into them and adjust the shift points and smooth them out.

I have found that if you depress the clutch just an inch. It will trick the computer into shifting different and it is usually smoother. The hard shifts are just when they are shifting multiple clutch packs at the same time. They actually are hesitating a little. If I remember right it is 4 to 5 and 13 to 14. If not those exactly it is real close to those.

I have a friend that is a BIG guy, 6 foot ten and weight three fifty. He had a JD 7800 that shifted so hard, when it was cold, it broke the seat mounts out of the floor. He broke the back window with his head when it happened. We fixed it and he traded it on a power quad.

I will admit I am old school. I am a firm believer in KISS. KEEP IT SIMPLE AND STUPID. LOL I have found that the simpler machinery is it will last longer in the harsh environment of farming. Ever notice how old the equipment that is real high tech, with GPS and all, is when it is traded?? The big new toy lovers don"t let them get too old while they own them.

Red Pete, IMO the Power-shift is better, the old 20, 30, 40 Series 8speed Power-shift or the 50 series 15 speeds gave you what ever speed you needed with a push or pull of the thumb on the shifter.
The old 8 speed PS trannys were absolutely bullet proof when operating on loader work or pulling a 650 bu grain cart, and catching grain on the fly.
The 15 speed allowed one to shift and leave the RPS at one setting when the 8 speed was shifted and them needing the RPMs to match the Combines ground speed.
The only draw back to the 8 speed Power-Shift in farming operations was the 1.5 MPH jump between 4th and 5th. On the higher HP tractor more noticeable than the lower hp models.
The Quad, You always seemed to be the wrong gear when needing to shift to another range and gear in loader work or grain cart work and turning at the end of a row onto a turn row and head back down the next set.
The Quad is a bullet proof tranny too, it is not as handy as a Power Shift IMO!!!! Deere did a lot to help that tranny when they came out with the Power-Quad, but there are still time when range changes are needed and there is a slow up in the gear change process.
Where with the Power-Shift you just take you thumb and click the gears up or down with little to no clutching.
Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.