Old Wive's Tale?

I've heard since forever that ya don't wanna use a Hydro for tillage 'cause it will damage it.

Why in the world would any manufacturer, no matter what the brand, put out a farm tractor that you couldn't farm with?

I'm not so sure I'm buying the flap.

Anyone?

Allan

All I've done is pull it in and outta the shop and it's already eaten a half a tank! :>)

Later

I don't belive what they say. We have a Hydro 100 with over 8500 hours on it. At 5000 hours the flex plate cracked and had to be replaced. at 6000 hours we got a good deal on a turbo 436 and put that in it. We are now pushing 150 hp thru that transmission. It does everything aroud the farm, and is the most reliable tractor as long as the starter doesn't go out because you cant roll start a hydro.

Could you go over on the Farmall board and look at a question/picture I just posted there?

I obviously don't know what I'm fixen here. :>)

Allan

I know there is alot of talk about certain repairs being "expensive", and this goes for any old tractors. I'll give you an example. I think you could apply this to most situations people have on this forum. I have a '71 John Deere 4020 with Powershift that I am currently overhauling the engine on. Since I got the thing in 2001 I've gone thru the entire tractor transmission, brakes, etc. Including the purchase price I'll have about $20,000 in it. I don't think I could sell it for that(the paint isn't shiny). It's a perfect tractor for my 50 cow dairy farm and I don't hafta share it with the bank. A new tractor like that would cost at least twice as much, more with a full powershift. Think about that next time a repair gets "expensive".

It's roughly akin to towing with an automatic transmission. If you've got a cooler and a robust enough tranny, you're fine. But if you've got a light weight one without a cooler, you're probably going to kill it.

I've spent most of my ol' long life diggin' around inside of automatic transmissions in cars and trucks and know fullwell how they can be "pulled thru" (burnt)and that they can and will fail.

But, I get to studying these hydros and find that they are built more on the order of a wobble plate and pistons, much like an old GM 6-cylinder air conditioning pump or a mower/conditioner and it’s sickle drive. Completely different durability factor going on there. :>)

Just hard for me to believe that a manufacturer would put something in the window without first running it thru it's R&D department for a good and through testing.

Allan

Yeah, I've got a neighbor with a 186. He pulls a 32' springtooth doing summerfallow all summer long with that old tractor and gets along just fine.

I'm just wondering if it is the "fear" of a possible expensive failure that is behind this "legend"? :>)

Dunno, mine is a gasser so it'll have to stay in the hay fields, but I just got to thinkin' 'bout it. :>)

Allan

The hydro will pull your plow, but not very efficiently, nor for very long and the fluid will overheat. Once the fluid gets just so hot for just so long, it will break down and loose its ability to properly lubricate the components. Then..... ....failure is likely.:-(

Some newer mid sized tractors are some form of automatic shift or something like a hydro, but not truely a hydrostatic drive unit.

Hydros do make great loader tractors though, till the drive breaks, then get out the bucks. You might have to disassemble a large part of the tranny to replace a $2.00 O ring.