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Tractor Transmission Types

While it would be very difficult to discuss all of the available transmission types available for farm tractors, we will touch on the
more popular ones. The purpose of the transmission is to convert engine torque output into a tractor travel speed and
direction that is (hopefully) suitable to the task at hand. The early days of rubber-tired farm tractor development saw
transmissions starting out with three forward speeds and one reverse speed. Not a lot of choice, but it sure did beat a team of
mules (for most users), and found wide acceptance in the market place. People are an innovative bunch, and it wasn't long
before we started seeing transmissions with 4 speeds, and then 5 speeds. Then somebody figured out how to get more
selections out of those existing gears, without actually adding a whole bunch more parts. Enter the range shift. With a
minimum number of additional parts, range shift effectively splits each main gear into two or more different speeds, increasing
the number of ground speeds available to the drive wheels. From that point, transmission technology has evolved into a very
wide assortment of types, some of which we will now look at in more detail.

Manual Shift. Also called straight shift. The Massey Ferguson folks, over in England, refer to this as a crash shift gearbox.
That's a pretty good name, because that is (more often than not) exactly what occurs when you try to shift on the go. The two
gears that you are attempting to mesh are rotating at different speeds, causing that grinding noise you hear. The two most
popular styles of manual shift transmissions are the sliding gear, and the collar shift. In the sliding gear style, the gears are
splined to the main shaft, and gear selection is made by actually moving the gears, via shift forks, into the appropriate
location. For the collar shift style, the gears are built up into a stack. The gears do not slide back and forth. These gears are
not splined to the main shaft but are free to rotate when not engaged. There is a shift collar in between each gear pair, i.e. 1 st
& 2nd or 3rd & 4 th. This collar is splined to the main shaft, and is the movable component when a speed change is called for.
Manual shift transmissions, while not as user-friendly as some of the other types, tend to have cast iron durability.

Synchro-Shift. Essentially a collar shift transmission, with the addition of synchronizers, which allow for crash-less shifting on
the go. In order to achieve a smooth shift, the first thing that must happen is an equalization of rotational speed of the gears
that you wish to bring into mesh with each other. This is the chief function of the synchronizer. Let's suppose our transmission
is synchronized between 3rd and 4th gears. We'll start out in 3rd gear, and then shift into 4th. As we shift, the first occurrence
in the chain of events is that we move the transmission out of 3rd gear, and into neutral. As we continue moving the shift lever
towards 4 th gear, a brass cone applies friction to 4th gear, increasing or decreasing it's speed to match that of the rotating
collar. Once the speeds have equalized, the gears still may not be lined up with each other, so there are little triangular
shaped teeth around the outer circumference of the brass cone, which serve to ever so slightly rotate the shift collar teeth and
the gear teeth into perfect alignment. This whole process occurs rapidly, usually allowing a straight-through shift, directly out of
one gear and into the next. Synchro transmissions range from simple, where only a single pair of gears are synchronized, on
up to full synchronization of all speeds, including forward and reverse. Shuttle-Shift, which refers to synchronization between
forward and reverse, is a real benefit to have on a tractor that will be used for front loader work. Still a reliable transmission,
but a little more subject to failures because of the extra bearings, synchro rings, etc. that are in use. More complex = more
potential for failures to occur.

Power Shift. Has a lot of similarity to the collar shift, in that the gears are in constant mesh. Instead of a sliding coupler, there
is a clutch pack, that when energized, causes the selected gear to rotate by locking it to the main shaft. Some, or all, of the
speeds in a given transmission may be selected via the power shift method. However it more often the case that only a
portion of the speeds are selected in this manner. This usually results in a hybrid, synchro-shift/power shift type of
transmission. Power shift gives you the ability to select several different speeds while on the go without having to use the
clutch pedal. When everything is working properly, they are really nifty to use. Beware of poor maintenance habits, though.
Neglecting to change the transmission oil and filters, as recommended, will result in this transmission biting a big chunk of
money out of your wallet.

Hydrostatic Drive. There is nothing new-fangled about this transmission. It has been around for a long time. Nevertheless, it
is among the least understood of all transmission types. It is common for it to be compared with the automatic transmission in
an automobile. They are different animals altogether. The only similarity is that they both use oil to transmit power. Tech
types describe a hydrostatic transmission as being a variable-displacement hydraulic pump, driving a fixed-displacement
hydraulic motor. Now, to the un-initiated, that's a bunch of gobblety-gook. So let's s t r e t c h that explanation out a little bit.
Any hydraulic pump's sole purpose in life is to deliver some amount (volume) of fluid to some other device, which in turn
moves whatever is attached to that device, causing work to be performed. This can be either through linear motion (as in a
hydraulic cylinder), or rotary motion (as in a hydraulic motor). If we want to control how quickly our device moves (or rotates),
one way we can do that is to vary the amount of oil that the pump sends to it. If our pump is delivering four gallons a minute,
things will happen four times faster than if we only pump one gallon a minute. (Are you with me, so far?) Since we can control
our pump's output, we can control the motor's speed. Now, unless we just want to go around in a circle all day long, we've got
to figure out how to change directions. No problem. (You knew that, didn't you?) Most hydraulic motors don't care whether
they are turned clock-wise or counter-clockwise. (They probably don't even know the difference!) Since a hydrostatic
transmission operates in what is called a closed loop system, consisting of the pump and motor units, we simply reverse the

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direction of flow from the pump, causing the motor to operate in the opposite direction. Oh, by the way, closed loop means
that a fixed amount of system oil is trapped, or contained, within the pump/motor circuit. Assume that a certain hydro
transmission is of a size that it contains 500 ml of oil within the closed loop. That volume remains constant, never changing
regardless of tractor speed or direction. So, for any change that we make in the output volume and/or direction of flow of oil
from the pump section, a reaction must occur in the motor section, inducing a corresponding change in motor speed and/or
direction. In reality, there is a certain amount of oil that is constantly escaping from and being replenished back into the closed
loop section of the transmission. This is because a small amount of oil is allowed to flow all around the various components
for lubrication and cooling purposes. The greatest advantage of a hydrostatic transmission is the ability to infinitely vary the
ground speed and quickly change directions. It's like having a million speed transmission. If you need a travel speed of
1.200589 MPH, it is available. Another advantage is reliability. This transmission is, by way of design, pretty much self-
protecting from operator abuse. Also, on foot pedal controlled transmissions, there is a built in safety factor in that you need
only lift your foot from the pedal, to bring the tractor to a controlled stop. The only disadvantage of note is a slight loss of power
at the PTO shaft. You must also remember to apply the parking brake should you park the tractor on a slope. Hydrostatic is,
by far, the best choice for turf mowing applications or for any tasks that require constant speed and direction changes within a
small area.

Glide Shift. This is a Kubota exclusive. It is best described as a manual shift transmission whereby gear selection is
achieved without the necessity to operate the tractor's main clutch. It is very similar in design and function to the synchro-shift
type. All of the gears in this transmission are synchronized. The major difference is found in the addition of one hydraulic
clutch pack and a hydraulic shift cover that is mounted to the side of the transmission housing. Eight speeds are available,
with forward and reverse (shuttle) for each speed. Stay with me as we go through a shifting sequence. Let's assume that we
are in 2nd gear and wish to shift into 3rd. Without touching the clutch pedal, we simply move the shift lever from 2nd gear
position into 3rd gear position. (Boy, that was easy!). What just happened was, we lined up some oil passages in the shift
cover to redirect pressurized hydraulic oil to make the shift for us. The first thing that happened was that the hydraulic pressure
that was holding the clutch pack squeezed together was allowed to escape, releasing the clutch. This causes the engine to
stop driving the transmission. Next, oil (under pressure) is directed to the 2nd gear shift rail cylinder in a manner which places
that rail in neutral. Then, oil pressurizes the 3rd gear shift rail cylinder to move 3 rd gear into engagement. Oil is then directed
to the clutch pack squeezing it together once again, to reconnect engine drive power to the transmission. The actual shift part
of the sequence occurs very quickly, taking about 4/10ths of a second. Clutch pack re-engagement, however, is a time-
controlled process in order to allow smooth shifting and eliminate jerkiness in the shifting process. Glide shift has been around
for several years now with excellent reliability. It is a great choice if you will be doing a lot of front loader work, as well as
working in larger fields. Using a front loader can be very hard on main drive clutches. With glide shift the need for manual
clutching is eliminated, thus saving wear and tear on the clutch as well as your leg!

Selecting the right transmission for the jobs you do (or may do in the future) is every bit as important as getting the right size
tractor. A lot of people have traded their tractor shortly after purchasing it, because they found out that the transmission wasn't
suitable for the jobs they were doing. Maybe the shift pattern was so odd they just couldn't get used to it. That is way more
expensive than getting the right one to begin with. If you are new to the world of tractors, take time to drive and familiarize
yourself with some different types of transmissions. As with the rest of life, no transmission is perfect for every application, and
all of the different types will involve some compromises.

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