Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

FWIW, I bought my 1st 2 stager - Honda unit - without ever demoing a unit that had Hydrostatic Transmission.
Just short of the fact that it's variable infinite speed, can anyone just give me a laymens primer on the benefits of a Hydrostatic Transmission ?


BTW, how often if any do you do a OCI on the hydro transmission.

I was just surprised how much ~harder~ is is to move when not engadged as opposed to ~regular~ geared transmission.
I was at the local orange borg last night and wheeled the Organge buckets around and they wheel so much with ease...

jrtrebor wrote:

This may not be relevant but I find that the drive engagement lever in my Toro can be used to creep forward if i just lightly push down on it. I would imagine Ariens would do the same. I only have to use this when I get near the hidden rocks but it does work.

I'd second everything jrtrebor said above in post 33.

As I get more clearing time and familiar with the Honda hydro the more I like it.  Slowing way down in tough going is easy with the hydro compared to friction drive.  With the hydro your hands are free to do a little bucket wiggling or lifting and lowering.  With friction drive and slipping the clutch it's harder to manage the slowed rate while jiggle the machine at the same time.  The rate changes.  That's ok for a short pile or small areas where the going is tough but for a long run of tough going the managing of the drive clutch becomes a hassle.  For a small clearing area it's not so much a big deal but for a big area and constantly haveing to manage the clutch in big snow the hydro makes it easy.  It's easier to the drive rate for a slight plowing of the bucket. Changing speeds is easier.  For many area these advantages are not so great.   The tough areas are not so many and the number of times of big snows few.  The number of wet snows is also a factor. 

The hydro seem very robust and like it could take quite a bit of hard yearly use.  I've talked with a few owners, Honda dealers and service mechanics and they all have the same report that the hydro is well made and stands up over the years.  That also may not be much of a factor for many.  Friction disk last a long time when used right.   I've picked up several of the hydro tracks and a few very beat up from always using bucket forward.  The buckets were ground off a full half in all around the bottom section of the bucket with metal in the back pealed.  Big abuse but hydro fine and also the track components seem unworn. 

The hydro would seem to be a nice feature and worth the extra cost for bigger areas and commercial use.  For a smaller area and with someone who is no so concerned about the price compared to a decent friction drive machine a hydro would be ok.  

Yes you can do the same on an Ariens as on a Toro.  Just feather or lightly engage the drive to move a little slower.  But that is actually allowing the drive plate to slip on the friction wheel a bit. Which if done for to long will heat up the rubber on the wheel. Taken to the extreme you could flat spot the fiction wheel if this was done under an extreme snow load. Which is when the slower speed is sometimes needed the most.  But having said all that feathering the drive is alright as long as the wheels are continuing  to spin while feathering.  That tells a person that the fiction wheel is spinning and not being held in one place and burning.

But as trout said being able to just adjust and set the Hydro speed and forget it, makes things simpler a lot easier. While you sometimes wrestle with the blower itself.

Not sure if the same can be done with friction disc, but with hydro, I can change drive speed and direction on the fly without releasing the drive lever. Convenient at times when you need to rock it out of a rut.

You can't the friction disk is touching the drive plate so won't slide to another gears when the clutch is engaged.  You can quickly let off the clutch and get another gear quickly if you are very familiar with your machine but most people arn't because of infrequent use.

aa335 wrote:

I've used an MTD track for 13 years and I just got my Honda tracked about a month ago, but I've never encountered a time with tracks that you need to rock it out of a rut. Worst case when I ended up in a ditch, the machines are always set up to simply balance the thing backwards and let it climb its way out.

I was just moving all my OPE and cars around in my outdoor workshop and the ground had about an inch of snow (I've not used the Honda yet) and I realized the Honda in snow turns effortlessly. No joke, no exaggeration. I'm a small guy so I'm not muscling the thing around, its just easy to turn. And I don't think its any worse than the MTD because the MTD sat "flat" on the tracks, meaning even with the trigger drive, that thing would not allow you to slip it on the ground. By contrast the tracks on the Honda are raised in the center meaning there's a high spot where its pivoting on a 1/2" inch piece of rubber, so as long as I keep it going, I can spin it 180 degrees. And with the hydro drive, as I come to tight turns, I don't have to stop, I simply slow it down let it spin on the tracks a bit and go. Nice. I am looking forward to 30" of snow now.

And in thinking about how people keep saying the Honda track drives are hard to maneuver, I finally realized its a matter of perspective. *I've only ever used a track drive*, the first year I struggled because I had to keep stopping to steer it, move it slide it, and after a while tracks become second nature. Tracks might take a homeowner 2-3 years to really get accustomed to how to use them.

I'm guessing that aa335 was talking about a situation where the tracks have lost traction (there spinning). So you have to rock it a bit for the tracks to get a better bite on the surface. Or you are simply digging a hole with the tracks, so to speak.

It isn't recommended, but changing gears on a friction disc without stopping or disengaging is possible.  I do it sometimes.

Not sure if having hydrostatic transmission is good for sensitive owners like myself.  The fluid level is just funny - it looks like nothing there but when the engine warms up, the level looks normal.  It just feels strange - so I called my dealer this morning and told me it is just normal and nothing to worry about.  I asked him if I should add an oz or two and that would make me feel better - so the dealer said that would be just fine and asked me to bring a plastic container so he can give me an oz or two to add.  So having this extra flud check level is not a good thing for someone as anal as I am.

MN_Runner wrote:
You can wrap the reservoir with a black plastic bag so you don't see it.    I'm surprised you don't have a fluid level table at every temperature so you can tell that it's 2 microns low.