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020 3026 8712

Opening times
  • Call Weekdays 9am - 7pm (Closed Between 1pm & 2pm)
  • Saturday Phone Lines 10am - 4pm
X

The Tractor Factor – Which Drive Do You Choose?

For those of you who have been paying attention (not you Holly) it will be very apparent that this is a good time to buy a new ride-on or lawn tractor. Not only do we have grass springing up all over the place like themed cocktail bars in Hoxton but we also have some very good deals indeed on Tractors. If you make sure you read Dick’s excellent blog tomorrow (and you will won’t you? He’s very sensitive and I wouldn’t want to upset him) you will find he has researched and described ten of the best tractors available right now all at amazing prices and with FREE OIL as well as our FREE Premium Delivery Service. This means your ride-on is delivered assembled, tested, tuned, cleaned and ready for you to get on with it. This is all FREE (UK mainland only.) So have a look tomorrow and see what delicious buffet of piston-powered tractory treats Dick has laid on for you.

In the meantime, just so you don’t get confused by all the talk of hydrostatic, automatic and transmatic drives and start thinking you are reading a blog by an out of work Dr Who fanatic, I have included on these very pages, a brief guide to the drive systems of our ride-ons and tractors to help you work out which one is best for you and which to choose.

Manual Drive Systems: Simple really, it is exactly what it says –  a traditional method gear lever system.  You will be provided with a number of gears including reverse (though reverse mowing is not, these days, automatically an option) and a number of different speeds to choose from.

Automatic Drive Systems: Classic belt and pulley variable drive systems like these are common and  like hydrostatic drives, they remove the need for you to change gear manually. You will then use the drive pedal solely for the purpose of accelerating and will use a separate brake pedal to slow down or come to a halt. 

Transmatic Drive Systems: This system uses a drive-belt and and tensioners to regulate the power and speed, transferring it to the trans-axle. You have to depress the clutch (just tell it about the economy) and manually shift to your selected speed after which you then release the pedal.

Unlike manual gears, you do not have to accelerate through them, as if you were in your old Ford Cortina. You just simply choose the speed and operate at that speed.  This form of system is often referred to as ‘shift-on-the-go’

Hydrostatic Drive Systems: This is a totally gearless system. It uses  hydraulic pumps to regulate velocity and power.  It is simple and intuitive to use. Simply depress the pedal (I promise I  won’t do that joke again) and the further or more firmly it is pressed down the faster you go. This makes it very useful for manouevring and offers easier handling through the provision of  with infinite speed control with a proper halt if you take your foot off.  

So that is that. If you want to know more about our ride-ons, try looking here at the site, or if you want some more help and guidance, there are dozens of guides and articles here, in our big cupboard full of facts and advice, MowHow, or call one of our friendly helpful staff on O845 4588 905., And don’t forget… enjoy your garden.

Drew Hardy

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