On agrarheute and on our agrarheute Facebook page we wanted to know in a survey which driving mode you prefer when operating tractors with continuously variable transmissions. The result surprised us.
How to drive tractors has changed over the past few decades. Instead synchronized gear changes with gruff levers driving more and more tractors with an infinitely s transmission .
Depending on the brand, there are different driving strategies for moving tractors with CVT transmissions. And there are different tasks with a tractor that require different driving strategies. Often the question of the right driving strategy is very emotional and there are likes, habits and dislikes.
Which driving mode do you use on tractors with continuously variable transmission?
On agro today and to our agricultural today Facebook page we wanted in a poll to know what driving mode you prefer when operating tractors with continuously variable transmissions . The result surprised us, because we didn’t expect it to be so clear.
Driving strategy survey in detail – majority is in favor of this driving style
More than half of the 2,351 participants voted for: “I always use the foot pedal to drive the tractor”. 29 percent, and thus at least a third of those surveyed, use the pedal on the road and use the drive lever in the field.
tractors using the accelerator pedal.
Predominantly the old Vario generation may have given the answer “I always drive the tractor with the drive lever and do not use any automatic engine-transmission control (for example TMS on Fendt Vario tractors )”. With 8 percent, this is the driving strategy with the lowest approval in our survey.
The first Vario transmissions did not have an automatic motor-transmission control (TMS). Current Fendt models can also be moved without TMS, but only if the driver actively deactivates the function.
After all, 12 percent of the tractor drivers in our survey drive exclusively with the drive lever.
The result was clear on Facebook. There were only two options available here. 75 percent of the participants drive their tractor on the road with the accelerator pedal and in the field with the drive lever.
Difference between Fendt Vario transmissions and John Deere AutoPowr
Whether you drive the tractor with the drive lever or with the accelerator pedal also depends on the brand. The two market leaders John Deere and Fendt offer different options:
- Fendt drivers in particular have to decide whether to control the Vario continuously variable transmission with the drive lever or with the pedal. Then the driver presses the button on the side console and switches between the driving modes.
- With the introduction of the CommandPro drive lever , John Deere drivers from the 6R onwards also use the drive lever.
- In contrast to the Dieselross brand, John Deere drivers do not have to commit themselves at the touch of a button, but either use the drive lever or step on the pedal with their foot.
It sits comfortably in the hand immediately and operation can be learned quickly. The wheel was not reinvented from the ground up. If you push forward, you accelerate; backwards is decelerated. The acceleration behavior is adjusted in three stages by means of a push button on the CommandPRO.
If you push the lever to the right, the pilot activates one of the two cruise controls.If the joystick is pushed all the way forward, the green deer automatically accelerates to the set maximum speed. This function can be used practically as a third cruise control. If you pull the lever all the way back, the 6230R goes into active standstill mode. The tractor then decelerates by itself until it comes to a standstill (active standstill).
How do you drive tractors with a continuously variable transmission and what are the advantages of your preferred driving strategy? Drop us your answer in the comments below!
