Jerry, since the majority of our machine time is golf course or snow removal work I don't think I'm quite an inside operation or even tight quarters specialist, however, here's my slant on it.

The hyd. shuttle, the one I'm most familiar with since all our machines are Kubota GST's, is to us the best compromise. Yes I said 'compromise'. The advantage of clutchless shifting comes with a small penalty of reduced speed in shifting, and a little loss of control over how fast the clutch engages/disengages. Overall we are very pleased with the system, and as Art pointed out you do still have the option of full manual clutch operation for detail work if desired/required. It is reasonably fool-proof (I should know) and pretty real world dependable. It is also a very easy to learn system, and stands up to multiple operators fairly well.

The big drawback that I find with HST's (Hydro Static Transmissions) is the combination of excessive heat and a noticeable power loss. This is particularly bad in a constant load situation, such as hauling, plowing or mowing. A few years back we had a HST, in repetative tasks it lost the race to the GST's, really lost, we got about 20% less production out of it pulling dump wagons loaded with sand for sand traps. The heat coming off it wasn't very nice for the operator either. They are certainly 'Rookie Friendly' though.

Mechanical shuttles have been around since Moses was digging sand out of the Eastern Deserts. Proven designs, dependable as gravity, but take a little more to get comfortable with, and more susceptable to failure from improper operation, such as excessive riding of the clutch, etc.

All in all, the GST's seem to be the most Pro's and the fewest Con's of three, but that's just my opinion after running a fleet of a dozen machines for a couple decades...

Best of luck.

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