Downloaded from SAE International by North Carolina State Univ, Monday, September 17, 2018

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SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS, INC.

Two Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, N. Y. 10001

Hydrostatic Transmissions
in Farm and
Light Industrial Tractors

Rodger W. Asmus and William R. Borghoff

International Harvester Co.

OF A U T O M O T I V E E N G I N E E R S

SAE National Combined Farm Construction and

Industrial Machinery, Powerplant, and
Transportation Meetings 680570
Milwaukee, Wis.
September 9-12,1968
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 Downloaded from SAE International by North Carolina State Univ, Monday, September 17, 2018
Hydrostatic Transmissions
Rodger W. Asmus and William R. Borghoff
THE HYDROSTATIC TRANSMISSION for agricultural tractors
was first introduced to the American farmer in May 1967.
It was then that International Harvester announced the mar­
keting of a hydrostatic drive option for the "656" tractor,
a medium sized model used for both agricultural and in­
dustrial applications. This paper describes the new drive
along with some of its design considerations. Since prior
presentations have covered the hydrostatic system per se,
greater emphasis will be placed on transmission controls
and their development. Before starting the main discussion,
it is appropriate to look at some of the reasons for selecting
this type of drive.
The medium horsepower tractor is utilized for a wide
range of agricultural and light industrial applications. In
farming it is used for tillage, planting, transplanting, har­
vesting, and chore work. It is used extensively for power
take off work, where it is desirable that the implement be
operated at maximum capacity regardless of variations in
crop or field conditions. As a light industrial vehicle, it is
called upon to do shuttle type work such as loader and back­
fill operations; it is used for creeper drive type jobs such as
trenching; and it is frequently used for roadside mowing.
These diverse jobs indicate the need for an unlimited num­
ber of speed ratios, along with the ability to change ratio
smoothly and rapidly. The infinitely variable hydrostatic
transmission meets these requirements in all respects. It
ABSTRACT
Application of the hydrostatic transmission to a farm and
light industrial tractor involved many special design and
manufacturing considerations. A brief description of the
transmission is given, and some of the special considerations
along with their solutions are discussed. Emphasis is placed
680570
in Farm and
Light Industrial Tractors
International Harvester Co.
provides maximum torque for starting heavy loads with ease.
Any desired speed ratio is conveniently available to the
tractor operator for his agricultural or industrial operations.
Hydrostatic transmissions for vehicles are not new. They
have been used to drive specialty vehicles for a number of
years, but until recently they have not been considered prac­
tical for agricultural use because of cost, size, efficiency,
and controllability. Recent advances in production technol­
ogy have made reliable high pressure hydrostatic components
available at a cost competitive with more common means
of power transmission. These units are compact, permitting
their installation in place of the conventional transmission.
Control development, to be discussed later, was another
reason the hydrostatic drive became practical for tractor
application. Without precise control, advantages of the hy­
drostatic could not be fully utilized.
The hydrostatic drive offers a distinct advantage to the
vehicle manufacturer. It can effectively replace many of
the low-volume special transmission options, such as creeper
drives, torque converters, and fast forward-reverse attach­
ments previously required to provide needed performance
for certain applications. This does not mean that the hy­
drostatic transmission will replace all gear type units in the
future. Gear transmissions will continue to be used effec­
tively for near constant speed applications.
on the importance of having the proper control system to
provide desirable performance and endurance characteristics
for the tractor. Because the controls of a hydrostatic by
necessity are quite different than for a conventional tractor,
particular emphasis is placed on the control portion of the
overall development program.
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"656" HYDROSTATIC TRACTOR

HYDROSTATIC TRANSMISSION
The "656" hydrostatic tractor (Fig. 1), is similar in ap­
pearance and has the same general dimensions as the gear The "656" hydrostatic transmission is of the closed loop
drive model. The two vehicles differ primarily in that type, seen in Figs. 3 and 4. It utilizes a variable displace­
the hydrostatic transmission replaces the conventional clutch ment pump to drive a larger variable displacement motor.
housing, as seen in Fig. 2. A two speed, sliding gear range Both pump and motor are the axial piston valve plate type
transmission is used in place of the conventional five speed units with maximum displacements of 4.26 and 7.24 cu in.,
unit m the rear frame. The final drive is unchanged except respectively. Each has a servo operated swash-plate for
for the ring gear and bevel pinion ratio. A two speed range varying displacement. Except for size they are similar in
transmission was provided to insure maximum vehicle per­ appearance, both having nine pistons. The pump and motor
formance whether involved in heavy tillage work, in light are mounted in line in the drive housing. The pump cyl­
drawbar, or transport operations. inder block is splined to the input shaft which, in turn, is
coupled directly to the engine flywheel. Similarly, the m o ­
tor cylinder block is splined to the output shaft which drives
the range transmission. The units are oriented so that the
pump outlet and motor inlet face each other. They are flow
connected by a center section made to withstand the high
pressures of the drive. Instantaneous peaks greater than 6500
psi have been recorded during shock load tests.
Flow passes directly from the pump to the motor and back
via the kidney shaped passages in the center section, as seen
m Fig. 5. In addition to its function as a conduit, the center
section supports the rear input and front output shaft bearings.
This section also houses the spool portion of the forward and '
reverse drive relief valves, two check valves for admitting
charge oil, and a pressure operated shuttle valve, as shown
in Fig. 6. The relief valves are pilot operated by a remote
pilot valve to be described later. When one of the relief
valves opens, oil is vented from the high to the low pressure
side of the loop.

CHARGE SYSTEM

The transmission charge system is provided to maintain

Fig. l - Farmall "656" hydrostatic tractor
a positive pressure on the low pressure side of the pump,

-CENTER SECTION
VALVE BODY
pM.P.H -MOTOR\ -PUMP
DRIVE

CHARGE PUMF

.P.T.O.

PUMP SERVO

CONTROL CAM
-HYDROSTATIC Fig. 2 - Hydrostatic and range
transmissions
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to provide leakage make-up oil, and to exchange oil con­
stantly with the loop for cooling. It consists of a two stage
slipper type charge pump, two check valves and a shuttle
valve located in the center section, a minimum and a maxi­
mum pressure regulator valve, an oil cooler bypass valve,
and the oil cooler. (See Fig. 7.) The two stage slipper type
pump mounted forward of the transmission pump on the in­
put shaft provides 11 gpm of oil for this circuit. (Oil dis­
placed from under the charge pump slippers supplies the
servo system to be described later.) Oil in excess of that re­
quired for leakage make-up is supplied to the low pressure
half of the loop, permitting continuous removal of a portion
of the return oil from the motor for cooling purposes. Charge
oil enters the low pressure side of the loop via a check valve
in the center section. A portion of the return oil from the
motor leaves the center section through the shuttle valve,
which is operated automatically by the transmission drive
pressure. The check valves are located on the opposite ends
of the kidney shaped; passages from the shuttle valve to in­
sure mixing of the incoming oil within the loop. A regulator
valve maintains a pressure of 100 psi out of the shuttle valve.
This oil then flows through an oil to air cooler located in
front of the tractor radiator, then back into the charge pump.
A maximum pressure regulator limits charge pump pressure
to 200 psi when the drive pump is at zero stroke and the
transmission is not delivering power. When this occurs, the
shuttle valve centers blocking flow from the charge circuit
through the center section. A closed center shuttle valve is

CLN'ER i i £MOM
MOTOR CYLINDER 8LOCK-
PI,Vll 1 C Y L l N D f R B'.OCf.

it.'.' 5H*i»
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i ''.HAFT
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~»l.Mi iHvZ

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MOTT- <ERv
Tig. 3 - "656" closed loop hy­
postatic transmission

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Fig. 4 - Hydrostatic transmission components

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necessary to prevent drive pressure from being vented through
the charge circuit when starting up from the zero speed p o ­
sition.
Suction line filtration is provided by a 25 n nominal rated
paper element filter located within the transmission drive
housing. This element also filters fluid for the auxiliary
Canter taction - Motor side I Centor section- Pump sido
Fig. 5 - Center section
pumps that supply oil for the draft control and the power
steering systems.
IH Hy-Tran Fluid, presently used in all IH farm and in­
dustrial tractors is specified for the hydrostatic transmission.
This fluid was highly developed to function as a hydraulic
oil and to lubricate transmissions and final drives. It required
only improvement in its ability to prevent galvanic cor­
rosion.
In designing the charge system, the two stage slipper type
charge pump was selected because of its compactness and
its ability to deliver two independent flows. The greatest
flow, approximately 11 gpm for the charge system, is delivered
by the slippers acting against the cam in a manner similar,
to a vane pump. (See Fig. 8.) Oil displaced by the radial
movement of the slippers into their respective pockets in the
rotor provides a secondary flow used for the servo control
system to be described later. The independent deliveries

Fig. 6 - Center section components

1. Spool cap L. H. 5. Spring 8. Plug 11. Spool plug R. H.
2. O-ring 6. Spool, shuttle valve 9. Teflon seal 12. High pressure relief valve
3. Spring seat retainer 7. Center section 10. Junction block 13. Check valve
4. Spring seat

Charg* P m H i r * Regulating
Vafv* miit.
I 100 M l )

LEGEND
^ H MIVE PRESSURE

I- . I SUCIION I , CASE PRESSURE

RECHARWNG PRESSURE

CMAROE P U M P M M .
REGULATED PRESSURE Fig. 7 - Transmission charge
system
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of this pump permitted greater design freedom in both the

charge and servo systems. Table 1 - Maximum Pump and Motor Leak­
The critical operating condition that determined the age Versus Charge Pump Delivery
charge pump displacement was found to occur when the trac­
tor was operating at reduced engine speed and maximum System PV & MV Charge
load. At approximately 1000 engine rpm, the reduced charge Engine Pressure, Leakage, Delivery,
pump delivery had to be sufficient to replace leakage losses rpm psi gpm gpm
and provide for limited cooling. (See Table 1.) Under the
same conditions, servo system flow had to be sufficient to 1000 5500 2.6 5.5
maintain transmission control. 2300 5500 3.4 11
As was mentioned earlier, the cooler return oil goes di-

; ECCENTRICITY

/-ECCENTRICITY

O U T P U T TO
SERVO CIRCUIT

INTAKE

OUTPUT TO
CHARGE CIRCUIT INPUT SHAFT

CAM
Fig. t< - Slipper type charge
pump

Servo B»ll.f Valve

( 400 PSI I

Control Cam
1'i'.', '.' - Seru) control svstum
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rectly into the suction side of the charge pump. It was found
that by doing this, the transmission noise level and pressure
transients due to aeration were reduced. Some air is always
present with the common gear case-sump arrangement; so
by returning the cooler flow directly to the charge pump,
intake of air through the sump oil was minimized.
SERVO CONTROL SYSTEM
The servo control system consists of the pump and the
motor cylinders, the servo regulator valve, and the control
cam, as seen in Fig. 9. Hydraulic servos control the position
of the pump and motor swashplates. The rod ends of both
pivot from a common anchor pin, while the cylinder bodies
become the moving members and are attached to the pump
and motor swashplates, respectively.
Each servo cylinder is operated independently and is sup­
plied oil at 400 psi through the passage in the piston rod,
as seen in Fig. 10. Oil can flow freely into the rod end of
the cylinder body, while flow into the head end is restricted
by a fixed orifice. Flow out of the head end of the cylinder
and, therefore, the differential pressure between rod andhead
end is controlled by varying the opening of a flat variable
orifice located in the cylinder exhaust port. (See Fig. 10.)
The orifice button rides against a plate cam which varies
the opening. Servo pressure keeps the button positioned
against the cam. The variable and fixed servo orifices must
condition with no load. The motor variable orifice position
is not adjustable, since its precise location is not required
to obtain transmission zero speed.
Movement of the control cam, changing the orifice open­
ing, creates a force unbalance within the servo causing the
cylinder to move. This movement is always in the direction
required to correct the orifice opening to bring the servo
into force equilibrium. Since the orifice is attached to the
servo cylinder body, it moves with the swashplate .until the
equilibrium opening is regained. The servo control thus has
a built-in follow-up system.
The control cam, seen in Figs. 11 and 12, pivots about the
servo anchor pin axis and controls both the pump and motor
servos. It is designed to provide a near parabolic plot of
vehicle speed versus cam rotation, as shown in Fig 13. This
type of response was selected to provide a more precise con­
trol for starting up and for operating at low speeds. Pro­
gressive movement of the cam from the zero speed position
causes the pump to stroke from zero to the maximum 18
deg in forward, or 16 deg in reverse. The motor, held at
18 deg stroke until this time, is then destroked with additional
•MOTOR CONTROL SLOT PUMP CONTROL SLOT-
REVERSE D R I V E
NEUTRAL
DWELL Z O N E

be selected, considering the amount of oil and the pressure

available, to provide the maximum response rate desired. PUMP C O N T R O L S L O T -
FORWARD DRIVE
Response time for the "656" servos to move the transmission
from zero to maximum output speed is approximately 3 sec.
This time is a compromise which permits rapid acceleration,
but not too fast to make vehicle control difficult. The po­
sition of the pump servo orifice is manually adjusted to ob­
tain the initial zero pump stroke or zero speed orifice setting.
Fig. 11 - Agricultural servo control cam
(See Fig. 10.) Zero stroke can be readily determined by
checking charge pressure which jumps to 200 psi under this

■CYLINDER BODY

-FIXED ORIFICE

CHOR PIN

PISTON

BLOCK ADJU
BOLT (ABLE O R I F I C E
L I S T I N G BLOCK
CONTROL CAM

LE ORIFICE

ANCHORED TO
ANCHORED TO HOUSING
S W A S H PLATE

Fig. 10 - Pump servo cylinder (at

SERVO PRESSURE REDUCED SERVO PRESSURE
rest)
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Motor control s l o t - Pomp control s l o t - 1 cam rotation to the minimum 9.5 deg angle for maximum
forward drive reverse drive speed. A dwell segment is provided in the pump servo con­
trol portion of the cam at the zero swashplate (zero speed)
position. This broadens the zero speed range of the external
Neutral
transmission controls.
II zone

CONTROLS

Control development was given major consideration in

the overall tractor program. Precise transmission control was
Motor control slot—
reverse drive
required to utilize the greater productivity of the "656" hy­
drostatic tractor. In effect, overall tractor performance
could be no better than the operator's ability to control the
transmission.
Pump control slot—' Pin slot
IXSM-3125 forward drive The greater versatility of the hydrostatic transmission
created some control problems which were quite different
Fig. 12 - Industrial servo control cam and centering mech­ from those experienced with previous transmissions. The
anism criteria for solving these problems were as follows:
1. The controls must be natural. The movements any
operator would make instinctively must be the proper ones.
2. The controls should require a minimum of special
operator training.
3. The basic control of the vehicle where safety is in­
volved should be similar to control of existing tractors.
These items are especially important on a farm tractor
because of the wide diversity of operators. Consider a typ­
ical Mid-Western farm, for example. In addition to the pri­
mary operators, the farm owner or hired man, there are the
neighbors, the young son or daughter, the elderly grand­
father, or even the wife to help during peak periods of the
year. This is further compounded by the wide variation of
20 10 0 10 20 vintages and makes of the other tractors used on the farm.
REVERSE FORWARD
Consider also the amount of time spent in working in
CAM ANGLE IN DEGREES
and around buildings, and around other equipment and people.
Fig. 13 - Tractor speed versus control cam rotation Hitching to an implement is a good example where precise
movement is required, and often the safety of a person other
than the operator is involved. Many times these control
movements become instinctive, and the operator does not
have time to ponder every response carefully.
Controls needed for a hydrostatic transmission are similar
in some ways to the controls for standard gear drive tractors.
Presently there are two systems: one for agricultural and
general purpose tractors, and one for tractors primarily used
for loader or shuttle-type work. The following discussion
will describe the two systems, with particular emphasis on
the features that provide for safe and effective control.

AGRICULTURAL TRACTOR CONTROLS

The most obvious portion of the controls for the trans­

Fig. 14 - Control location - agricultural tractors
mission used on agricultural tractors is the "Speed Ratio"
(SR) lever. This is the operator's connection to the infinitely
variable speed feature of the transmission. The function
of the speed ratio control is to position the internal control
cam to achieve the desired tranmission ratio. Following
are some of the basic considerations involved in developing
the SR control:
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LEVER LOCATION - The lever is located just to the left
of the instrument panel, as seen in Fig. 14. The selected
position is within easy reach of the operator for sitting or
standing operation, and can be readily found without the
operator having to look away from the implement. This
location was determined to be convenient for the "656" trac­
tor after evaluating several other locations for a hand lever,
such as along the left side of the seat and on the right of
the instrument panel. Foot pedal controls and a combination
of foot pedal and hand controls were also considered.
SHIFT PATTERN - A speed control shift pattern similar
to the letter Z turned on its side was selected. The SR lever
is moved forward from zero speed position for forward travel
and increasing forward speed. It is moved rearward for reverse
travel and increasing reverse speed. Approximately 2 in.
cross movement is provided when changing from forward to
reverse, assuring a definite positive feel of zero speed with­
out hindering rapid shifting for forward-reverse operation.
(See Fig. 15.) This shift pattern complies with the SAE pro­
posal for speed control of variable speed transmissions.
In addition to the above, the shift pattern includes a hy­
draulic disconnect position indicated as N in Fig. 15, in the
center of the crossover slot. The reason for providing this
feature will be discussed later.
A straight through pattern was used on early experimental
tractors and proved to be unsatisfactory. It was noted during
field testing that inexperienced operators tended to overshoot
the zero speed position when operating in close quarters or
hitching to implements. Neither detenting nor latching the
zero position provided operator safety without affecting the
desired control performance.
LEVER EFFORT AND ACCURACY - A lever effort of ap­
proximately 7 lb was selected. This is adequate to provide
"feel" to the operator and to maintain the lever setting over
rough terrain. The effort is low enough to minimize op­
erator fatigue and to permit accurate speed changes. A hand
rest was provided which serves as a base for making the nec­
essary speed changes to maintain optimum vehicle perfor­
mance. The hand rest also doubles as an assist handle for
use when mounting the tractor.
Fig. 15 - Speed ratio lever shift pattern
INDEPENDENT LEVER MOVEMENT - The SR lever can
be moved as rapidly as desired when changing speed ratio
settings. Its rate of movement is independent of internal
servo response time discussed previously. This feature enables
the operator to change the lever setting rapidly, freeing both
hands for steering and implement control. Meanwhile the
transmission speed is changed to the new setting at a smooth,
comfortable rate.
ADDITIONAL CONTROL FEATURES - At this stage, it
would seem the speed ratio control is all that is needed for
the tractor to perform as desired. The operator has the ability
to control the transmission to permit forward or reverse op­
eration at any speed ratio he may desire, including zero
speed. However, after operating the tractor a short while,
it soon became evident that additional control features were
needed:
1. A provision was needed for a panic stop. Since it is
the normal reaction for most operators to use the left foot
to "disengage the clutch" in emergency situations, the hand
movement required to return the SR lever to the zero setting
was unnatural and potentially unsafe.
2. A transmission disconnect or dump was needed in order
to permit restarting the engine in the event it had stalled
under load. Otherwise, the cranking motor would be required
to overcome the load of the entire vehicle until sufficient
servo flow could be supplied to destroke the drive pump.
3. A feathering or inching pedal was needed to obtain
the accurate control required for hitching to implements.
The hand lever alone was not enough, even though the tractor
could creep slowly, because the lever did not give the op­
erator the proper feel or feedback. The need for feathering
ability was further substantiated during the initial field test­
ing of the F-656 Hydrostatic. Experimental tractors were
placed with a number of farmers to use as desired for a p e ­
riod of several days to several weeks. At the end of this time,
nearly all commented that controlling the vehicle in tight
quarters or hitching to an implement was difficult. Hitch­
ing often required making several attempts. The unamimous
reaction was that a clutch or feathering control was needed.
The above needs were met by the addition of a foot op­
erated feathering valve or as International Harvester named
it, "Foot-N-Inch" valve. The "Foot-N-Inch" valve is a sim­
ple poppet-type relief valve. The spring load on the poppet
can be varied by a pedal in the same location as a con­
ventional clutch pedal, as seen in Fig. 14.
The "Foot-N-Inch" valve is the pilot portion of the for­
ward and reverse relief valves which are located in the trans­
mission center section, shown schematically in Fig. 16. Its
function is to control remotely the drive pressure of the trans­
mission. The "Foot-N-Inch" valve can limit drive pressure
between near zero and maximum relief pressure of 5500 psi.
For the normally engaged condition of the transmission, the
"Foot-N-Inch" valve spring stop is held at its innermost posi­
tion. At this time, the pressure required to overcome the
spring load and open the poppet is 5500 psi. As the pedal
is depressed, the spring stop moves outward, lessening the
spring load on the poppet. When the pedal is fully de-
 Downloaded from SAE International by North Carolina State Univ, Monday, September 17, 2018

pressed, the spring load is reduced to zero, permitting
the poppet to unseat if exposed to any pressure. This
remote located relief pilot valve enables clutchlike perfor­
mance for the cost of a simple valve and several small di­
ameter hydraulic tubes.
The "Speed Ratio" lever and the "Foot-N-Inch" valve
provide the operator with flow and pressure control of the
transmission. However, other controls had to be developed
which would prevent situations which would be unsafe to
the operator or damaging to the engine or transmission. Some
of these problems are inherent in hydrostatic drives, and
some of them were created by the very features which were
desirable for the "Speed Ratio" and "Foot-N-Inch" controls.
The additional control functions are provided by the Drive
Control valve, which is connected to cross movement of
thesSR lever.
The primary reason for developing the drive control valve
was to protect the operator and the vehicle when decelerating
from transport speed. If the operator rapidly changed the
transmission ratio, he could cause one of the following un­
desirable results:
1. The rear wheels could slide, causing the vehicle to
go into a dangerous skid.
2. If tractive conditions were good, the vehicle momentum
could far exceed friction horsepower of the engine, causing
severe engine overspeed. Speeds 120% above rated were
observed during deceleration tests. This magnitude of over-
speed caused severe damage to the hydrostatic pump and
could cause damage to the engine.
To prevent these undesirable conditions, the reverse relief
valve limiting pressure was reduced from 5500 psi to 1600
psi, while decelerating from forward travel. Maximum de­
celeration pressure of 1600 psi limits the motoring horsepower
that can be transmitted back to the engine when the vehicle
is being driven by momentum. The limited horsepower co­
incides with the friction horsepower of the engine at 2800

LEGEND

m | FORWARD DRIVt PRESSURE

P ."/&i CHARGE PRESSURE

,L _ ^ j RETURN PRESSURE

Fig. 16 - "Foot-N-Inch" valve

schematic (forward drive)

SPEED RATIO LEVER

LEGEND

I FORWARD DECELERATION PRESSURE

] CHARGE PRESSURE

nRIVE CONTROL VALVE , ' ■,

Fig. 17 - S c h e m a t i c of drive c o n t r o l v a l v e (forward coast)
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10

rpm (22% above rated speed). Deceleration rate of the trac­ The primary reason for providing hydraulic neutral was
tor with normal ballast was reduced from 0.7g to 0.3g, which to discourage use of the transmission as a parking brake.
allows a comfortable, safe deceleration, using maximum Slight leakage, which is inherent in this type of drive, is
engine braking without causing damaging overspeed. made up by the charge pump. With the engine stopped, the
Pressure reduction is accomplished in the drive control transmission will eventually leak down allowing the tractor
valve by connecting the reverse (forward coast) relief valve to roll away free. Any possible deception is eliminated by
to a separate pilot valve when the SR lever is in the forward placing the lever in neutral, permitting the tractor to roll
drive side of the shift pattern. Cam action of the drive con­ immediately if it is going to, and requiring the operator to
trol valve spool in forward opens a ball check valve, expos­ lock the brakes before dismounting.
ing the 1600 psi pilot valve (deceleration valve) to the r e ­ A mechanical disconnect is provided by the High-Low
verse relief valve, seen in Fig. 17. Range shift lever. This is the same type of neutral as on
The ability to dump transmission pressure with the "Foot- standard gear transmissions in which the speed transmission
N-Inch" valve brought about another overspeeding possibility— is disengaged from the final drive. The neutral in the range
that of drive motor overspeeed. If the operator "disengaged" transmission is required to permit towing the vehicle without
the transmission by depressing the "Foot-N-Inch" valve while damaging the hydrostatic components.
traveling downhill, the tractor could coast freely. The re­
sult of the increased travel speed (above maximum transport INDUSTRIAL TRACTOR CONTROLS
speed) gained by free coasting would cause the hydrostatic
motor to overspeed, resulting in extreme damage to the The most obvious difference between the industrial and
transmission components. Although coasting downhill is agricultural tractor controls is the use of separate forward
an unsafe procedure it was possible, so a protective feature and reverse foot pedals to control transmission ratio instead
was added. of the SR lever. (See Fig. 18.) Both pedals are controlled
An anticoast valve was built into the drive control vaive jy the operator's left foot and are connected to the internal
assembly to minimize the possibility of motor overspeed. control cam. Depressing either pedal causes decreased trans­
It consists of a spool which blocks the line to the "Foot-N- mission ratio (faster travel speed), the direction depending
Inch" valve, Fig. 17, whenever the pedal is depressed and on which pedal is depressed. When the pedal is released,
the ground speed due to the vehicle momentum exceeds the transmission returns to the zero speed position. Foot
the speed setting of the "Speed Ratio" lever. When the anti- pedal controls are a distinct advantage for loader work be­
coast valve shuts off, engine braking occurs as controlled by cause of the continual acceleration, deceleration, and
the deceleration valve discussed above. The action is the change of direction during the normal loader cycle. Pedal
same as if the pedal had not been depressed. As soon as control leaves the operator's hands free to steer and operate
the ground speed is reduced to the speed as set by the SR the loader controls.
lever, the anticoast valve re-opens the line to the "Foot-N- The industrial transmission has the pump servo cylinder
Inch" valve, which again disconnects the engine from the synchronized to the internal control cam. The synchroniza­
final drive. This allows the unique feature of being able tion is provided by a pin which protrudes from the pump
to coast freely at speeds less than the lever setting, but not
being able to coast freely at speeds faster than the lever
setting.
The response of the anticoast valve is delayed for a few
seconds by means of a dashpot. This is to prevent the pos­
sibility of blocking the "Foot-N-Inch" valve any time other
than in a coast situation. The delay provides time for the
servo cylinders to move out of reverse in case the "Speed
Ratio" lever is moved rapidly from reverse to forward. In
this situation, the pressures in the drive control valve would
be the same as when coasting, but the dumping ability of
the "Foot-N-Inch" valve is maintained.
Another major tunction of the drive control valve is to
provide a hydraulic disconnect when the "Speed Ratio" lever
is in the center of the crossover slot between reverse and
forward. In the neutral position, the pilot lines to both main
relief valves are open to the sump. Thus, no differential
pressure can be held in the transmission, and the tractor is
free to roll. The drive control valve is moved to the neutral
position by an internal centering spring whenever the SR
lever is released in the crossover slot. It does not center,
however, until the coast pressure drops below 800 psi. Fig. 18 - Foot pedal speed ratio control
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servo cylinder and engages an oversize slot in the control
cam. The slot and pin mechanically limit the amount of
lead between the control cam and pump servo cylinder.
This prevents the operator from accidentally overshooting
the desired ratio setting before the transmission has time
to respond.
In addition, the internal control cam has a scissors-type
centering mechanism which causes the cam, consequently
the swash plate, to return to zero speed position when the
pedal is released. (See Fig. 12.) The centering feature plus
synchronization provide the operator with continuous feel
(feedback) of transmission speed ratio setting.
The industrial controls use a heel operated pilot valve,
located on the left platform, as seen in Fig. 19. This valve
is similar to the "Foot-N-Inch" valve for the agricultural
controls, except that it is not required for inching or feather-
Fig. 19 - Dump valve pedal location - industrial tractors
Fig. 20 - Schematic of control circuit -
industrial tractors
11
ing control. The pilot valve limits maximum drive pressure
to 5500 psi. Small check balls in the pilot lines from the
main relief valves allow either forward or reverse pressure
access to the pilot valve.
The drive control valve is not used with the industrial
controls. A deceleration valve which is hydraulically con­
nected to the reverse (forward coast) relief valve is included
to prevent engine overspeed and provide a more comforable
deceleration. (See Fig. 20.) It is mechanically operated
by the Hi-Lo range shift lever. When the range shift is in
Hi, the deceleration valve limits pressure in the reverse
side as discussed previously. This permits safe deceleration
when the forward drive pedal is rapidly released. The lower
deceleration pressure was not needed for the Lo range op­
eration because of the slower travel speeds. Therefore, when
the range lever is in Lo, the deceleration valve is moved
to the 5500 psi position, allowing maximum drawbar pull
in both forward and reverse directions.
ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION COOLING
Additional cooling capacity was required for the hydro­
static tractor. The criteria used were as follows:
1. Adequate engine cooling to permit rated power op­
eration at up to 125 F ambient temperature. This is the
same value used for the standard drive tractor.
2. Transmission sump temperatures must stabilize at under
200 F.
3. Temperature of charge oil leaving transmission loop
•:iTi
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12

must be 200 F or less. Loop temperatures may rise to 225 F
for short periods of overload.
The above cooling criteria were met by a combination
of changes. A larger header type parallel flow oil cooler
replaced the standard series type on all hydrostatic models.
Its size was determined by the heat load and the cooling
flow rate at full power operation. Radiator air flow was
increased by increasing the fan pitch, number of blades,
and speed. Radiator cooling capacity was increased by add­
ing additional fins and tubes on some models. It was nec­
essary to maintain a proper balance between engine and
transmission cooling to avoid having a hot running engine
and a cold transmission or vice versa.
ing foreign particles. This filter is removed after the tractor
is driven off of the line.
Assembly of the "656" hydrostatic transmission is rel­
atively uncomplicated. Care must be taken not to damage
highly finished surfaces of the center section, pump, and
motor. Otherwise, it is a relatively simple assembly.
Each transmission is checked on a test stand prior to leav­
ing the clean room. Control servos are operated and adjust­
ments made if necessary. Charge pressure is also checked.
All transmissions are operated under load as part of this final
inspection.
CONCLUSION

The hydrostatic transmission offers many advantages over

MANUFACTURING SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
conventional drives for farm and industrial tractors. In­
finitely variable hydrostatic drive provides the versatility
One of the primary concerns of manufacturing while to meet the diverse demands placed on these vehicles.
planning for the hydrostatic drive was that of keeping the Adapting the hydrostatic transmission to farm or industrial
transmission components clean before, during, and after tractors required development of controls for each applica­
assembly. The approach taken was to build a clean room tion. A hand-operated Speed Ratio control with built-in
within the assembly plant. Air in the room is filtered con­ overspeed and free wheeling safe-guards was developed for
stantly to eliminate any airborn contamination. The drive agricultural use. In addition, a foot operated hydraulic trans­
housing and most of the other components made within the mission disconnect was provided to permit panic stops and
plant receive a steam and detergent cleaning before entering vehicle inching as required when hooking up to implements.
the room. Parts received from other locations have pro­ Foot pedal transmission ratio controls were developed
tective coverings. When the transmission leaves the clean for the industrial tractors. These permitted maximum pro­
room, it is encased in a plastic bag. All test stand oil in ductivity for shuttle type operations such as loader work.
the clean room is constantly filtered. Outside of the clean Similar safe-guards were included to permit maximum per­
room at the end of the tractor assembly line, a special filter formance of the tractor without endangering the operator
is inserted in the oil cooler return line to catch any remain- or the vehicle.

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Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. 16 page booklet. Printed in U.S.A.