# Is two speed essential



## Daveyo (Nov 21, 2005)

I'm looking to buy a Gehl skidsteer for the business, I will definitely need it for plowing our developments and commercial properties. Is it essential I get a two speed, the unit I'm looking at is a one speed up to 8mph, two speed takes me to 12mph. Salesman say no, I say to myself two spped is better, but I have no experience plowing with the two speed, any thoughts thanks.

Dave


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## cet (Oct 2, 2004)

My machine is a 2 speed and even in 2nd it feels like you are just crawling. I couldn't see plowing with a single speed machine.


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## Daveyo (Nov 21, 2005)

cet;1475409 said:


> My machine is a 2 speed and even in 2nd it feels like you are just crawling. I couldn't see plowing with a single speed machine.


Thanks, I kinda figured I think I'll go with a different Gehl machine with the two speed.


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## MIDTOWNPC (Feb 17, 2007)

Helps on resale also.


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## Daveyo (Nov 21, 2005)

MIDTOWNPC;1475418 said:


> Helps on resale also.


Didn't even think about that, good point. I'm figuring 82 horse power, theres also a 62. The way I look at it you can never have enough horsepower.


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## RLM (Jan 12, 2006)

My bobcats are both single speeds they work fine, however if I were to buy another I would prefer a 2 speed with high flow as well, but it all depends on the deal, if I came across the "right" deal I wouldn't hesitate to buy another single speed with just standard hydro. If your buying now there are plenty of deals around just look around & take your time.


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## cat320 (Aug 25, 2000)

I have a Gehl 4640 turbo single speed , i think unless your plowing bigger areas or small roads a single would be fine in my opinion but if you have a bigger space then a 2 speed would be better as far as hydro i think mine has std flow up 19 alot more than some of the other std size machines in that class. what model are you looking at?


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## SNO-PRO (Dec 5, 2007)

Once you own a 2 speed you will never go back, I would never buy without


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## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

Daveyo;1475426 said:


> The way I look at it you can never have enough horsepower.


IMO You can easily have too much horsepower what you cannot have enough of is Torque Thumbs Up


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## bluerage94 (Dec 24, 2004)

Ever hit a manhole cover or curb at 12mph? two speed is nice but single is fine for plowing if you need the speed then might as well go to a compact loader...


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## Daveyo (Nov 21, 2005)

cat320;1475447 said:


> I have a Gehl 4640 turbo single speed , i think unless your plowing bigger areas or small roads a single would be fine in my opinion but if you have a bigger space then a 2 speed would be better as far as hydro i think mine has std flow up 19 alot more than some of the other std size machines in that class. what model are you looking at?


Either the 5640 or the V 330, which would come in a 2 speed standard anyway. It's the 5640 that is in stock used low hours thats one speed. I wouldn't need high flow, I'm not using for stump grinding or any high speed attachments, figure std flow is fine.


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## Daveyo (Nov 21, 2005)

RLM;1475428 said:


> My bobcats are both single speeds they work fine, however if I were to buy another I would prefer a 2 speed with high flow as well, but it all depends on the deal, if I came across the "right" deal I wouldn't hesitate to buy another single speed with just standard hydro. If your buying now there are plenty of deals around just look around & take your time.


Where would I look to find a good deal? I see a lot of used stuff out there with lots of hours, maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. I definitely don't want to just jump on something but man I need a skid steer.


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## cet (Oct 2, 2004)

bluerage94;1475472 said:


> Ever hit a manhole cover or curb at 12mph? two speed is nice but single is fine for plowing if you need the speed then might as well go to a compact loader...


I think they call it trip edge. I don't think I would ever want to plow with just a bucket.


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

Every once in a while when plowing in high speed, I feel like I'm still crawling along, so I flip the trigger to ensure I'm in high gear. When I plow for ten seconds in low speed, I wonder why anyone would even consider it as an option. IMO, 12 MPH is too slow, why would you want to go 7 MPH? 

BTW, I think the salesman may be full of BS, as I highly doubt the single speed machine even does 8 MPH..........


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## MIDTOWNPC (Feb 17, 2007)

My s300 was single speed. There was a day last week I drove it home from a yard and a lady was jogging beside me and started pulling away from me. I wasn't complaining about the view just the speed.


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## snocrete (Feb 28, 2009)

basher;1475466 said:


> IMO You can easily have too much horsepower what you cannot have enough of is Torque Thumbs Up


For snow work, every skid I've ever ran will run out of traction LONG before hp or torque. In fact, regardless of what kind of work I'm doing, it seems skids will run out of weight or traction before hp/torque.



jomama45;1475501 said:


> Every once in a while when plowing in high speed, I feel like I'm still crawling along, so I flip the trigger to ensure I'm in high gear. When I plow for ten seconds in low speed, I wonder why anyone would even consider it as an option. IMO, 12 MPH is too slow, why would you want to go 7 MPH?
> 
> BTW, I think the salesman may be full of BS, as I highly doubt the single speed machine even does 8 MPH..........


I agree. Any machine I purchase in the future (tracks or tires) will be 2spd.

And Joe, i looked it up for ya....a gehl 5640 is rated for 8.1 mph in single speed. :salute:


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## Red Wagon (Dec 23, 2007)

I have both a 2 speed and single speed and wouldn't buy another single speed if i were going to be using it to plow


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## cat320 (Aug 25, 2000)

with the Gehls that is one thing i have noticed a little faster in single speed and higher std flow hydraulics, the 5640 should be right around the 2K lb lift capacity


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## SNOWLORD (Aug 10, 2007)

I would never buy a skid unless it is white and never never without 2 speed. But thats just me.


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## BC Handyman (Dec 15, 2010)

Buy a 2 speed you wont regret it! Worth the extra $ for sure!


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## StuveCorp (Dec 20, 2005)

Two speed is a must, you will have no resale without it.


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## cat320 (Aug 25, 2000)

I don't think that it would make that big of a deal for resale. there is always something for someone


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## peteo1 (Jul 4, 2011)

Personally I would stay away from gehl. They're oil cooled and will overheat in the summer. We had three of them at my job. Now were down to two of them and a brand new CAT. There's a reason they're being traded out.


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## Mark13 (Dec 3, 2006)

jomama45;1475501 said:


> BTW, I think the salesman may be full of BS, as I highly doubt the single speed machine even does 8 MPH..........


As stated before, go drive a Gehl 5640 around. For a single speed they cruise right along.



peteo1;1475779 said:


> Personally I would stay away from gehl. They're oil cooled and will overheat in the summer. We had three of them at my job. Now were down to two of them and a brand new CAT. There's a reason they're being traded out.


The older ones are oil cooled Duetz motors. The newer stuff is Yanmar's. 
The oil cooled motors are good, just treat them right. Duetz tractors are air cooled in every application that I've seen. 
A lot of farmers like the Gehl/Mustang stuff, quite a few are repeat buyers so I'm sure they didn't keep buying them if their first machine sucked.


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## peteo1 (Jul 4, 2011)

The ones we have aren't really that old but we got em on a "deal". They just haven't really worked out for us so now they're being swapped out. Then again, we ask a lot out of our equipment so that probably has quite a bit to do with it.


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

RLM;1475428 said:


> My bobcats are both single speeds they work fine, however if I were to buy another I would prefer a 2 speed with high flow as well, but it all depends on the deal, if I came across the "right" deal I wouldn't hesitate to buy another single speed with just standard hydro. If your buying now there are plenty of deals around just look around & take your time.





cat320;1475447 said:


> I have a Gehl 4640 turbo single speed , i think unless your plowing bigger areas or small roads a single would be fine in my opinion but if you have a bigger space then a 2 speed would be better as far as hydro i think mine has std flow up 19 alot more than some of the other std size machines in that class. what model are you looking at?





bluerage94;1475472 said:


> Ever hit a manhole cover or curb at 12mph? two speed is nice but single is fine for plowing if you need the speed then might as well go to a compact loader...


We run a both single speed and 2 speed machines and the 2 speed machines are great for large open lots, but in all honesty I prefer the single speed machines for small lots, it removes the temptation for my guys to use it in tight areas or around vehicles.


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## PrecisionSnow (Jan 26, 2010)

I have 15 skid steers and most are 2 speed machines. We drive them from site to site and do approximately 70% residential and 30% small commercial/condo.

If you are clearing with a plow with a trip edge and are sure you won't hit any curbs etc. then plowing in the 2nd speed is probably okay. If you are using a bucket, then be very careful!

The only reason I ever plow in 2 speed is if we need to get extra spin on the wheels when going through deep snow or on bad ice.

Our sites are very close together: I worked out the straight math on travel times for our routes and the difference is 30-45 minutes longer in a single speed machine. The staff, however, perceive the difference to be much greater.

If you are buying new, I would get the 2 speed machine. If you see a good used machine I'd be less worried about the 2nd speed unless you have a lot of distance to cover between sites.

The picture was taken at a hospital when a skid-steer operator hit a fuel tank cap at a gas station. The employee used to work for me, but worked for a competitor when this happened... 

Lastly, Bobcat and others will let you lock out the 2 speed when you are training new employees or if you are using it in the summer and don't need the extra speed.


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

Mark13;1475814 said:


> As stated before, go drive a Gehl 5640 around. For a single speed they cruise right along.


There's no shortage of Gehl's around here, and they're certainly not "Greek" to me. Their headquartered 20 minutes from my house last I heard, so there's fairly heavy market saturation here. My Dad has one. My brother has one. A friend of mine who runs a relatvily large dairy farm has 5 or 6 of them.

It's not that I think 8 mph is just too slow, I find 12 mph to be too slow most of the time. I'm currently working on a plan to offset the front to rear wheels on one of my skids for next winter and mounting tires from an ag fert. sprayer onto it.................Thumbs Up

I won't let the picture in the post directly above sway my decision...........


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## jasonz (Nov 5, 2010)

I have a Gehl CTL70, its a great machine, we dont use it for plowing but I spread 120 yards of topsoil last week with out the two speed (solenoid broken) and let me tell you it makes all the difference. I replaced the solenoid the other day thank god. For small tight jobs you don't need it. We do large jobs where there is plenty of space to run the machine at the higher speeds and making those long trips from the soil pile out front all the way into the back you will notice a difference. 

As far as plowing I would think it would be the same thing, at a large site why wouldn't you use it? At a small gas station theres probably no need for it.


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## welder1122 (Nov 11, 2011)

A few of the machines I've spent time in lock out two speed for the first 15 mins or so of operation for some reason and let nee tell you that is the slowest time... I feel like nothing gets done


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