Just bought an 81 953. Where is a good place to keep throttle in while working?
Full throttle. They perform best running wide open.
If you don’t have one an Operation & Maintenance Manual is a good investment especially if you do your own maintenance. Those machines have some pretty specific requirements regarding oils. A Manual can be downloaded from Cat for about $50.
If you're being paid hourly rates - 3/4 throttle ... If you're on contract - Full throttle and 2nd and 3rd reverse ......
See the knotch at full tilt there in the knotch
Thank you all for the replies, Using it for farm work and trying not to tear it up right off the get go. Do have parts and maintenance manual for it. But just like the wisdom and info direct from men with experience!
All Cats are designed to function properly at full throttle. If you slow down the engine RPM too much, it slows the hydraulics speed down too, and makes lifting, dumping and lowering a lot slower. In addition, the hydrostatic transmission requires full pressure to function properly, and only full throttle RPM delivers that oil pressure. A decelerator is a handy device to have, it enables you to slow down when doing work that requires careful movement, and it enables better control of the tractor. However, I don't recall that the 953 has a decelerator. But the hydrostatic transmission gives you good speed control, anyway.
It's much easier on hydrostatic machines to run full throttle.
Run 963s, the basis is hydraulics function more responsively and adequately at full throttle, the direction selector is your control on speed.