[Christ]

Yanal, in a sequential gearbox, the gears aren't engaged the same way as your tractor's gearbox. In your tractor, you need to physically disengage from one gear before going into the next. In a sequential gearbox, you're actually engaging the next gear WHILE disengaging from the first, hence the reason that synchros aren't needed, and would, in fact, be extra weight and complexity for an otherwise (fairly) simple piece of equipment.

I shift without a clutch in almost everything I drive, as it saves wear on my left knee. Screw the car, it doesn't cost $10,000 to replace a clutch... knees, on the other hand, are a different story.

The only clutches I've had to change in my cars are ones that are worn when I get them, and ones that I burn out racing/pulling stuff. My 1988 Honda Civic LX had the OEM clutch in it when I bought it, with over 200k on it. By the time I sold it with a blown engine (amateur bracket racing), it still had the OEM clutch, and almost 300k on it.

The clutch is only necessary for taking off from a dead stop if you can't get a roll going, such as when pointing down a hill. I don't even use it when I stop, frankly.