Comparison PT 1460 traction

[sirmombo]

I am considering purchasing a PT 1460 to perform tasks around our horse barn and apple orchard. The apple orchard is on a slope and the ground is often wet when the brush from the pruning has to cleaned up. We have been hiring someone with a skid steer to clean up the brush. There have been a few times when the skid steer got stuck and had to be pulled up the hill.

Would the PT 1460 have similar traction? From the pictures, it looks like the PT may have more aggressive tire tread. Is there any other reason to think the PT may be better?

Thanks for any info,
Bill

 

[cqaigy2]

I have a 422 so not in the same league as 1460, but i have used skid steer and i'd think if a skid steer could get around ok, a 1460 should be at least as stable.

 

[American Bulldog]

My PT1460 is not as good on slopes as advertised. I put bar tires on it, and it still struggles going up anything steeper than 20 degrees. Problem is that the unit is so darned heavy. The tires will slip, and the tram pump can't pull steep hills. The unit is a fantastic loader, but not such a good mower. It also plows snow pretty well.

 

[sirmombo]

Thanks for the info,

Our steepest incline is around 14% grade and I was hoping to use it for mowing. Do you think it would have issues?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[American Bulldog]

14% grade is only 8 degrees. No problem. Don't bother with the mower. It is lousy at best. I'll give you a good deal on mine if you want it. I mostly use the light material bucket, it can do a lot. I also have the grapple bucket, and it works really well. The plow is good, as is the trencher and tiller. I would recommend getting the mini hoe, that thing comes in really handy.

 

[American Bulldog]

I put these tires on my PT. They are mounted on the rims that would normally take the turf tires.

 

[ponytug]

FWIW: I have a 1445. I routinely mow 20 degree slopes (40%). I have found that adding diamond chains enables me to cross slope mow thistles, which get really slimey. This had caused the 1445 to slide a little (crab) while going cross slope. With the chains it causes less damage to the soil. I use the 72" brush mower to cut bull thistle, and light to medium brush on 20-30 degree slopes. I do mow trimmings, but you don't want to be using a brush cutter within 300' of any building or horse. Perhaps someone with the flail mower can comment on whether the flail mower can mulch tree trimmings. The trend in the commercial orchards out here is to mulch the trimmings and then roto-till them into the ground. The rototiller works great. YMMV.

We routinely use the light material bucket to deliver hay, pick up manure, and spread mulch out on the slopes.

I can't imagine doing it in any other tractor. I don't have lawns, so I am not worried about finish quality of the cut. Unless you need the full lift capacity (height/weight) of the 1460, I would consider the 1445.

I worked on a farm in the driftless area near you, and I would have loved to have a PT then. Someone has a 1850 near you; scan the forum for PT owners.

All the best,

Peter

 

[American Bulldog]

I moved 7 cords of wood today, from the wood shed to the back of the house, where it will be burned. I used the 1460 with the light material bucket. I can almost fit 1/4 cord in the bucket, so I made somewhere around 30 trips. In cases like this, I wish it could hold more.

Usually a flail mower is pretty delicate, I would be surprised if it can handle tree trimmings. My mower with the rough cut blades could handle that.

 

[sirmombo]

The big advantage of a flail mower is that they don't throw rocks and sticks like a rotary mower can. I think that's the main reason they are used around here to mow the sides of roads. I have seen them cut through reebar. It probably depends on what knives it's using. The big disadvantage is the price. They are roughly double the price and require more maintenance.

from what I gathered from this thread, a PT probably doesn't have the traction of a skid steer on tracks, but would be sufficient most of the time.

Bill

 

[woodlandfarms]

I have an 1850, same engine as the 1460, probably close in weight, but more tires. I second the use of chains. I mow 25 degree slopes all day long, and love the machine. We have clay and it gets really slippery in the winter. But the machine does as advertised.

I would take bulldog up on his offer of the 1460. one heck of a machine.

Mower from PT does a good job of rough cut mowing. No, its not golf course material, but it keeps the grass in the orchard ankle high and that is all that matters to us and our 40 acres. One acre is orchard.

To be clear, there isn't one PT owner here who doesn't hate his machine. They have quirks, kinks, and oddities, but at the end of the day, if you don't need to plow a field, you won't find a better machine IMO. It is a swiss army knife of a machine. Does it all, most of it good, none of it great. My neighbors are constantly at my door to do something that there conventional tractor cannot handle, from getting into stalls (yes, with the 1850 but tires off) to post hold digging on 35 degree slopes (do it all day long).

 

[woodlandfarms]

Why do I get the feeling I misunderstood bulldog and it is just his mower he wants to sell. Oh well. Sorry BD.

 

[SpringHollow]

I am real impressed with Carl's latest modification - a PT1850 that levitates!!!

And yes, i know he was referring to removing the duals.

Ken

 

[cqaigy2]

I am real impressed with Carl's latest modification - a PT1850 that levitates!!!

And yes, i know he was referring to removing the duals.

Ken

Pictures, pictures!:laughing:

 

[J_J]

My PT1460 is not as good on slopes as advertised. I put bar tires on it, and it still struggles going up anything steeper than 20 degrees. Problem is that the unit is so darned heavy. The tires will slip, and the tram pump can't pull steep hills. The unit is a fantastic loader, but not such a good mower. It also plows snow pretty well.

Just curious if you tried going up hill using very little pedal.

If you push all the way, it will try and stall.

If you install a hyd gage in the wheel circuit, you can see the pressure developed by the wheel motors.

If you are spinning wheels, you probably need chains.

 

[ponytug]

Not to be forgotten, but if your oil gets too hot in the drive circuit, you won't be able to climb steep slopes. The symptom is wide open throttle, steep slope, and no uphill motion.

I suspect that all you need is chains. Adding chains for me ended up doing less (as in no) damage to the hillsides, unlike the slipping tires which tended to scrape the grass down to soil level.

YMMV of course.

All the best,

Peter

 

[American Bulldog]

Not to be forgotten, but if your oil gets too hot in the drive circuit, you won't be able to climb steep slopes. The symptom is wide open throttle, steep slope, and no uphill motion.

I suspect that all you need is chains. Adding chains for me ended up doing less (as in no) damage to the hillsides, unlike the slipping tires which tended to scrape the grass down to soil level.

YMMV of course.

All the best,

Peter

You are correct. Wide open throttle, pedal to the floor, full RPM, no motion. It only does this in forward. In reverse, it will stall the motor before it gives up. The problem occurs when the oil is warm, but not terribly hot. I was thinking of going to a thicker oil.

 

[ponytug]

If it only does this in one direction, you may want to check with Terry at the PT factory. It might be that the control on the drive pump is out of whack.

I think some owners have gone to heavier and/or synthetic oils, and may have opinions.

All the best,

Peter

You are correct. Wide open throttle, pedal to the floor, full RPM, no motion. It only does this in forward. In reverse, it will stall the motor before it gives up. The problem occurs when the oil is warm, but not terribly hot. I was thinking of going to a thicker oil.

 

[MossRoad]

I am considering purchasing a PT 1460 to perform tasks around our horse barn and apple orchard. The apple orchard is on a slope and the ground is often wet when the brush from the pruning has to cleaned up. We have been hiring someone with a skid steer to clean up the brush. There have been a few times when the skid steer got stuck and had to be pulled up the hill.

Would the PT 1460 have similar traction? From the pictures, it looks like the PT may have more aggressive tire tread. Is there any other reason to think the PT may be better?

Thanks for any info,
Bill

From everything I've read here over the past decade regarding that model PT, tire chains would most likely resolve any issues with traction on the wet slopes you describe. They are not that steep. I have to wonder if you need a machine of that size, though. Its more of a loader. A 1430 is more of a groundskeeper being smaller, lower, etc...

I would suggest you analyze your needs, like lift capacity, lift height, mowing duties, etc... very carefully before deciding on a more loader oriented machine.

How large is your orchard?

 

[American Bulldog]

If it only does this in one direction, you may want to check with Terry at the PT factory. It might be that the control on the drive pump is out of whack.

I think some owners have gone to heavier and/or synthetic oils, and may have opinions.

All the best,

Peter

Terry has been less than helpful through the whole thing. He insists that there are no adjustments on the pump.... lol. I have tried adjusting the obvious ones, the only one that seems to work is the "zero" adjust, which gets rid of the creeping in either direction. I know the pump is a Bondioli, would love to get my hands on a manual. The pump has been this way since day one, and the only solution PT has offered is for me to send the whole machine back to the factory at my expense. The whole thing has left a bad taste........ I have just lived with the limitation on the machine and cursed PT every time I have gotten in a jam due to the f'ed up tram pump.

 

[American Bulldog]

From everything I've read here over the past decade regarding that model PT, tire chains would most likely resolve any issues with traction on the wet slopes you describe. They are not that steep. I have to wonder if you need a machine of that size, though. Its more of a loader. A 1430 is more of a groundskeeper being smaller, lower, etc...

I would suggest you analyze your needs, like lift capacity, lift height, mowing duties, etc... very carefully before deciding on a more loader oriented machine.

How large is your orchard?

My earlier point exactly. The 1460 is a great loader, but an average mower at best. With the big tires I am running, there is not enough room for chains. The tire is only about 1/2" gap from the side of the tub. I could use wheel spacers, but I would probably break the wheel motors. The 1460's biggest problem is it's weight. At about 6000 pounds with an attachment, it is asking a lot of the machine to go up steep slopes. My tires will generally hold, but the bar lugs will dig into the soil and mark up the grass pretty good. The 1850 has such an advantage, as it is 2000 pounds less, has dual tires, and the same motor and tram pump.