Useful attachments adapted to PT ?

[ponytug]

I greased the bushings once at installation, but not since then say 19-20 hours before failure. Now wondering if I need to grease them before every use or 6-8 hours?

These bushings are tight inside the hole in the blade and don't spin inside the blade. They do spin around the bolt shaft. Are yours free to spin inside the hole in the blade, too?

They should only spin in the bolt, but I grease both. (Same friction on both surfaces, and the bolt area is smaller, so it spins there. Make sense?) I have some large diameter washers over the bushing, but I couldn't tell you if that was from the factory, or something I got from McMaster-Carr. I would have to check my stock.

Based on a very small set of conditions here, I think that grease intervals is dependent on mowing conditions. Observationally, mowing in cool, wet grass/brush, less grease comes out of the bushing area, and dry, dusty/sandy conditions seem to drive the grease out.

Wow. I good day for me is not blowing a blade off hitting a rock! I always find the blade, but the bushing is gone. I'm down to my last few bushings. I'll have to order another piece of DOM tubing to cut some more.

I have to head out to our property in the next few weeks. I haven't been out there with the brush cutter since probably COVID. I went out last weekend to clear the road entrance with a chainsaw so I can get the Suburban and trailer off the highway. Everything is 6' high on my road. It will be an adventure, for sure.

Sounds like fun! Videos? I will hope that nothing sharp gets a tire.

I don't think I have ever lost a blade, except from a bolt that worked loose, and that only happened once. I grease the blades and bushings and then tighten the bolts before heading out. I seem to hear when the bolts loosen a bit, and stop to tighten them while it is still on the hub.

I do sharpen and balance the blades each years because it makes such a difference to the mowing speed/HP and the performance (clean cuts, small pieces) when the blades are sharp. These days most of my mowing is bull/milk thistle or 6-8' mustard, both of which seem to have pretty tough stems, but they are nothing to the scrub oaks that I had to mow initially. PT brush mower for the win.

All the best, Peter

 

[MossRoad]

They should only spin in the bolt, but I grease both. (Same friction on both surfaces, and the bolt area is smaller, so it spins there. Make sense?) I have some large diameter washers over the bushing, but I couldn't tell you if that was from the factory, or something I got from McMaster-Carr. I would have to check my stock.

Based on a very small set of conditions here, I think that grease intervals is dependent on mowing conditions. Observationally, mowing in cool, wet grass/brush, less grease comes out of the bushing area, and dry, dusty/sandy conditions seem to drive the grease out.


Sounds like fun! Videos? I will hope that nothing sharp gets a tire.

I don't think I have ever lost a blade, except from a bolt that worked loose, and that only happened once. I grease the blades and bushings and then tighten the bolts before heading out. I seem to hear when the bolts loosen a bit, and stop to tighten them while it is still on the hub.

I do sharpen and balance the blades each years because it makes such a difference to the mowing speed/HP and the performance (clean cuts, small pieces) when the blades are sharp. These days most of my mowing is bull/milk thistle or 6-8' mustard, both of which seem to have pretty tough stems, but they are nothing to the scrub oaks that I had to mow initially. PT brush mower for the win.

All the best, Peter

No videos of the blade flying off. Plenty of videos of the brush cutter destroying stuff!

I've never had the blade bolts back out.

Somewhere, someplace, on my old computing devices I have a video of me mowing a really, really tall and thick patch of thistle. It was so tall, that I stopped the machine, climbed up on top of the canopy, reached up to grab a thistle plant next to the machine, and the top was 2' above my hand.

So I did the math...
I can rest my nose on the top of the canopy when standing next to the machine.
I'm 6' tall, so guestimating the canopy height at about 5.5' high.
I can reach 8' above my head.
The thistle was 2' above the top of my extended reach....

2+8+5 and change is a tad over 15' high thistle.

I was very impressed with not only the weed's height, but the ability of the little PT425 to handle it without any noticeable strain.

 

[MossRoad]

I will say the brush cutter earns the most respect of every dangerous tool that I own, slightly topping the chain saws. It will just destroy anything it comes in contact with, and has no problems flinging debris/rocks well over 100'.

Always wear eye protection at the least, preferably a face shield, never drive towards structures/vehicles with the cutter running, and keep all other people very far away when operating.

Once, I hit a 2" ish branch, a couple foot long piece of wood went spinning out away from me up into the air about 20-30', and my mind immediately said "wow, that looks like a lot like a boomerang". The thing made an arc and came flying right back at me! Missed but YIKES!

Another time I was clearing a lot for a good friend of mine and I told him to just sit in the truck and let me do the work. But he's a worker bee and can't help himself from picking up branches and debris. I was well over 100' away from him and WHAM! I hit a softball sized rock! He heard it and looked up, the rock was flying right at him. He ran and the rock flew right past his feet. I stopped the machine and looked at him.... he got back in the truck!

 

[ponytug]

No videos of the blade flying off. Plenty of videos of the brush cutter destroying stuff!

I've never had the blade bolts back out.

Somewhere, someplace, on my old computing devices I have a video of me mowing a really, really tall and thick patch of thistle. It was so tall, that I stopped the machine, climbed up on top of the canopy, reached up to grab a thistle plant next to the machine, and the top was 2' above my hand.

So I did the math...
I can rest my nose on the top of the canopy when standing next to the machine.
I'm 6' tall, so guestimating the canopy height at about 5.5' high.
I can reach 8' above my head.
The thistle was 2' above the top of my extended reach....

2+8+5 and change is a tad over 15' high thistle.

I was very impressed with not only the weed's height, but the ability of the little PT425 to handle it without any noticeable strain.

More like 200+' for my 72" brush mower, when it hits an oak or a rock just right. It is definitely not ideal for mowing around buildings or vehicles.

I wear a chainsaw helmet, with face shield.

I've never seen a thistle remotely close to that height. I'd be planting fruit trees, corn, something on that site.

All the best, Peter

 

[MossRoad]

More like 200+' for my 72" brush mower, when it hits an oak or a rock just right. It is definitely not ideal for mowing around buildings or vehicles.

I wear a chainsaw helmet, with face shield.

I've never seen a thistle remotely close to that height. I'd be planting fruit trees, corn, something on that site.

All the best, Peter

It's all trees now. Close to 20,000.

Forgot to mention on that friend's lot I was clearing, I also hit a few dozen golf balls and some softballs as well.

I know there's been discussion on TBN in the past regarding what is it with people wanting to got golf balls into vacant lots???

 

[ponytug]

It's all trees now. Close to 20,000.

Forgot to mention on that friend's lot I was clearing, I also hit a few dozen golf balls and some softballs as well.

I know there's been discussion on TBN in the past regarding what is it with people wanting to got golf balls into vacant lots???

Golfers that I have known consider it a good use for "old" balls that don't drive as well. Personally, I find it morally offensive, a form of plastic litter, and I can't say that mowing golf balls does anything positive for the environment.

All the best,

Peter

 

[2manyrocks]

There was a neighbor who used to practice his golf in the farm fields about 40+ years ago. Understood he was pretty good golfer because practice on rough farm fields made a real golf course look easy. Found a golf ball in the course of clearing an area of thorn trees a few months ago. Don't know if he hit it there or if some animal carried it there.