ponytug
Super Member
No worries.Not trying to start a war but what makes a power trac hydrostatic drive any different than a skid steer or any other hydrostatic driven vehicle?
I think that the design, and to lesser extent operational differences make Power-Tracs quite different from skidsteers and most other hydrostatic drive equipment. Power-Trac machines are wonderfully simple, solid machines that lend themselves easily to shade tree repairs. However, that means that they don't have the bells and whistles that you would find on a John Deere or Bobcat. In particular, the 425 that @Modrob is dealing with has a gasoline powered engine (similar to your x540) that usually runs at a fairly high throttle, ideally wide open due to air cooling issues intrinsic to the particular engine. That means that the pumps are running at full speed, when they are most prone to cavitate.
Bobcat, CAT, Kubota and others are generally diesels that in normal operation are running at low throttle most of the day. Many have mechanisms on their machines, or at least the ones that I am familiar with, that help get the hydraulic oil to temperature quickly, and many suggest in their owners manuals that the machine not be operated or moved in cold temperatures until the machine and its oil are up to temperature. That is also why many of those machines are designed for, and use, straight 30W hydraulic oil, as the manufacturer expects the machine only to be used when the oil is at temperature.
I'm not saying design version X is better, or worse, than Y, just that there are some significant differences between Power-Tracs and more common machines, and that experiences with other machines may or may not carry over to Power-Tracs. E.g. The only interlock on a Power-Trac are the starter key, and a PTO lockout during starting.
Over the years, I have operated a wide range of tractors, and I will say that for the purposes of our current property that has significant slopes, "There's nothing like a Power-Trac". Horses for courses. These are not your typical tractors, and that's why generic advice can be off base, but there are reasons why Power-Trac owners tend to be fans.
On the other hand, I would never attempt to pull a plow with a Power-Trac; low speed, high torque, ground traction isn't their design, nor is it going to haul a grain cart or a baler well.
Being a Swiss Army knife type machine that is excellent on slopes is what Power-Tracs excel at. A neighbor down the road was killed when he tried to operate a standard tractor on slopes.
All the best,
Peter
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