Forum Newbie Questions

FOURTEEN · Apr 9, 2005

If it can be pulled by an ATV I would think it would be a piece of cake for the PowerTrac even with the turf tread.

Anyone have thoughts on that vs using the bar (tractor type) tread?


 I have two 2WD 3-wheel ATVs, two 2WD 4-wheel ATVs, and a 2WD CUT. For getting around in the woods the PT-425 is far superior and safer! Weighing about three times as much, it will outpull about any ATV, even 4WD! With bar tires it will go through deep woods where my ATVs would be nearly useless. The PT-425 is much more manuverable due to its articulated steering, and with the forks on, it could carry an ATV along with it!!
This is a picture of the kind of terrain that my PT-425 traverses with its Bar Tires on Reversed Wheels.

Log Skidding.

Turf Tires work very well on the TURF! For any other application, especially in the woods, Bar tires are best! Even on turf the Bar Tires work just fine 98% of the time!!

MossRoad · Apr 10, 2005

Welcome to TBN.

I have a PT425 that I originally hauled in my full sized pickup truck. I bought the ramps from Power Track. For $100.00, you can't beat them. I remove the tailgate as I don't trust the hinges and gate to hold the weight. I also welded some pipe across the underside of the ramps and across the bumper of the truck, so that I can slide a steel rod through the pipes on the bumper and the pipes on the ramps to secure them to the truck. You MUST find a good way to secure them to the truck when loading to prevent slippage of the ramps, be it straps to the frame or chains or what I did.

I put on one attachment, then back up into the truck bed. When the rear hitch hits the front of the bed, the front tires are about foot into the bed. The implement hangs out the back. I then strap it in and off I go. If you can find a small berm to load off and on at, it is not bad at all. On flat ground, the ramps are pretty steep, but the unit has no problem going up. I have a cap on my old, rotten truck these days and the truck is not running either, so I cannot take pictures of it or I would.

We ended up purchasing a nice car hauler trailer so that we can haul the PT425 behind our van with all of our attachments. It works very well.

Again, welcome to TBN and I recommend the ramps from Power Track if you are going to use a pickup to haul it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

mlhunter · Apr 11, 2005

Thanks for the tips on hauling the PT425 on the pickup. I don't intend to load it with the tailgate on and I'll be able to reduce the angle of entry for my immediate needs. I intend to buy PowerTrac's ramps with the tractor as most other ramps I've seen are made for ATVs and are not heavy enough for this machine.

Most likely at some point I'll want a trailer also and a car hauler seems to make the most sense due to its utility. That would also seem to make a good base for converting to a trailer similar to what PowerTrac sells.

I'd also like to thank you for the videos you have on your web site, they were very helpful in seeing the machine work. I attended a Quail Management seminar Saturday and found out this is a national project involving 22 states with 13 more coming on board soon. There are a lot of programs out there to assist small and large landowners to manage property for quail and other wildlife management. There is machinery available for rental from local USDA (there seem to be several terms for these offices) office as well as for purchase both for farm tractors and ATV/small tractor use. I'll be using some of there ATV equipement in the future so hopefully I can provide some value to this forum as well.

Tractors4u · Apr 12, 2005

( ( For getting around in the woods the PT-425 is far superior and safer! Weighing about three times as much, it will outpull about any ATV, even 4WD! ) )

 I am not sure exactly what type of equipment he is talking about, but in the attached picture you will see the Plot-mule disc that is a favorite with hunters. It can be pulled at a higher speed by an ATV. The description talks about pulling at high speed to cover more ground. I have to think that the high speed adds to the digging effort. I have seen these things working at what appears to be 25MPH. With todays big bore ATVs like the Honda Foreman, Polaris Sportsman 500, 700 and the Grizzly 660, they have the weight and horse power to pull this. The nifty thing about these is that they can disc, spread seed, and cover in one pass with the added accesories.


From Cabelas Catalog

 The Plot-Mule Disc Harrow is built on a heavy-duty frame that has enough weight to get the job done, yet is light enough for easy pulling behind an ATV. And it is designed to be pulled at higher speeds, allowing you to cover more ground in less time.

mlhunter · Apr 13, 2005

I wasn't familiar with the Plot Mule (I found web info on it) but last Saturday during MO Conservation Dep't presentations it was clear that they were partial to ATVs for food plot and re-seeding work because of the speed that they could operate as well as the places they could get to with them. They like the Plot Master which is similar to the Plot Mule. It costs nearly three times as much but does seem to have more implements available for it. I'm going to check with rental places around where our farm is and see what kind of that type of equipment I can rent when I need it.

The PT425 operating at 8.5 mph seems fast enough to me. Since it has so much more utility than an ATV and costs approximately the same I'm going to stick with that.

I'm currently going over the PT425 attachment list to see what basic attachments I think I should start with.

FOURTEEN · Apr 14, 2005

(I am not sure exactly what type of equipment he is talking about )


 I was referring to recreational ATVs, 2WD and 4WD, not the agricultural or mini-truck ATVs!! But, for a lot of money, what can one of these agricultural or mini-truck ATVs do, other than drag an attachment around quickly?? Will they operate a brush cutter, mower, backhoe, FEL, stump grinder, grapple bucket, etc, etc????

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Tractors4u · Apr 14, 2005

( (I am not sure exactly what type of equipment he is talking about ) )

I guess I wasn't clear, I wasn't referring to the type of ATV as equipment but rather the type of tillage equipment.

I wasn't hinting that those big bore ATVs was a replacement for your PT. However, Yamaha did build for a short time the Yamaha Terrapro ATV. I believe it was a 250 or 300 cc 4 wheel drive ATV that had as standard equipment a PTO and finish mowers and bush-hogs were available from Yamaha. Both ATVs and tractors have their purposes that the other can not do as well. For about 2 years I mowed my 2 acre lawn with a tow behind mower pulled by a Polaris 400cc 2wd. It worked but I preferred a mower. I knew a guy that used a green Yanmar tractor with a cargo box on the 3 point hitch at his deer camp as his hunting vehicle. I would not want to use a tractor to deer hunt, an ATV with full suspension seems far superior.

FOURTEEN · Apr 16, 2005

The first summer that I cut the lawn at my apartment buildings, my 'riding lawn mower' was a Honda ATC70 three wheel ATV with a 22" 3HP rotary mower chained to the rear grab bar!! Some folks laughed, but it sure beat pushing that rotary around those buildings by hand for three hours each week!!

The next summer I bought a old Power King tractor to do the cutting.

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Tractors4u · Apr 16, 2005

That is hilarious, but ingeniuous! My first ATV was an ATC70. My brother and I named it Herby after the VW. We moved up to an ATC110 later. My girls now have a Suzuki LT50 and Kasea Outback 90. We also have Honda Fourtrax70 but we are selling it because of the new Kasea 90.