Mowing I need a new lawn mower, is PT the right choice?

[Bob_Skurka]

First, let me state right up front, I am NOT getting rid of my tractors.

But, I have a 10+ year old Cub Cadet 18hp tractor that we use for mowing. The tractor is basically my wife's tractor. She does 80% of the mowing so I can't tick her off. She likes it because it is easy to operate, powerful, with hydraulic lift, hydrostatic trans, etc.

But it is showing its age.

We ONLY bought it because it was the ONLY brand of tractor that could mow UP our hills without losing power to the mower deck. Everything else we tried either would die out 1/2 way up the hill or would disconnect the deck, or both. In order for the Cub to climb the hills we leave rear chains on the wheels year round, and keep 75 pound weights on the rear wheels. We do not mow ACROSS the hill, just UP and DOWN. Our steepest hill has about a 50' drop and probably is about 35 degrees.

So can anyone tell me if the PT-180 will go up really steep hills and mow at the same time?

ALSO: I am concerned that the PT will be too long (measured with the mower deck attached) to fit into my garage with my other stuff in there as well. Can anyone tell me the overall lenght a PT-180 with the mower deck?

Also, I really don't like GAS engines, can these things be ordered with small DIESEL engines instead? I checked teh website but did not see the answers to any of my quesitons.

I really have very little interest in the other capabilities of the PT other than for mowing. My ideal choice would be a Grasshopper mower, but given my hills, their center of gravity makes them way to dangerous. I think the articulated feature and low center of gravity of the PT units is why I really am considering them.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

And by the way, can a larger FINISH mower deck be fitted to the PT-180? I currently have a 60" deck on my Cub Cadet and don't think I would consider going much smaller because we mow several acres.

 

[MossRoad]

The Kohler engine in the PT425 is the limiting factor for hils. The Kohler is only rated for 20 or 25 degrees due to the oiling system... don't know about the Robbin engine that would probably be in the smaller 422 and 180 units.

When I ordered my 425 two years ago, Power Trac recommended the larger engine for the 60" mower. I don't think the 60" mower will work on the smaller 180 unit, but you can check their web site and see.

As for the length, the 425 can be backed into the bed of a full sized pickup truck and, with the mower deck attached, the mower hangs about a foot and a half to two feet off the back of the truck without the tailgate attached. So, that is 8 feet without an implement, a little more with an implement. One trick is to set an implement against a wall, disconnect the qucik attach(the 180 doesn't have a quick attach), lift the loader arms and pull forward another foot or so. Saves room.

 

[PTRich]

I love my tractor, it works well for me. I think the PT is good at doing a lot of things very well, more versitle than other compact tractors. But it does not do any one thing excellent. I would not by it for just mowing and do not think you would like it on 35 degree hills. 10 years is not very old for a Cub Cadet, perhaps it needs a little "tweeking"?

My neighbor has a JD with a 72 inch mower, diesel power. I believe it is 4 wheel drive with rear wheel steer. Works excellent for him and his property is very hilly.

 

[eambrose]

Hi Bob - I know what you mean about hills - as I mow very severe hills - my hills measure 25 degrees and that is very steep - are you sure you are on a 35 degree slope? because I do not think the Cub would hold ground on a slope that steep (35 degrees) even with chains, hands , feet and anything else trying to stop it - believe me I know because I had a cub (2 wheel drive) just like yours and I could not mow my really steep areas - it would not hold the ground (sideways or down) and I went on a few joy rides down and one time I got going so fast sliding down that it went sideways towards the bottom and fipped over - luckily I jumped off and didn't get hurt - but it was a close call and of course I damaged the tractor (and this was a 25 degree slope - not 35)

So measure the verticle drop over the run or distance you move horizontially - if you vertically drop 50 ft - what is the horizontal run for that drop - also the 50 ft drop can be verified with a site level if you have one - with this you can figure out the slope - which is important - because it will help you choose a machine

The Walker (very nice ZT mower with a much lower center of gravity vs the Grasshopper) and can handle up to 20 degrees - this might be an option and it comes in diesel - plus you can test it

Hustler makes a new machine - the ATZ that is a slope mower ZTR - will handle up to 25 degrees

The PT 425 did handle my 25 degree slope but that was the limit - the wheel motors struggled at the steepest part with the 60 inch deck - but it was very stable - not a huge rollover risk - Since I had mine - they added high torque wheel motors so I am sure the 25degree would really be fine
I am not sure about the PT180 - I doubt it will handle your steep demands - I would not consider anything less than a 425 - I now have the 1845 and this will handle up to 30 degrees with single wheels - but it is an expensive alternative.

I think the best machine you will find for what you want is the Steiner 430 max - very nice machine - very compact - it comes in a diesel and it is a great mower - very stable on hills - I tested it on mine - it does great - it also has a high / low range for really steep hills - you will love this machine but it is not cheap

Hope this helps

 

[eambrose]

Oh - I forgot to mention the Steiner is an articulator as well, the deck flips up for compact storage and I think you can get a 48inch, 60 inch or 72 inch mower - so no problem on size

The reason of course I am recommending this one is because you mentioned that you were only interested in mowing - the PT of course has other advantages for doing other jobs - especially the loader arm which the Steiner does not have (it does have many other attachments though)

Also for pure mowing the Steiner deck is much better designed and mounts to the tractor (as compared to the loader arm on the PT which does not work as well)- it will just hold up better vs. the PT for pure mowing - it is primarily a mower used heavily in golf course applications

EDM

 

[Bob_Skurka]

The 35 degree slope is for real, but it is only a short run. Most of hte slopes are more moderate. To run up that part of the slope we have to get up speed before we get there and for that 12 feet of vertical climb it is THAT STEEP, fortunately it moderates a bit right after that to about 20 degrees. Going down hill sure is fun???

As for most of the mowing chores, most of it is gentle rolling ground so a specialized slope mower is not necessary. It is just that we have a couple of really steep spots, they comprise a small percentage of what we mow, but they take as much time to mow as some of field areas. So whatever replaces the Cub has to handle those areas because I refuse to push mow them. The Cub does it, but the rears spin and chains scalp the grass down to the clay. I've got a guy working for me and he can't get his 4x4 tractor up the worst spot so he has to take the long way into the worksite in our valley.

I know Indiana is supposed to be flat, but I built my house on top of the only hill I could find and view sure is pretty. I just need to keep it mowed.

 

[eambrose]

Check out the Steiner - I am sure it will climb and mow this spot for you - if a cub can do it the Steiner will do it easily - it just may be too expensive for your needs - but you may be able to pick one up say three years old off lease - let me know - I can direct you to a number of places where you can buy a used one

here is the website :
//www.steinerturf.com/


good luck

 

[BillG_in_TX]

Bob,

I think you should consider ground cover for those slopes. Life's too short to keep doing things the hard way. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Bob999]

I have a PT 1845 with dual wheels. It is rated for 40 degree slope. Actually my steepest slope is about 30 degrees and power is not a problem--rather traction is because the area is a shaded north facing slope and just never gets dry. As a result I mow that slope going down. The PT 1845 has some features that make steep slope work safer and more comfortable--effective 4 wheel brakes with the brake tender system that automatically locks up the brakes if you lose hydraulic power for any reason, draft control that shifts the weight of the mower to the tractor for better traction, and a tilt seat that makes working across steep slopes much more comfortable. The PT 1845 is available only with a 72" mower and as Ed Embrose commented it is relatively expensive. That said I think the safety aspects for working on steep slopes are worth it if you can afford it.

The PT mowers have, in my view, inadequate scalp control. So if you have uneven ground or quickly changing slopes you may experience some scalping problems.

I have a PT 72" mower for the PT 1845 for sale--nearly new with about 10 hours. I replaced it with an articulated mower (that I bought from Ed Ambrose) that performs much better on uneven ground.