Just ordered a PT-180, wanted to introduce myself

[ponytug]

Congratulations on your new tractor!

I always drive with the two foot method. It keeps bumps from affecting the motion of the tractor. I had too many surprises trying to drive one footed, but I am not so hot with the old Rub your tummy, while patting your head coordination.

The hydraulic connectors are Stucchi IRV Fastner interchange series; Power-Trac may be the easiest source for the covers. They are an obscure connector.

More information here. Be careful to check that the covers fit the IRV FA interchange series, not the IRV series.

All the best,

Peter

 

[m5040]

My PTs came with standard tractor quick connects, same as my Kubota. The factory might have changed at some point. After you run the tractor for a few hours you will get more used to the treadle operation. Interesting (at least to me) I just called Terry to see if the 180 had any treadle adjustments. The 1430 has a buffered treadle operation to the point I have gotten on the tractor and my foot accidentally floored the treadle, I immediately let it back up, tractor didn't even start to move. I called Terry and asked if the 180 had an adjustment to be more like the 1430. He said there was no adjustment and that is the way they are.
If you find the spring update let me know please. I put a suspension seat on it and it made it even worse, using two feet corrects it, until one slips off the pedal.
The PT180 treadle is so snappy, I end up spinning the tires on direction changes if I am too much of a hurry.

 

[ponytug]

That is great to hear that the factory has changed. My apologies for the bum information.

All the best,

Peter

My PTs came with standard tractor quick connects, same as my Kubota. The factory might have changed at some point. After you run the tractor for a few hours you will get more used to the treadle operation. Interesting (at least to me) I just called Terry to see if the 180 had any treadle adjustments. The 1430 has a buffered treadle operation to the point I have gotten on the tractor and my foot accidentally floored the treadle, I immediately let it back up, tractor didn't even start to move. I called Terry and asked if the 180 had an adjustment to be more like the 1430. He said there was no adjustment and that is the way they are.
If you find the spring update let me know please. I put a suspension seat on it and it made it even worse, using two feet corrects it, until one slips off the pedal.
The PT180 treadle is so snappy, I end up spinning the tires on direction changes if I am too much of a hurry.

 

[m5040]

Got it, yea need to go grab a grease gun. Manual says 20 hours, then every 100 after that. Terry never said anything about it, so my plan was to follow that.

I went and got my manual just out of curiosity, page "iv", number 5, second bullet point list "Grease the two grease fittings in the center section and the two grease fittings in the rollover arms (PT180doesn't have roll over arms) every eight hours of operation""Lubricate all moving parts of cylinders and ball bushings with a multipurpose lube every eight hours of operation". Then it goes on about the 50 hour fitting.

Can you double check yours?

While we are at it, my serial number is 20822, what is yours? (just wondering how many PT180s they sold in the past 11 months)

 

[James23]

I went and got my manual just out of curiosity, page "iv", number 5, second bullet point list "Grease the two grease fittings in the center section and the two grease fittings in the rollover arms (PT180doesn't have roll over arms) every eight hours of operation""Lubricate all moving parts of cylinders and ball bushings with a multipurpose lube every eight hours of operation". Then it goes on about the 50 hour fitting.

Can you double check yours?

While we are at it, my serial number is 20822, what is yours? (just wondering how many PT180s they sold in the past 11 months)

Ahh sorry yea I thought we were talking about Engine oil changes, which I think is a 20 hour then 100 hour. When I get to the cabin this weekend I will check the serial number.

I will just order some kubota / john deer dust caps and see if they fit, they don't seem that expensive.

I also just noticed they raised the price of the 180 from $6500 to $8200!, so I'm thanking my lucky stars I didn't wait.

I will call Terry in a few weeks here and see if I can order some springs. Still trying to decide how annoying it is. But 2 feet are definitely necessary, otherwise it literally chug chug chugs and bounces fairly violently

 

[m5040]

That sucks on the price increase, it was a steal at $6500. The worse part is some of the attachments went up too.

 

[woodlandfarms]

On the grease gun. I live my battery powered one. I find myself much more inclined to grease if I don’t fight pumping while greasing.

 

[m5040]

I hate doing the roll over arms, it seems once you do it, grease keeps seeping out for days getting all over the quick change hoses/fittings. Thats why I love using the Super Lube on all the other joints, and if it works, what's the down side?

 

[PowerTracManiac]

Congrats on your new PT! And welcome.

 

[larrydman]

Congratulations and welcome. Some of these guys on here are PT and hydraulic gurus and always willing to help, and worth their weight in gold for new owners and non-mechanics like me. Of course I guess you've already seen that.

 

[James23]

So finally got a chance to mow the entire lawn this weekend and really get a feel for it.

1. My serial number is like 20817 or 20819 (cant remember). But I am certain it was lower than 20822. So who knows what that means. The grippy tape on the foot pedal was just barely worn on the right side, perhaps this was a demo? I looked it over real good, if it was a demo I can't really tell.

2. Tightened that big center pivot nut with my pipe wrench. I wouldn't call it loose, but definitely turned a bit easier than I expected.

3. Using both feet on the pedals and it's much much better. Springs aren't necessary at this point.

4. Got the hour meter and magnetic temp sensor put on. Got an electrical fan, headlights and oil pressure warning light waiting in the garage. Going to just add a fuse block and some power upgrades for future expansion, so that will take some time. My dashboard is from a 422/425 with a plate over the Hour meter , lights and pto holes. I took that plate off and my hour meter fit right in the hole, and I need to bore slighly bigger holes for my fan and light switches.


I knew going into mowing that the PTO generates a lot of heat. I was watching my magnetic temp gauge and it hit 175 within ~45 mins of mowing. I feel like what I have read on here that 180 is really the max. So I just took a break and finished the rest the next morning. The steering is interesting, some parts of my yard require a lot of maneuvering. I tore up the grass in a few spots, but I think that was operator error. I also now see how you can get this thing wedged against a wall/fence/tree etc. as I came close to doing that a few times . I'm curious how much a fan without a radiator will affect hydraulic temps. I'm also debating on the best placement of the fan. Current thought is on the right side, blowing air into the compartment and over the exhaust. Will be a bit of an experiment.

Ordered the wrong covers for my PTO quick connect, for some reason I thought it was 3/4 inch valves, but now I'm guessing its just 1/2. Going to measure next time I am there to be sure. Also bought some super-lube and a grease gun, as I am quickly approaching 8 hours. Overall I'm super happy. I keep asking my neighbors if they need anything moved around just come find me .


For $6,500 I would completely agree it was a steal of a price. You could buy two of these tractors for the price of 1 425. The price almost didn't make sense. I usually drag my feet with stuff like this, I was sooo happy when I saw the price increase...happy that I had already ordered. I really wonder if they just left the price low to move old inventory. At the new price of $8,000 I think I am just buying a 422. After all is said and done I'm probably spending close to $1,000 in parts and labor to add all of this stuff, so to have it "factory" seems smart.

 

[m5040]

Just my opinion here so take it with a gain of lawn salt.
I think Power Trac has a number of tractors ready to sell and they take the one that fits what you ordered. I wanted agricultural tires and got that S/N, you may have ordered turf, so PT takes the one appropriate, which may have had the older S/N. That tape looks nice, but it is long gone on the edges which is the only place I contact mine.
After writing that it makes me think if it would feel better if the pedals were angled like the pedals on a car, why should it face up?

Anyway one thing you may want to do is remove that treadle pedal and bend the left side almost flat (do in stages so you don't go too far). The tractor goes way to fast in reverse, so I attempted to limit the speed. The wife's foot slipped of the forward pedal and she took off in reverse:shocked:, now doesn't like the tractor anymore:sarcastic::sarcastic::sarcastic::sarcastic:.

On the center pin, I bought the correct size wrench off ebay for cheap money. I cringe hearing a pipe wrench and think what the nut will look like after a few tightenings, then a wrench wont fit.

On the low oil alarm, will you be able to see the light in sunshine? Where I use mine, the most likely time it will come on is when I am on severe terrain (sideways, up or down), at which point I have to hang on for dear life and won't be looking for lights.

Your right about the new price being too close to the 422 which will be the better buy if you are going to modify. But even with the 422, who wants to have incandescent lights, no oil alarm and no hyd temp indicator?
I figured I should mention this because it was easy (although very mickey mouse). When I got mine and was monitoring the hyd temp and couldn't control it, and want to use the tractor more. I racked my brain on how to get it down without a lot of work. So I cut a gallon milk jug in half, squeezed the lower part under, but surrounding the hyd filter, I then filled it with water so the hyd filter was part under water. This actually made a difference as long as you can keep the water level up and change it out with cold again. Then when you change the filter at 50 hours, it collects the mess too.

 

[MossRoad]

I frequently run my PT425 at full speed (8mph) in reverse. It is extremely handy when moving heavy bucketfulls of material. If you move them forward, and the unit bounces and the bucket digs in it can jar the heck out of you, while if you are moving full speed in reverse and the unit bounces, the bucket just skips on the ground like a wheelie bar and you keep on going nice and smooth.

I also pull logs at full speed in reverse with the tongs on the FEL arms.

It may come in handy for you some time, so don't bend the pedals to make it unable to attain that speed. Instead, consider some type of mechanical limiter, adjustable/removable stop sort of thing if the full speed reverse scares you.

 

[cqaigy2]

I use my PT at full reverse when moving material around. Not many places i can run my PT at full speed but when i can....

 

[m5040]

:chicken: (That is a chicken if you can't see it)

 

[cqaigy2]

:chicken: (That is a chicken if you can't see it)

Duly noted. :laughing:

 

[James23]

Just my opinion here so take it with a gain of lawn salt.
I think Power Trac has a number of tractors ready to sell and they take the one that fits what you ordered. I wanted agricultural tires and got that S/N, you may have ordered turf, so PT takes the one appropriate, which may have had the older S/N. That tape looks nice, but it is long gone on the edges which is the only place I contact mine.
After writing that it makes me think if it would feel better if the pedals were angled like the pedals on a car, why should it face up?

Anyway one thing you may want to do is remove that treadle pedal and bend the left side almost flat (do in stages so you don't go too far). The tractor goes way to fast in reverse, so I attempted to limit the speed. The wife's foot slipped of the forward pedal and she took off in reverse:shocked:, now doesn't like the tractor anymore:sarcastic::sarcastic::sarcastic::sarcastic:.

On the center pin, I bought the correct size wrench off ebay for cheap money. I cringe hearing a pipe wrench and think what the nut will look like after a few tightenings, then a wrench wont fit.

On the low oil alarm, will you be able to see the light in sunshine? Where I use mine, the most likely time it will come on is when I am on severe terrain (sideways, up or down), at which point I have to hang on for dear life and won't be looking for lights.

Your right about the new price being too close to the 422 which will be the better buy if you are going to modify. But even with the 422, who wants to have incandescent lights, no oil alarm and no hyd temp indicator?
I figured I should mention this because it was easy (although very mickey mouse). When I got mine and was monitoring the hyd temp and couldn't control it, and want to use the tractor more. I racked my brain on how to get it down without a lot of work. So I cut a gallon milk jug in half, squeezed the lower part under, but surrounding the hyd filter, I then filled it with water so the hyd filter was part under water. This actually made a difference as long as you can keep the water level up and change it out with cold again. Then when you change the filter at 50 hours, it collects the mess too.

Yea fair enough about the pipe wrench .

I hope to put an oil cooler on there at some point (probably after the warranty runs out), but if I keep seeing 180+ degree temps in under an hour of mowing, I'm just going to do it. I read the post where you did it, but I don't completely understand what hoses you re-routed. I'm assuming some of these are lower pressure return lines. I could "water cool" it for the summer too I suppose hehe. Just drive down by the lake and grab a bucket.

The oil light I got also has a audible warning. Havent tried it yet, and not sure how much im going to love hearing the beep every time I start it but I realized the same thing. If the pressure goes low, I want to know like immediately.

Thanks again for all the help everyone!

 

[James23]

Just my opinion here so take it with a gain of lawn salt.
I think Power Trac has a number of tractors ready to sell and they take the one that fits what you ordered. I wanted agricultural tires and got that S/N, you may have ordered turf, so PT takes the one appropriate, which may have had the older S/N. That tape looks nice, but it is long gone on the edges which is the only place I contact mine.
After writing that it makes me think if it would feel better if the pedals were angled like the pedals on a car, why should it face up?

Anyway one thing you may want to do is remove that treadle pedal and bend the left side almost flat (do in stages so you don't go too far). The tractor goes way to fast in reverse, so I attempted to limit the speed. The wife's foot slipped of the forward pedal and she took off in reverse:shocked:, now doesn't like the tractor anymore:sarcastic::sarcastic::sarcastic::sarcastic:.

On the center pin, I bought the correct size wrench off ebay for cheap money. I cringe hearing a pipe wrench and think what the nut will look like after a few tightenings, then a wrench wont fit.

On the low oil alarm, will you be able to see the light in sunshine? Where I use mine, the most likely time it will come on is when I am on severe terrain (sideways, up or down), at which point I have to hang on for dear life and won't be looking for lights.

Your right about the new price being too close to the 422 which will be the better buy if you are going to modify. But even with the 422, who wants to have incandescent lights, no oil alarm and no hyd temp indicator?
I figured I should mention this because it was easy (although very mickey mouse). When I got mine and was monitoring the hyd temp and couldn't control it, and want to use the tractor more. I racked my brain on how to get it down without a lot of work. So I cut a gallon milk jug in half, squeezed the lower part under, but surrounding the hyd filter, I then filled it with water so the hyd filter was part under water. This actually made a difference as long as you can keep the water level up and change it out with cold again. Then when you change the filter at 50 hours, it collects the mess too.

Yea fair enough about the pipe wrench .

I hope to put an oil cooler on there at some point (probably after the warranty runs out), but if I keep seeing 180+ degree temps in under an hour of mowing, I'm just going to do it. I read the post where you did it, but I don't completely understand what hoses you re-routed. I'm assuming some of these are lower pressure return lines. I could "water cool" it for the summer too I suppose hehe. Just drive down by the lake and grab a bucket.

The oil light I got also has a audible warning. Havent tried it yet, and not sure how much im going to love hearing the beep every time I start it but I realized the same thing. If the pressure goes low, I want to know like immediately.

Thanks again for all the help everyone!

 

[agjones]

If you are concerned about the warranty just zip mount a fan to the engine cover and gator clip the leads to the battery. Get that heat out of the tub. Help the Hydraulics indirectly. No intrusion required.

 

[agjones]

The s/n are not necessarily chronologically sequential. I have numbers higher and lower than yours from a single purchase 7 years ago.