Need PT Stump Grinder Info

[JohninCT]

Thinking about adapting a PT stump grinder attachment for use on my Magnatrac. Would appreciate any and all info (photos would be especially helpful) about the PT stump grinder... how it attaches, how it is powered, how it is maneuvered, how it performs, etc.

I'm guessing that it is powered by a hydraulic motor? and that it attaches on the quick attach plate in front? My Magnatrac has a hydraulic circuit for powering the hydraulic PTO motor. I am thinking about adapting or making a stump cutter attachment to go on the backhoe in place of the bucket. Got the idea from a pic I saw on the net of a big excavator with a huge stump grinder and hydraulic thumb in place of the bucket. I couldn't find the pic on my computer... guess I didn't save it. I'll surf around and see if I can find it again. It was an awesome machine.

Thanks a bunch
John in CT

 

[davesisk]

You can go here for a pic of the stump grinder.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ipass.net/~davesisk/tractor.htm>http://www.ipass.net/~davesisk/tractor.htm</A>

Yup, it's spun by a hydraulic motor that attaches to the PT's front hydraulic PTO. Mine is an older model that uses a 3-pin attachment method rather than the current quick-attach.

If the Mag has a hydraulic motor as a PTO, then one thought would be to put quick connects on the PTO hoses going to the motor. Then you could disconnect from the built-in PTO and hook up to the stump grinder, and vice-versa. Just a thought...

{An edit here...}

I know PT calls the hydraulic connections a "hydraulic PTO", but MHO is that that's a little bit misleading. Maybe "hydraulic PTO connections" or "hydraulic remotes" would be a better term? I think of "hydraulic PTO" as being a hydraulic motor that is already built-into the machine (like the mechanical PTO on a CUT or the hydraulic PTO on the Magnatrac) rather than just the connections. Just MHO though...

{End of edit}

HTH,
Dave

 

[JohninCT]

Dave:
Thanks for the link to the pix. That stump grinder for the PT looks like it would be just the thing I am looking for. It looks like I could hook up my hydro PTO lines to power it pretty easily. Are the cutter teeth replaceable? How well does it work? It looks like you hook it onto the front of the tractor and use the loader hydraulics up/down and tractor side to side to position it on the stump. It looks like it would do some serious damage to anything in its way.

I found a site for a company that makes tractors very similar to the Power Trac from Finland called Avant. PT guys may want to check them out for comparison and ideas.

http://www.avanttecno.com/products/products.html

Attached is a pic of the stump grinder for the Avant machine.

John

 

[davesisk]

You are absolutely correct. You hook the stump grinder on the front of the machine, raise/lower it with the lift arms, tilt it up or down with the tilt arm, and the hydraulic PTO lever on mine (it's a pushbotton on the newer models) starts and stops the grinder. You position it horizontally by turning the steering. The whole round blade is replaceable. It does pretty well. My only gripe is that it slings wood shreds, dirt, and rocks at the bottom front of the tractor (and the operator!), but to my understanding, all brands of stump grinders seem to work that way. It will cut right through a stump, but does require a little bit of patience. It's kind of like using a router...

I'd think you would be able to "patch it in" to your machines hydraulics without too much trouble. I *think* that my model is designed for 8gpm and 2500 PSI (and I believe this is true for the current 400 series as well), while the 1400 series is something like 12-16 gpm at 3000 PSI (right guys?). Between the stump grinder for the 400 series and 1400 series you should be able to find one that'll work (most but not all attachments are made for one or the other model series, and I'm assuming the stump grinder is one of those, but I might be wrong).

I'd suggest calling the factory and talking to a fellow named Don Boyd. 1-800-THE-YARD. They might be able to fabricate the attachment method if you don't want to do it yourself...

Yup, I've stumbled across the Avant machines before. They certainly do appear to be VERY similar...

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

Dave