toy said:
Have you thought about fabricating mounting boxes for the new wheel motors to set in and welding them to the sides of the pt so that the wheel motors sit completly outside the tubs {assuming that the wheel motors fit inside a cutout in the sides of the model that you have. If you did it that way you could build the motor mounts first and set the motors in the new mounting box and see how it fits and then weld the boxes to the sides of the pt. It would probably make for a wider stance for the pt but that might be good for the ground that you are using it on for stability. I might not have a grasp of your situation and if that is the case disregard this post. Hope you get your pt to operating at an acceptable performance for your situation. Also have you had ererything checked out on your pt to make certain that you don't have a mechanicle problem first?
I've looked at several different combinations/possibilities. I thought about having some boxes fabricated, but I roughly estimated their cost tp be somewhere in the $250 - $300 range, to cut and bend the steel, then drill/cut the shaft and mounting holes. If I went that route, I'd also likely move to the White CE or Char-Lynn W series, "short & stubby" motors like Tazewell has done. But, they're also 1.25" tapered shafts, which would require new hubs also since mine are 1".
I haven't checked out the system to make certain everything is functioning correctly -- I talked to Terry last week about that, and he said the only things I can readily check on the tram pump is the pressure on the charge pump (about 100 PSI cold and 90 PSI hot). As far as the pump's output, he said there's no easy way to check it and suggested that I either remove the pump and send it to Tazewell or bring the whole PT to Tazewell. He said they can typically tear down, inspect and repair a tram pump in one day. He estimated the cost to be $900, worst case, to rebuild it if they had to replace the pistons. I certainly may have a scratched swash plate or something that in limiting the output pressure, but with only about 400 hours on the machine, I'm thinking/hoping not. That's another reason for me to try holding down the cost of the wheel motor upgrade -- just in case more work is still needed.
My challenge is that I'm trying to use the machine on slopes that are the upper limit of the PT-425's design capabilities, I think, and these old-style wheel motors are marginal, at best, in those circumstances. If I paid to rebuild the pump first, I'm afraid I'd still have a marginal-performing machine for where I'm trying to use it. I want it's slope-handling capability to be limited by the engine's oiling system, and not the weak wheel motors. That's one of the reasons I wanted an older PT with a Kohler engine instead of the Robin -- 25 vs 20 degree (as far as I can tell) restrictions based on the engine's oiling system.
The edge of the small brush pile(s) in the pictures below show the limit of slope-climbing capability with a load of brush in the grapple bucket when the oil is hot... I have several places that if I go down into them I must climb a fairly steep slope to get back out, and by the time I come back out from working, the oil is always hot and thinner. When cold, it does OK -- not great, but OK.
This larger view at this link gives a view of the overall work area that I'm using it on. The only flat spots are those I've created in the lower driveway...
http://www.loonlanding.info/images/mulch/mm_30_800.jpg
Here's a topo map of the lot, showing about 100 feet of elevation gain from the lakeshore to the back of the lot (less than 500 feet) where the picture linked just above was taken. The only slope I'm sure of is where the house and garage will go. We shot it with a transit and I have 11'2" of elevation gain in 80', meaning I'll have to cut down two more feet at the top of the building area (beginning at the next to last picture above and going down the hill from there), leaving a 9' walkout basement, and a back driveway that's even steeper than it is now. The gentlest slopes I'll then have are probably 15 degrees (just guessing) with most in the 20-25 degree range, and some steeper that I'll never be able to operate the PT on unless I'm going straight up and down the slopes.
http://www.loonlanding.info/topo1.jpg
So, my thinking is to address these old-syle wheel motors first -- which are known to be weak for these conditions, then go from there...
It sounds like I might be dissatisfied with the PT -- I'm not at all -- I'm overall quite pleased. I tried a little 4WD Kubota on these slopes and it fared much worse (often spinning rather than losing power), so I replaced it with the PT. If I had a new 425 with the larger wheel motors, I'd likely be "learning to live within its limitations" -- but with this older 425 with the small wheel motors, I'm trying to make it less limiting...
