new to tractors, thinking about a powertrac...

[dukenyc]

I recently purchased a 70acre property. It has 5acres or so of lawns, about 35acres of it are 20year overgrown fields, and about 30 acres are true woods. The previous owner has cut some trails through the overgrown fields and through the woods. The property is quite hilly, with some rather steep grades.

My primary use for the tractor will be to mow the 5 acres and to maintain trails on the property, to clear periodically around the pond, and to rough cut some fields to be used for a shooting range. Ideally, i would like it to be able to handle brush like the dr field and brush mower allegedly does, not just tall grass. I will be buying an fel for light duty all around use. I have a pickup and plow for primary snow removal, but may get a blower in the future.

I really want this thing excel at brush-hogging and hopefully mowing.

So, what do you think? Any input about the model, size type of tractor would be appreciated.

 

[J_J]

Sound like you need a Power Trac for sure. I don't think you will find more machine for the money. I may be biased. but I also own Kubota and Fords. If you read through this forum, and look at PT's web site, you will get the idea. Some tractors do good at one thing, but the Pt with all it's versatility and implements, will pretty much do it all very good.

 

[Rip]

First of all, welcome to the forum.

If your budget can handle it, the 45 HP PT-1845 that is rated for 40 Degree slopes sounds like it would serve you well on your size and type property. It will run circles around any CUT in steep terrain and make any DR product look like a toy. It will also do a whole lot of other things such as snow plowing & blowing, forks, brush and slash grapple, and much more.

If $$ or other considerations cause you to look lower in the product line, all PTs are very heavy duty machines that will provide a long service life and offer unique capabilities that often have to be experienced to be fully appreciated.

One thing I will mention at this point, is that while in the normal operation of any PT you do not need to utilize brakes as such, only the 1445 and above models have a true "emergency" rather than only a "parking" brake system. This may be something to keep in mind if you will be operating on steep terrain.

I have the 1845 for mostly wildfire mitigation work in very steep rocky mountain terrain and it has worked better than anything else I could have gotten in the price range. Do check out their web site www.power-trac.com and get their demo video if you haven't already.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

I also have an 1845, and certainly agree with Rip. The 1845 will do everything well that you've thought of and a lot of things that you'll find useful later.
I have the 72" rough-cut mower. It differs from the finish mower in that its blades are short and hinged, mounted on heavy stump jumper hubs. I don't know the current availabiliity of the rough-cut mower in that width, but if they have one for you, one mower will do what you want - both the lawn and the brush.
Of course, if you can get an 1850, it will cut your mowing time, with wider mowers, and have additional horsepower for other jobs.
We currently have John Deere 755, 950 and 2240 conventional tractors. The PT 1845 will work rings around any of them except where the 2240's bucket gives it a little higher reach.

 

[dukenyc]

The 1845 is really stretching my budget. I was thinking more like the 1445 or 1430. It seems like the 1445 is giving alot more power for the dollar than the 1430.

I am a bit worried about the 1445/1430 on the steep grades on parts of the lawn.

When I saw brush hogging, I was hoping that between the loader and the rough cutter that it would deal with woody brush with stalks up to an 1-1.5".

I take the 425 is out of the question?

thank you for the replies

 

[dukenyc]

What do you think, could a 425 cut 5 acres of uneven hilly lawn and cut walking paths through brush filled fields or do i have to look at larger models.

The 425 with 60" mower, 48" brushogger, and 45" grapple bucket cost $13,200.

The 1430 with 60" mower, 60" rough cutter, and 54" grapple bucket cost $19,950.

Both fall in the price range with the 425 being more attractive, if it is up to the job. The 1445 seems like alot of tractor for the dollar, but it puts the operator up much higher than the 1430 or 425. This worries me on the hills.

Also, is the "brushogger" for the 425 the same as the "roughcutter" for the 1430? Are they both capable of handling the same size brush?

Any replies are appreciated.

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to the Power Trac forum! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Have you seen the videos of the PT425 brush cutter in action on my website? At the bottom of this e-mail is my little tractor picture... CLICK ON IT and it will take you to my website. Then click on the VIDEOS link. Scroll down to the brush hog videos. I believe there are currently four of them. It will give you a good idea of what the PT425 brush hog will handle, but we are on mostly flat ground. The brush hog out front is the only way to go, as far as I am concerned( there's also about 20 more videos of various other stuff there). And remember, the newer PT425s have a little higher lift on the FEL and stronger wheel motors than my model year.

The 425 will handle 1.5" stuff with no problems what so ever. I've done some 2" softwoods, but it really depends on the soil type and root structure. If the soil is hard and the brush hog can't push it over, then it won't chop it up. If the soil is loose and the little tree bends a bit, then it is history. The rule of thumb I use is if the brush hog can push it over, it will eat it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

So, if the PT425 will handle this stuff, you can bet the larger models will do an outstanding job as well.

As for the PT in general, I can honestly say that I would buy one again without hesitation. I have zero regrets. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I may be biased becuase I own a New Holland and a Kubota, but I'd say you are very well suited to a Power Trac. I looked at PT equipment last year, I ended up buying a Ventrac, which is also an articulated machine, because I thought it was a better fit for my needs (primarily finish mowing with some steep slopes). The PT machines are truely amazing in how capable they are and how much they can do. The 425 would likely do what you want to do, but given the overall size of the property, I'd opt for a larger size machine.

 

[Bob999]

I think any of the PT machines will be adequate for 5 acres of mowing. Of course larger mowers reduce mowing time and the larger machines can handle larger mowers.

I suggest you carefully measure the slopes you want to work on. When measuring and then applying your measurement remember that with relatively small machines like the PT series tractors that relatively small local irregularities can cause significant changes in the local slope when you are working (i.e. be conservative).

Generally the PT 425 is not recommended for slopes greater than 20 DEGREES (not percent slope which is another popular slope measurement). This limitation includes the angle which the engine oil sump is designed to operate at.

Power Trac recommends the 1430 up to 30 DEGREES but my personal experience when considering what to buy was that I was not comfortable with this machine on 30 degree slopes--in part because it only has a parking brake and in part because I once flipped a small tractor and I wanted a significant margin of safety.

The 1845 is recommended for slopes up to 40 DEGREES.

The 1850 is recommended for slopes up to 45 DEGREES.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Although the bigger machines would cut down mowing time, I don't have any doubt that the 425 will do what you need.
One note about slopes. I suspect that when you actually measure slopes, you will find most to be less steep than you thought. 20 degrees is steep. 30 is very steep, and 40 or 45 are hills on which I don't think you want to take any machine. Yes, the 1845 and 1850, with duals are rated for those, but I'll leave that kind of excitement to others. Although I'm partial to my 1845 because of its slope capability, with single tires, I don't think I'd have a problem with a 1445, and it has more lift capability. I suspect it's a competent hill machine on anything you'd want to mow.
The rough-cut mowers arent quite the same as the brush hogs. The rough cuts have multiple spindles, where I think all the brush cutters are single spindle, so the blades are heavier. (Right MR? I have a three spindle rough cut 72" mower that handles 1" brush with ease. I don't have a brush cutter.)
Hans Luginbuhl, (Bubenberg on here) does commercial mowing on big properties with the 425, with a 60" finish mower, and sometimes with two Kunz Acrease wing mowers in echelon. I mow pastures with the 72" PT and a 60" Acrease rough-cut, for a 10 foot wide cut. The Kunz mowers are a bit pricey, but you certainly can do a wider cut with a 425 and an Acrease than with a 1430 by itself.
I don't think you'll go wrong with a 425, a 1430, a 1445 or an 1845. All will do your mowing jobs and a lot more. The smaller ones will just take a little more time, which isn't necessarily bad. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif