One more PT

[Scott_F]

I finally have the go-ahead from CFO to buy a PT/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. Here are my intentions:
-PT-422 with bar tires and ROPS
-60" finish mower
-60" blade
-bucket - If you could only have one bucket which one would it be, large or small. I'll probably get teeth either way.
-box blade - maybe. I think I need one for driveway maint. but it seems like I remember someone recently saying they didn't think the PT box blade looked sturdy enough and welded a quick attach plate on another brand box blade. I looked for the thread but couldn't find it. Anyone remember where it is?

I hope to drive up to DC area on Friday to look at a 425 owned by a nursury. Only thing remaining is to figure out if it's cheaper to ship to MD or drive to Tazewell and pay sales tax. If it's close to the same $$ amount, I may drive down just to get their "training" and see the factory. All decisions were made much easier by the great advice and experience on TBN. Thanks guys.

Scott

 

[MossRoad]

Congratulations on the go-ahead /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

It only cost me about $500.00 bucks to get it shipped all the way to Indiana, so I bet you're looking at considerable savings by having it shipped, instead of paying the sales tax. Probable enough to get another bucket. Both buckets are great, and you can store the little one with teeth right inside of the big one, so it doesn't take up any more floor space(for that matter, the pallet forks will fit inside of the little bucket for even more floor saving space).

The little bucket is much heavier duty, IMHO, than the big one. It is also a few inches narrower than the big one and you can get into more tight spaces with it. If you can swing the extra $$ get the little one with teeth AND the large light material bucket.

 

[kcook]

Congratulations on the new PT, I have talked my other half into a power Trac as well but later on this year. First we are going to the factory, we will make a small trip out of it!

KCook

 

[bubenberg]

have a nice trip and enjoy your driving and training sessions. hopefully you get to use the machines outside. both times we went it was bitter cold and full of ice and snow .... the life of a grasshoppers ... we can only go places when it's bad weather and no lawns to cut.

 

[PTRich]

I have the little bucket with teeth and it is excellent for digging. I was going to get the larger bucket eventualy but it is not a priority, the shape of the bucket allows you to overload the bucket. Material can go way over the top.
PTRich

 

[pajoube]

Scott, congratulations on your decision to buy a PT. So many things will now happen that should be great fun. Going to the factory to see what is available, training, the arrival of your new machine, and best of all seat time.
Be sure to keep the rest of us informed of how all this has worked out and what you have learned.
PJ

 

[bubenberg]

i have the same problem, have you given it some sought to weld and extention to reduce the spillage?.... i am toying with the idea ....do you have any input ...hate to eat all that mulch when the bucket curles a little too fast.

 

[ernemats]

Scott:
I believe you will be happy with your decision to buy a power trac, I have had mine for over 2 years and love it , it is fun to use. I think your wife will like it as well, I know mine does ,she probably has more hours on it than I do, she does most of the mowing.

 

[king_black_shoes]

I got the small bucket only and have no regrets. When I take a rounded bucket of top soil it feels like I couldn't lift too much more so when they say light material they mean lighter than top soil. It would be nice to have a one yard trailer with a short tongue for transporting and dumping large amounts of soil further than 100 feet. Consider the forks. I use mine much more than I expected to. I have a really heavy 32 foot extension ladder that I strap to the forks with it in an almost vertical position. I can move it around the yard and raise and lower the extension while it's still on the forks. The bottom of the ladder sits on the heavy steel shelf under the lift arms ( with another strap to keep it their) .This sounds precarious and I wouldn't try it with anyone standing too close but it works great. Almost like having a ladder truck I would try out the plow blade before considering a box blade. The gauge wheels make it very similar to the larger Bobcat grader attachment. Maybe you could figure a way to substituke a york rake for the blade and still take advantage of power angle and gauge wheels. I've had decent grading results dragging a pallet full of stone or a weighted piece of chain link fence. The post hole digger is well worth the money. Good for trenching around trees before transplanting. If you bore a row of holes you can connect them into a 4 ft. deep trench. Sure beats paying for a backhoe (and storing it). Enjoy your new machine. Remember," home improvement is just a way to justify buying more tools" (The Tappet Brothers / Car Talk]

 

[Sedgewood]

Scott_F<font color=green> -box blade - maybe. I think I need one for driveway maint. but it seems like I remember someone recently saying they didn't think the PT box blade looked sturdy enough and welded a quick attach plate on another brand box blade. I looked for the thread but couldn't find it. Anyone remember where it is?</font color=green>
That would be me but I'll be darned if I can find the post either. But to recap, I bought a Bush Hog SBX720 6 ft box blade and had the dealer weld a quick attach plate on. The plate is a nearly perfect fit inside the "A" of the 3ph frame making a simple weld up. I have a bigger PT1845 and it works great except that at about 600 lbs its a bit light for ripping in float - I'll probably add 2-300 lbs of ballast. I thought at first that it was going to be too big but its definitely not. It's very useful to have the blade a foot or so wider than the track of the tractor for grading edges while keeping the tractor on level ground. So in general bigger is better and definitely heavier is better (within of course the arms ability to pick it up)