Power Trac Attachments

[Reds]

<did you put our stick in float >

Nope, just lowered the bucket till it contacted the asphalt. It basically left scuff marks. You can feel the increased drag when trying to scoop up the last of the mulch. At least while going against the grade. Sitting here at the pc i can't remember if it happened going with the grade. Probably not since the bucket would tend to lose contact with the ground in that direction. The grade, while not much, is certainly enough to make a difference.

Sounds like you are saying that I should use float. The more i sit here and think about it, the more it makes sense to me. As long as the loader arms more up and down freely. I'll give it a try next time out and see what happens.

Thank you sir!

 

[Reds]

Carpenter,
Did you use the float position? As bubenburg has pointed out, i did not ... and my be the reason for my scuff marks.

 

[Carpenter]

Reds, I use the float position, most of the time, but have also used down pressure when the situation called for it (semi-frozen slush, ice, etc.). Because I'm dealing with a retail business parking lot, I'm very concerned with keeping things as clean as possible. Even with down pressure I haven't noticed any real damage. I guess my lot is old enough that scuffs blend right in. As others have stated, I think the only way to be scuff-free, would be to plow a little off the surface. This wouldn't work for me as whatever I leave on our lot gets packed into ice by the customers cars.

I guess you have all summer to consider your options. However, as I write this I can see snow blowing by my window. Looks like the old adage:"If you don't like the weather around here, just wait five minutes!", is certainly true today.

 

[kcook]

SNOW, I was out it shorts today cutting the lawn in Michigan

KCook

 

[duane]

One thing that I do not recall being talked about is safety switches. Does the PT have a seat switch etc. Come to think about it, I don't remember seeing a brake, other than the parking brake. I have a hydrostatic tranny in the tractor I have now and it stops just fine without the brake. Just curious what it is like with a bucket full heading down a hill if you wanted to stop.

Duane

 

[bubenberg]

duane, on the 400 series there is only a parking type brake but no shut off valve or switch. our 425 has stalled out but never run away with us. if we operate (lifting something up) into a truck or on top of a fixed object, we position the pt in its final place then we lock the parking brake as not to have any rolling incident.

 

[MossRoad]

No safety switches. Power Trac recommends that you stop any powered implements by turning off the PTO. Wait for them to stop. Lower the lift arms. Set the parking brake. Turn off the key. Undo the seat belt and get off. This system requires some training on the operators part. I did not follow their advice and attmepted to get off without setting the brake while it was still running. My foot hit the reverse pedal and the tractor lurched backwards, almost running over my foot/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

I now follow their recommendations. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

As far as brakes, you are right. There aren't any, except for the parking brake. You let off of the pedals and it stops very abruptly. You have to let off the pedal slowy. It is great for mowing. I've got about 3-4 hours behind the finish mower now and it is so nice. Right foot forward, left foot reverse. Makes trimming under bushes very easy with no brakes to worry about. I go slowly down hills. If the bucket is extrememly heavy, I'll back down to avoid tipping forwards. Even fully loaded, it stops very quickly. Enough to snap you in the seat belt if you aren't careful.

 

[davesisk]

Concerning a trencher bucket type of attachment (I'm trying to think how to rig up a 8" trencher bucket), do you think it would work better if the bucket faced upward (mounted in the same way as the normal tooth bucket), or if it faced downward (more like a backhoe)? I'm thinking of probably facing it upward, but I might try to get the mounting mechanism such that I could mount it upward or downward.

Note that I'm not actually talking about adding an arm and another cylinder to curl the bucket, just connecting a small 8-12" bucket in the same way the normal bucket attaches and is positioned. (Any trenches I need to dig are pretty shallow, which is why I'm not that interested in adding a whole arm!)

So, what's the consensus? Up or down?

Regards,
Dave

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Dave:
I think I'd vote for the backward mount. I have a Lackender Hoe for mine, which does have a separate cylinder. I think if the bucket were mounted to the adapter plate, it would dig quite well, using the bucket curl for the real digging power. With it mounted so that you can see the bucket filling, you may have better control. I'm guessing here,however, that the geometry will let you see in the bucket close in front of the machine.
Either way you mount it, you'll want to do a lot of thinking, drawing, etc to make sure the angle of the bucket to the adapter plate is right for digging. I'm no expert, but I've sure seen with mine that the digging is with the bucket curl, not the up/down, and not as you drag it with the machine. You need to position the bucket so it inserts the teeth and then curls through the dirt and up the other side of the hole.
I think it will work for shallow digging connecting the bucket directly to the adapter. I'd also opt for a narrow bucket. A couple of bites take a little longer, but sure beat not being able to dig because the bucket is too big.
Keep us posted.
<font color=blue> edit: Dave - Forgot yours is three arm, rather than an adapter plate. I doubt the geometry is different, so ignore my references to adapter.</font color=blue>

 

[kcook]

Power Trac does make a 2422 and 2425 that you can add a back hoe. The option is about 2700 dollars. You also will get more lift height on your loader 84 inchs.

KCook