Buying Advice PT-2460 Road Maintenance & General Opinions

[Pugemasta]

I'm considering the 2460, but am unsure of it's ability to perform road maintenance, i.e. box blade, grader scraper, blade, etc... You can find a description of my needs and situation on the original post of the thread linked below:

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/buying-pricing-comparisons/405988-40-acres-steep-1-mile.html

Have any of you used a 2460 or other Power Trac to perform road maintenance? How did it perform? Do you push the impliments, or pull in reverse?

What are your general opinions of the 2460? Is it good on slopes and would it be good for a steep property? Good traction? How's the backhoe compared to say a Kubota BH92?

 

[MossRoad]

While we await replies from anyone with the machines larger than the 425, I was pondering a few things.

Yes, you can pull an implement by driving backwards. That's the way the Power Trac box blade is built. You can get a 3PT adapter welded onto a PT quick attach plate, so you could use a 3pt box blade, grader scraper, etc... on a PT. That's handy if you already have 3pt implements, or have access to them, or purchase them used.

You also have the advantage of being able to put down pressure on an implement with the FEL arms.

You cannot put down pressure on a 3pt hitch. They are gravity down.

Also, several PT owners with backhoe experience have said that they prefer to use PT's mini-hoe over a full backhoe due to the ease of use and the many small holes that people tend to want to dig VS the very rare long trenches or large holes where a full backhoe would be better. Hopefully they'll discuss this as well.

 

[Pugemasta]

Thanks mossroad, that is helpful. If you welded on a 3 pt hitch, could you also add rear remotes?

 

[woodlandfarms]

Puge, welcome to PT. Its an amazing platform.

I know very little about the 2460. But I have an 1850 that I would be happy to have you come over to Vancouver WA and test when ever you want (except between next Sunday and the 1st as I will be in Morrocco).

I maintain a 1 mile dirt road that is notorious for potholes. I do NOT use a box blade, although I have one. I do use a york rake (bought a used one and modified quite easily for the PT) that handles my road grooming. We can get into dirt road maintenance and the myriad of opinions on it, but the upside of my system is that I can drive forward which is useful as all heck on a mile long hilly road. Downside, and I will make an update on this to accomodate, the raking action is flat (and this applies to a box blade on the PT as well). Generally you want to build a peak in the middle of the road and the PT does not have any adjustment for that. Now tractors can do this (when towing an implement with a 3 point) but honestly I don't see too many guys doing this as it is a PITA unless you have a hydraulic 3pt.

I do have a 3pt adapter and can purchase stock implements, but honestly the premade implements (box blade and york rake and pickle forks) that I own I just welded on an adapter plate and they work great.

The back hoe feature is great for short distances but tiring for trenches. People do it, I have done it, but it is a PITA quite frankly.

I am mulling one day bulding a landscape plane and creating a tow behind setup, but that is for this summer at the earliest.

PT is a really great platform, kind of a swiss army. It does a lot of things, but none of them to perfection. Life is compromises, and I am happy with the fact my machine has limited ground engagement, I don't need it. I need quick flexibility and survivability on my sloped property.

I will say I love the 60HP machine. It does so much and has lots of grunt. I keep thinking when I win the lotto I will add a 1460 to my equipment list. It would be nice to have that amount of lift as opposed to the 1850 which doesn't lift a lot.

 

[SpringHollow]

I am unusual in that I have a mini hoe and a swinging mini hoe (Lackender). I have not used the mini hoe since I bought the swinging mini hoe even though it can dig deeper and has a wider bucket. But I would use it if I had to dig a long trench that was wider than a foot. It is very nice not to have to keep swinging the front of the tractor with each dig of the bucket

the 24xx series has a higher center of gravity so it would not be good for steep side slopes. Terry at Power Trac would be a good person to ask but I suspect he would agree. A 1460 would be better on slopes and is also my small lottery winning tractor. For a large lottery, if I were going to be selfish, I would buy one of the European versions of our machines.

If I had to do a mile of road routinely, I would likely build a towable land plane (wheels that could be lowered "remotely" via hydraulic cylinders). Then you would not need a 3 pt hitch. I have done 800' with a box blade and a front mounted "rear" blade, driving in reverse for both and it worked ok.

Ken

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks mossroad, that is helpful. If you welded on a 3 pt hitch, could you also add rear remotes?

They'd be front remotes! :laughing:

On the PT, there's a lever by your right knee under the joystick that operates the quick attach latch. It's called the AUX PTO. When I hook up my power angle snow blade, I use the lever to lock it in place. Then I disconnect the quick connectors on the quick attach plate from the AUX PTO and plug the snowplow hoses into the AUX PTO. I can then angle the snow blade with the lever.

Several PT owners have opted to install an electric diverter valve with a button on the joystick handle. Then they use the dump/curl function as normal, or, push the button and use the dump/curl axis of the joystick to control power angle on a blade or some other hydraulic function.

That way you don't have to add another bank to the valves or install more valves, etc... you can get multi-function diverter valves if you need to add more than one more function. Really customizable.

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks mossroad, that is helpful. If you welded on a 3 pt hitch, could you also add rear remotes?

And if I misinterpreted your question and you actually meant can you weld on a 3pt hitch to the rear? PT used to offer a 3pt hitch kit on some of their models when I first started looking at them back around 2001. Shortly thereafter, they removed that option from the list. You could call Terry at PT and ask them about it and if they'd still do it, or why they stopped doing it and why.

 

[Pugemasta]

Thanks all, I will give Terry a call next week to ask some more questions. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks mossroad, but I was actually curious about hydraulic controls for rear implements. I.e. if I went with a PT, I would want to add the 3 pt hitch so I could use a back blade for road grading and so forth. We'll see what Terry has to say.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Ken. I thought you and I had the same hoe. Did you upgrade?

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks all, I will give Terry a call next week to ask some more questions. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks mossroad, but I was actually curious about hydraulic controls for rear implements. I.e. if I went with a PT, I would want to add the 3 pt hitch so I could use a back blade for road grading and so forth. We'll see what Terry has to say.

Yes, you could add another valve bank somewhere on the machine. I recall someone adding one left of the steering console. It's just a matter of finding where in the circuit you want it. I don't know if there's a power beyond port on the FEL/AUX PTO valve bank. That bank is powered from the steering valve, so the steering valve does have a power beyond port. You'd have to find someone that's done it, or ask Terry how it would be done.