PT braking on downhill steep slopes

[Moon]

I'm wondering about braking capabilities of the PT machines while carrying a load downhill. I want to transport bucket fulls of rock down a steep grade. From my reading I believe all the PT machines use reverse hydrolics to brake. Would this be more likely to cause slipage if you are carrying a big load? Is the PT as easy to control in downhill situations like this? I'll also need to transport the brush hog down these hills (without the brush hog engaged). The hills in question are primarily clay and tend to stay semi muddy.

 

[PTRich]

The PT425 is very hard to roll with out using it's own power. This is one of the reasons they give you a small hydrlic hose to jump past the pump. I have not experienced any substatial roll with heavy loads or towing my 4 X 8 foot hay trailer down hill loaded with wood. Keep in mind even if you did you are dealing with hydralics not gears, this means you can apply pressure to the wheels with out actualy spinning them. I would not be concerened at all. This is one of the things that Power Trac excels at.

PTRich

 

[MossRoad]

So far when I've let off the pedals, the machine stops no matter what the grade or load.

I've noticed that with a VERY heavy load in the bucket it will be light on the rear wheels. In this situation I keep the load as low to the ground as possible and go in reverse with a REALLY heavy load facing up the hill.

 

[Moon]

Sounds great. I'm even more impressed. But ....what if your engine dies while your heading down a steep slope? Can the hydrolics still stop you and hold in place?
TIA!

 

[PTRich]

I am getting my tractor back tommorrow, a good friend of mine has been using it. I stalled the engine backing up a very steep hill (I forgot to let off the reverse pedal, I pushed it further down), the tractor just stopped in it's tracks. When I get my tractor back I will test it for you (I have a safe place to do this). What I will do is load the bucket and start down a steep hill, halfway down I will turn the motor off.

PTRich

 

[MossRoad]

Where your seatbelt. I bet it stops abruptly. I was running flat out on the ball diamond Saturday when it ran out of gas. I stopped right now.

 

[PTRich]

I have smacked my head extremly hard a few times and now where my seatbelt all the time, no matter what I am doing. I wont be going very fast, just not safe with a full bucket.

PTRich

 

[ByuBill]

<font color=blue>I'm wondering about braking capabilities of the PT machines while carrying a load downhill. I want to transport bucket fulls of rock <font color=red>down a steep grade.</font color=red>
The hills in question are primarily clay and tend to stay</font color=blue><font color=red> semi muddy</font color=red>
mho,
I would say that if you are going down a steep muddy grade and step on the brakes, you're going to slide. No matter what kind of tractor your on. Even the 'truly amazing' PT.

 

[Moon]

Thanks all for the replies! The particular slope I'm refering to is about 1/4 mile or so long and has a steep drop off on the river side of it. This is the only route to our docks, and i need to shore up the river bank in the dock area with some of the rock we have all about our property. So, this road / path was pretty much cut in the side of the hill. Backing down it is a good idea, but not really an option I can consider. Most of the hill is probably 20 - 25 degrees but a very short portion near the bottom is between 30 and 40 degrees and, ofcourse, there is a medium turn at the bottom of that with a steep drop off. I had a mower that couldn't make it up that part because it was too muddy to get traction, so we had a four wheeler pullin and trying to coax it up the grade. Don't ya know the tow rope came off and the mower went to the bottom and off the side, about a 15' drop. I haven't had a riding mower down there since then; i do the ole push mower route. Currently I use a 4 x 8 trailer to haul rocks, push mowers and such, and pull it down with my ATV. The weight of the ATV is only 700 pounds so I really have to watch how big of a load i take down. My first lesson came when i was haulin lumber down for the docks, I had too much wood on and the ole trailer about pushed me off the cliff. I was barely able to get her stopped but it took two winches and unloading half of the lumber to get me moving again. Ideally i could pull the trailer down the grade with a PT; but loading the trailer and then hooking it up would be tricky at best ....unless i load by hand like we have been ...but with a brand new bucket ready to go to work that just wouldn't be right; ya know? The hill does dry out after awhile, but it takes longer than most other areas on the property cause the sun never gets to it. Completely shaded by trees 90% of the time. But, it sounds like a PT would be dandy in this situation. Chances of it stalling out on the way down the hill are probably slim, but i couldn't help but wonder what would happen if it did stall...and we all run out of gas at times, like Mossroad mentioned. So, I have an ATV that traverses the hill with no problem, and from everyones input I gather that the PT will do just as well if not better. This hill and a few others like it are the reason I'll have to get the R4's on whatever machine i get to mow and haul rocks and stuff around the property.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Grey:
I don't have any doubt that the hydraulics will keep the PT from free-wheeling. My 1845 also has disc brakes that automatically clamp on when the engine stops.
Three years or so ago, I lost a neighbor, who rolled his Kubota on a hill. No one saw it. My own reconstruction was that he started down the hill in 2wd and the rear started to slide because of the HST drag. He had nothing in the bucket, but no counterweight either, and he went over a bank next to the road. I heard that he didn't have his belt on, and apparently the ROPS pinned him. BYUBill's right:
<font color=red>"I would say that if you are going down a steep muddy grade and step on the brakes, you're going to slide. No matter what kind of tractor your on. Even the 'truly amazing' PT.</font color=red>
On the PT, it's not a matter of stepping on the brakes, but pretty sudden wheel stoppage if you release the forward pedal, so the effect is the same. Once sliding, steering is only a memory. I'd be very leery of going down a slippery slope with weight in the bucket. So a suggestion. If you put a ball hitch on the front of the Power Trac, and hitch your trailer, you can push the trailer backward with precise placement, and little weight on the PT to lift the rears. (You might still want to hang something on the back for extra weight.) For a few weeks, I've been pushing a 5 x 8 single axle trailer around and found it easy and precise, and hitching is just running the ball under the hitch and picking up. I park it, load it with the bucket, drop the bucket, hitch the trailer and take it to dump it, without leaving the seat. (I do have to be a bit lucky with alignment of the trailer hitch attach plate. Sometimes I have to get off and hitch that by hand.) To dump, the PT lifts the tongue high enough for all but the stickiest load.