Tractor Sizing Need Advice on Tractor Size

   / Need Advice on Tractor Size #11  
Back for a second Commish..It dawned on me that I didn't specifically address your ground clearance question...and now I see that Bob and I must have been typing at the same time! and he spoke a little about it.

I cannot see ground clearance becoming an issue in woods work. As Bob said, because of the oscillating body sections, a PT will literally climb over an obstacle that would stop a CUT in its tracks. And because each of the four wheels has its own hydraulic drive motor, the wheel that needs more traction than another gets it.

A PowerTrac is not a pretty, bells and whistles type of machine. It is a gutsy, well-built, reliable tractor, tank-wanna-be!! The whole under belly is solid plate steel, so even if you do come down on a stump or rock, there are no lines to break or joints to snap.

You should check out the PowerTrac forum here on TBN. On that forum there is a state by state list of PT owners. There might very well be an PT owner close to you. If there is, more than likely he'd be happy to let you check it out. I know that I have done that for a couple of folks in my neck of the woods (pun intended /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

Again, good luck in your search.....Tom
 
   / Need Advice on Tractor Size #12  
I have to echo PowerTrom, I don't think the Powertrac will suffer the same ground clearance issues you worry about with a tractor. The frame occelates so that a wheel can raise up and over an obsticle, and the bottom is covered by virtually Impenetrable steel plate.

It isn't a polished or pretty machine, I found it rather crude, but it works and its better on hills than a conventional tractor. Now if it only had a three point hitch in the rear and local dealers. . .
 
   / Need Advice on Tractor Size #13  
<font color="blue"> Now if it only had a three point hitch in the rear </font>

3 point hitch bad... front mounted implements good... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
   / Need Advice on Tractor Size
  • Thread Starter
#14  
I very much appreciate all the replies to my request for information and guidance. I'm impressed with the number of keystrokes donated to my decision process.

I looked at the Power Trac website and have perused the PT forum here. The PT certainly isn't what I had in mind but then I need to keep an open mind! It seems I have a rear mechanical PTO paradigm and the PT machine sends hydraulic power to the front.

Since owning equipment of this size is new to me, I am somewhat reluctant to be the first guy on the block to have a machine with no local dealer support. Whatever I get will be parked in a shed, formerly a hog house, at my property. There is no electricity there, so if I need to work on the machine, I will have to drive it six miles over county roads to my house. The whole idea of a tractor that is all hydraulic is a little disconcerting to me. I might be wrong, but it looks like if the hydraulic pump fails or a hose blows, the machine is dead in the water.
 
   / Need Advice on Tractor Size #15  
<font color="red"> The whole idea of a tractor that is all hydraulic is a little disconcerting to me. I might be wrong, but it looks like if the hydraulic pump fails or a hose blows, the machine is dead in the water. </font>


So how is a hydraulic hose breaking any different than a radiator hose failure? Both shut down the machine until replaced. Hydraulics are actually very simple, very reliable (look at heavy equipment sometime and you'll see a lot of hydraulic power). I think that it is easy to buy what everyone else has, and then make it work in a situation it is not designed to work in. When you do that your jobs take longer and you are never as safe as you could be. Think a little different.

Now many of us have pointed to Power Trac as a possible solution, your easier option would be to contact your local Kubota & Deere dealers and have them bring you some equipment to test on your slopes. If you roll one of those over and tumble down the hill, eliminate that model and try something with a wider stance and lower center of gravity. Process of elimination will lead you to the right tractor.
 
   / Need Advice on Tractor Size #16  
Hey there Commish.....Keeping an open mind is a goal we should all strive for...

Yes a PowerTrac is less than conventional looking, but what do you think people said about the Wright brothers' contraption? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

PowerTrac made its name and initial reputation in the mining business, building squat, low-to-the-ground mining machines. The owner told his designers that he'd like a machine to use around his property.....and the result is the PowerTrac tractor. They had no preconcieved ideas of what it should look like. But what they did have is experience building solid, flexible, and reliable mining machines. The first PT looks uncanningly similar to the PTs of today.

Perhaps the paradigm has shifted!

Happy hunting.......
 
   / Need Advice on Tractor Size #17  
Welcome. I will chime in on the power trac also. I have a 422 pt which I have had for 4 1/2 years and 700 hours on it. To date I have had no problems with it as others have said it is built like a tank. I have 63 acres of mostly steep hills many over 30 degree slope. I mow about 5 acres of so called lawn with slopes of 10 to 25 degrees with no problem. I also have a larger tractor agco-allis 5660 4wd which I will not take on even the steeper parts of my lawn, it just does not feel very stable. I never take either tractor on the steeper parts of my property. The power trac is a lot more stable and easier to manuver around in the woods. You would not believe what it will pull or lift for a tractor its size and weight. I quite often take it through the woods with no paths and have never had a problem, you can zig-zag around trees and climb over small logs without a problem.
 
   / Need Advice on Tractor Size #18  
I'm just teasing about the front mount VS rear 3pt stuff... for my needs, it just plain works better. I've been accused of recommending a Power Trac for anything and everything. I will tell you that it doesn't make pasta very well... yet. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

My main point is that you need to test many makes and models before you make your decision. I was all set on a JD until I tried some others. I found I liked a particular NH model better and was leaning that way until I tried a Power Trac. I knew it was right for my needs. It may not be right for you. If local dealer support is one of your top items on your check list, then start shopping the local dealers in your area. Find one that you can work with and has lots of good refferences. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
   / Need Advice on Tractor Size
  • Thread Starter
#19  
I live in southern Indiana about 100 miles sw of Indy. Anyone know of a PT located within a reasonable driving distance to inspect?
 
   / Need Advice on Tractor Size #20  
According to thread in the PT forum that is listing PT owners by state, here are the people in Indiana that own PT's:

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Indiana

425 MOSSROAD
422 NATER
1445 SMJ
422 CHUCK
422 FFC FENCING
)</font>

I would go to each of their profiles and see if it mentions where they live. If the profile doesn't specify their location, send them a PM. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
 
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