Should I install a rear pto and 3pt. hitch on my 455?

[cooper99]

Rear pto and 3pt. hitch on a 455?

Does anyone on here have the rear pto and 3pt hitch installed on their John Deere 445/455? What attachments do you have that use the rear pto? Any problems/frustrations/feedback you would like to offer?

I searched through several youtube videos with little success. However, I did find this interesting video of a X748 with a 4' rotary cutter:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1dzMX49NC0&feature=channel&list=UL]John Deere x748, rotary mower - YouTube[/ame]

My family's 100+ acre property has many hard to reach places where it's not quite possible to bring our small utility tractor (International 464) with 7 foot bushhog into. I cringe my teeth every time I use the 455 with 60" deck to cut really rough areas, such as inside the woods or touching up hilly areas in the pasture. The mower has more than enough power to handle it, but the deck and blades are not designed to do that kind of work.

Assuming the dealer installs the rear pto, it looks like it would approximately cost $1500 for the pto and cat. 0 3 pt. hitch. I would then search for a 4-5' rotary cutter. I feel like I could get a lot of use with that setup.

Of course, in a perfect world, I would buy a 5075M with a 5' boom cutter, and a new 1026R, but I don't have a spare 80 grand laying around.

 

[beenthere]

I have the 455 but do not have the PTO or 3 ph attachment (as I don't have a need for a rototiller).

Be that as it may, I have 22 acres of woods and find that getting around in it with the 455 is marginal at best, and would be near worthless to imagine having my 513 rotary brush mower hanging off the 455 (it is enough hanging off the rear of my 4300 which handles it just fine especially with the FEL attached). For getting around I'd think 4wd would be essential.

So, my recommendation would be it is a waste of money and would only be a frustration.

 

[pennwalk]

I'm having trouble imagining using my 425 for bushhogging. It seems too light, too low and not enough traction. I also wonder if the bushhog in the video is a 4 foot. Do they make a 42" ? I have a Yanmar 186D that I use for bushhogging. I have a 4 foot bushhog. It works pretty well and the places where it will not go don't need cutting.

Chris

 

[jenkinsph]

I have several 3ph attachments for the x749 and the rear pto. That said I do not have a rotary cutter nor would I want one for the reasons others mention.

The hitch and pto are fine for most attachments though if you need it. The rear pto is an easy and quick install, takes about 30 minutes to do. The hitch will take much longer to do.

 

[AndyMA]

I just had a 3pt hitch and rear pto added to my X748se. I love using the 3pt hitch with a 5 foot 215# landscape rake. It works fine. I got the rake from Tractor Supply. The 3 py hitch I put on is a true Cat 1 Deere also offers a Cat 0. I recommend the cat 1.

The main reason for the PTO is a 10K or 12K PTO generator that I haven't purchased yet.

Andy

 

[KennedyDiesel]

I have the 3ph and PTO on my 455 but I also have a 450 tiller. With the Cat 0 3 point it's hard to get much of a lift so I don't use the rear blade that I have for it and really don't see it as an effective way to run a brush hog either.

 

[Yamezz]

Both are easy installs to do yourself.

I have an X495 with both 3PH and PTO, which I wouldn't be without. The X495 is my only tractor currently, so this probably has a lot to do with it. That said, I have many places a bigger machine just wouldn't get into.

The attachments I use are:
647 rotary hoe.
Grader blade
Multi purpose trailer hitch which is reversible - 50mm ball on one side for regular trailers and a pin on the other side for moving grape bin trailers. This hitch also has slots to hang rear weights for use with the FEL, and the same slots are used to hang forks to shift pallets etc.
Silvan fertiliser spreader.
Regular land plane.
Land plane built with oval 'cutters' for spreading soil and grape marc over grass/pasture for top dressing/fertilising.

 

[cooper99]

Thanks for the replies.

Over on the other JD forum (Gr33nTract0rTa1k.c0m), I found a good thread that talked about installing a 3pt hitch and rear pto on a 455. After reading that, I think I could definitely turn it into a Saturday project. Bill Ruegg @ Ruegg Mfg. has a well reviewed limited category 1 3pt. hitch for the 455 and the newer X series. His shop is only about an hour drive from my house, so I'd probably choose that over the pricier oem category 0 3pt. I'm still sort of disgusted the msrp for the rear pto kit is something like $890.

Finally, after hearing your feedback and reviewing the specs of several different medium duty rotary cutters, anything over 48" would simply be too heavy for the 455 to handle. Woods makes a nice 42" unit that weights about 450 lbs. (model RC442). Call me crazy, but with proper ballast, I think the 455 could handle that just fine. I could definitely use a rotary tiller also.

I haven't crossed either side of the fence yet, but if I do, I will definitely start a new thread with pictures of the process.

Of course, a new set of HDAP tires are also in the near future.

 

[AndyMA]

I have the 3ph and PTO on my 455 but I also have a 450 tiller. With the Cat 0 3 point it's hard to get much of a lift so I don't use the rear blade that I have for it and really don't see it as an effective way to run a brush hog either.

The Cat 1 must lift higher than the Cat 0. I get the 5 foor landscape rake a funn 2 feet off the ground.

Andy

 

[jenkinsph]

The cat 1 limited doesn't lift as high as the cat 1 but is good enough for a garden tractor. Here some pics I have of raised implements.