PT-1418 stump grinder spin direction?

[davesisk]

Hi folks:

Well, I bought that Power-trac 1418 that was available locally to me (I posted earlier that it was a 418). This thing is great! I moved more dirt in my backyard in about an hour than I could have moved in a whole day with just a wheelbarrow and shovel.

I've got the stump grinder and power auger attachments also, and I spent about an hour or so grinding stumps. I have a question about the direction the stump grinder wheel turns. If you are standing on the right side of the tractor, the grinder wheel turns clockwise. In other words, the stump grinder throws all the wood chips toward the tractor, not out in front of it. This seems very odd to me. I expected it to throw chips (and an occasional rock!) away from the tractor (and operator!), not toward it.

This model has the older 3-pin mounting method. There's a triangle-shaped plate to which the hydraulic motor for the stump grinder is bolted to with 3 bolts. The triangle-shaped plate then connects to the lift arms with 2 pins and the tilt arm with 1 pin. I can't see a way to mount the whole thing upside-down so that the wood chips would shoot away from the tractor. It does look like I could take the hydraulic motor off the triangular plate and re-mount it on the plate "upside-down". I'm actually wondering if it has been taken off before, then re-mounted upside-down, thus the wrong spin direction.

Can anyone tell me if (when looking at the tractor from the right side), the stump grinder wheel should be spinning clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Best regards,
Dave

 

[SteveV]

How about swapping the hydraulic hoses? SteveV

 

[bubenberg]

i am using my stump grinder as part of my landscaping business. the way your stamp grinder works is the way all stampgrinders i used turn.

you can either use what any landscape catalog has, a facial shield, or do what we are in process of doing and install a wire mesh ahead of your rops with some wings about 10-12 inches on either side at about a 35 to 45 degree angle.

we mainly came up with this solution because at times we have to lift our rough mowers up while cutting large multiflora bushes down.

 

[davesisk]

Great thought! I'd have to switch the male and female connectors, then take the grinder wheel off, turn it around, and put it back on. I'll give this a look.

 

[MossRoad]

Sounds good. What's a 1418? I found a 1430 and 1460 but am not familiar with that model.

They are really fun machines, aren't they?

 

[davesisk]

Apparently, the 1418's were made in 1990 or so. It's probably closer to a 422, as it has a 18 hp gas engine. (I would really have preferred a high-torque, low-maintenance diesel, but I certainly can't complain.) I've moved probably 2-3 tons of dirt this weekend, and it would've taken me 2-3 weeks to do it with a wheelbarrow and shovel. Amazing. We have a small lot with lots of trees, and the articulated steering allows me to wiggle through the trees. I don't think I could have possibly done this with a Yanmar 1500D (or at least, certainly not for the price!). I'm very, very pleased with this purchase!

Regards,
Dave

 

[Sedgewood]

<font color=red>We have a small lot with lots of trees, and the articulated steering allows me to wiggle through the trees.</font color=red>

I'm absolutely astonished at where I can go with my 1845! I knew the articulation would be helpful in the woods but it far far exceeds my expectations.

 

[MossRoad]

I saw your picture post in the other forum. It is a gnarly looking unit /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. They are tank tough, aren't they? That is a great picture and really brings out the true nature of the beast; low to the ground, looks like it could go through anything and not afraid to get down and dirty. Heck, you put some R4s and tire chains on that thing and you've got a mini log skidder. Great purchase! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[davesisk]

All the dirt I moved in about 8 hours or so this weekend would've taken me a week to do with a wheelbarrow and shovel. I'm very pleased with this purchase!

The frame on this machine is certainly built like a tank. Are the hydraulics just as heavy duty? I recall at one point when I was grinding a stump, the stump-grinder blade hit a rock and stopped dead (I quickly raised the grinder to unstick it). The engine almost stalled, which (I think) indicates that there isn't any kind of pressure-relief valve for the hydraulics. How easy would it be to damage the pump or hydraulic motors by trying to do something a little too rugged? Or, is the hydraulic circuit more than rugged enough to completely stall the engine instead of damaging the hydraulics? Just curious about how much abuse it can stand without breaking....

Regards,
Dave

 

[bubenberg]

the hydraulic system is plenty strong enough to do the job of stump grinding, with the 400 series maybe a little slower. the weakest link is the hydraulics (seal) right in the stump grinder itself ..which i had to replace once already and allot of hydraulic fluid.