Hillside brush cutting power and stability 425/1430/1445

[2manyrocks]

Briefly spoke with PT sales about mowing 5 acres of 6' brush on a 18 degree slope although I suspect it's steeper in places.

Sounded like the sales person recommended the PT1430 over the PT425. "Bigger wheel motors, beefier machine, if on the fence between sizes, get the bigger one." Then I read a post here that one of our members was advised to get the 1445 over the PT1430 in part because of automatic braking and it has a 35 degree slope rating. Plus I assume you can still get a diesel on the 1445?

What's the real story from actual users?

 

[ponytug]

I love my 1445 for exactly that type of mowing. I brush cut. The brush cutter happily takes out 3" saplings here, and it will toss the pieces no small distance. In other words be careful mowing near buildings and roads.

I don't know what the official upper limit is, but 30 degrees is pushing it for me with the odd rock and gopher hole. (So, yes, I would believe 35.)

I bought the 1445 specifically for the automatic brake, and it has come in handy more than a few times. If you are freewheeling down hill with no power, the wheel motors do sometimes generate enough pressure to keep the brakes off, so reach for the switch ASAP.

Going up a 25 degree slope with the mower, most of the year I run out of traction. (Loose gravel/dry clay dust). I have learned to do diagonals when it is dry. When the soil is damp, I have no issues going straight up hill.

I highly recommend my muffler wrap modification for mowing. It really lowers both hydraulic and engine oil temperatures. I would also recommend considering net style chains for slope mowing under wet or sappy conditions. I cut thistle mostly, and the sap is "slicker than snake snot", and the chains help keep the tractor from slipping sideways, "crabbing".

If it is in your budget, I would definitely go with the 1445. It is a rock.

I love the Deutz; if you can still get it.

Any other questions?

All the best,

Peter

 

[2manyrocks]

Apart from the possibility of losing traction, do you feel like your 1445 ever runs short of hill climbing power when also cutting tall brush?

 

[ponytug]

Apart from the possibility of losing traction, do you feel like your 1445 ever runs short of hill climbing power when also cutting tall brush?

I cut across 15-20 degree slopes, and I try to cut down 20-30 degree slopes. Cutting up a thirty degree slope is slow. The steeper slopes are the one time that I wish I had a turbo and another 15-30HP.

One other huge benefit to the 1445 is the draft control feature that enables you to set a pressure in the lift arms, transferring almost all of the mower weight to the tractor. That gives the mower much, much better traction. It is a game changer for slope mowing.

All the best,

Peter

 

[woodlandfarms]

Ain’t no replacement for displacement. Get as big as you can afford (when it comes to pt tractors)

 

[2manyrocks]

PT 1445 with the brush mower lists for $38,440. While desirable, it isn't inexpensive.

I've read that one TBN member upgraded the wheel motors on his PT425 and possibly the factory is now doing this. I see a top speed of 8 mph listed. Is there a way of further upgrading the wheel motors on the PT425 to gear it down further?

 

[ponytug]

PT 1445 with the brush mower lists for $38,440. While desirable, it isn't inexpensive.

I've read that one TBN member upgraded the wheel motors on his PT425 and possibly the factory is now doing this. I see a top speed of 8 mph listed. Is there a way of further upgrading the wheel motors on the PT425 to gear it down further?

You can, but wheel motors themselves are not inexpensive.

What you end up chasing with slope mowing up/down is raw, total power output per unit time, aka horsepower. So going for larger wheel displacement motors will get you better hill climbing power, but at a slower rate of speed. The larger wheel motors will commit you to lower speeds always, in all tasks.

The 1445 is almost double the HP of the 425, some of which is used by the larger mower.

Could you get the work done in a 425? I think probably if your slope isn't over 20 degrees or so. (The upper maximum on the engine was around 22 degrees, if I recall correctly, due to oil starvation.) Would you need to make accommodations? Almost certainly; slower, different mowing patterns, etc.

The 45HP Deutz is happy to do a lot of work at just above idle, whereas the gasoline engine in the 425 needs to be closer to wide open throttle always for optimal air cooling. The Deutz ends up being quite fuel efficient for me as most of my chores and tasks are done closer to 1/4 throttle. (Mowing, rototilling, chipping, and trenching being the exceptions)

At the end of the day, I think it is as @woodlandfarms suggested about buying the HP that you can afford.

I looked at the 425, and Power-Trac talked me out of it due to my steeper slopes. I am very happy with the 1445, and use it pretty much daily for something, and being able to lift 1800lbs comes in handy far more often than I thought it would.
All the best,

Peter

 

[2manyrocks]

The CH20 gas engine in my Terramite will burn about 5 gallons of gas in an afternoon. The 22hp diesel in my Yanmar 226d will run for a couple of days on 5 gallons, and significantly outwork the gas engine in the process.

I asked the salesperson at PT why they didn't offer a small diesel. The answer was cost. If they put a small diesel in either the 425 or 1430, they would appeal to me a great deal more.

The slower speed doesn't bother me. I'd very much prefer it to have more hill climbing ability over speed. 4-5mph is fast enough, especially when trying to go slow on a slope anyway.

Mowing today with a 2 wheel Bachtold mower, I ran into four or five different groundhog holes buried in the brush.

I hadn't thought to ask PT before, but I wonder if they'd consider installing higher torque wheel motors to start with?

 

[ponytug]

The CH20 gas engine in my Terramite will burn about 5 gallons of gas in an afternoon. The 22hp diesel in my Yanmar 226d will run for a couple of days on 5 gallons, and significantly outwork the gas engine in the process.

I asked the salesperson at PT why they didn't offer a small diesel. The answer was cost. If they put a small diesel in either the 425 or 1430, they would appeal to me a great deal more.

The slower speed doesn't bother me. I'd very much prefer it to have more hill climbing ability over speed. 4-5mph is fast enough, especially when trying to go slow on a slope anyway.

Mowing today with a 2 wheel Bachtold mower, I ran into four or five different groundhog holes buried in the brush.

I hadn't thought to ask PT before, but I wonder if they'd consider installing higher torque wheel motors to start with?

It never hurts to ask. In general, they don't do a lot of custom work, but I have heard of some folks that got lucky.

If you can finagle it, do a test drive. Where are you located?

All the best,

Peter

 

[2manyrocks]

Middle Tennessee. The factory is about 5 hours from me.