MossRoad
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- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
I thought you bought different bolts, too.
PT 1445 SQQA mod - brush cutter ?
- Thread starter 2manyrocks
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MossRoad
Super Moderator
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- South Bend, Indiana (near)
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- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
Nope, guess it was just bushings...
www.tractorbynet.com
PT425 48" Brush Hog Broken Bolt Removal Tip
Since I am not familiar with the issue, the following is an observation more than a suggestion... If I understand the problem correctly, hex bolt heads get severely damaged or sheared off by hitting something hard at high velocity. The rest of the bolt remains in the welded nut, and can be very...
www.tractorbynet.com
OP
2manyrocks
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I would really like to see pictures of your forestry mulcher mounted on your 1460.I made adapter plates for my 1430 & 1460 to SSQA and highly recommend it. I use a forestry mulcher on my 1460 and recently ordered a RUT rotary to compare the two (have to wait for it to be made)(link follows).
I have the PT brand rotary brush cutter for the 1430 and use it for a grassy field. With the wheels it works like a finish mower. Others here have used them for brush and like it. I also have the Titan fail mower (chinese, but decent quality) with the heavy cast scoop cutters. A quick reverse on a down hill will lift the rear wheels a bit.
I ordered the commercial mowers because they are much more robust (and in my areas with brush, there are a lot of rocks, so the wheels do me no good). If you compare big trucks like Pete, KW, Freightliner, Autocar, they make the truck, you buy the engine from Cummins, Cat etc. I look at it the same way for the mowers (and other attachments too). These companies specialize in making attachments only, its their thing.
If you stay within about 50% of the machines lift capacity you shouldn't have a problem (which I find occur mostly when going down hill).
My forestry mulcher is about 75-80% of the lift capacity of the 1460 and it handles it OK. I am exploring the RUT rotary cutter vs the mulcher because the mulcher takes a lot of concentration when cutting a tree down vs my experience with rotary cutters requiring less thought. Also a lot of fine dust like material with the mulcher.
I am not pushing RUT (haven't even recv'd mine yet) but when you order, they manufacture it with your machine's pressure and flow in mind, it is not an off the shelf cutter.
Skid Steer Brush Mower Cutter | Skid Steer Brush Cutter
Our Skid Steer Brush Mower Cutter does more than just remove dense brush and growth - this optimal piece of equipment is one of the best brush mowers for skid steers.rutmfg.com
The skid steer mower manufacturers are essentially following the well proven design for brush mowers albeit they are updated to hydraulic drive instead of PTO drive and mount via SSQD instead of the 3pt hitch.
Also, it doesn't seem efficient from a manufacturing point of view for PT to make so many different custom attachments for each PT in their lineup.
I'd also much prefer SSQD on the FEL for mounting attachments instead of PT's own proprietary FEL system.
MossRoad
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I'm guessing they have jigs set up for every attachment and just do a run as they see the need.
You can get blank quick attach plates from PT and just mount a skid steer quick attach to it. Pretty easy project.
I got a blank QA plate from PT back in 2001 when I bought mine and put a 2" receiver on it. That's a pretty handy tool. I put a ball in there to move trailers. A ring to hang my log tongs and chains on when gathering firewood. A plow share that I use as a shallow subsoil pipe/cable puller. All kinds of versatility.
ponytug
Super Member
Actually, yes, grade 8 bolts. I haven't broken one in the last 14 years. I also use washers large enough to cover the bushing in my quest to keep dust/grit out.Nope, guess it was just bushings...
PT425 48" Brush Hog Broken Bolt Removal Tip
Since I am not familiar with the issue, the following is an observation more than a suggestion... If I understand the problem correctly, hex bolt heads get severely damaged or sheared off by hitting something hard at high velocity. The rest of the bolt remains in the welded nut, and can be very...
From McMaster-Carr, the links should work.
1 | 4 Each | SAE 863 Bronze Sleeve Bearing for 5/8" Shaft Diameter, 1" OD, 1/2" Length | | $2.75 | $11.00 | ||
2 | 2 Packs | Grade 8 Alloy Steel Hex Flange Cap Screw 5/8"-11 Thread, 2-1/4" Length, Fully Threaded, Packs of 5 | | $5.24 | $10.48 | ||
3 | 2 Packs | Plain Steel Extra-Thick Flat Washer 5/8" Screw Size, 1-1/4" OD, .24"-.26" Thick, Packs of 5 | | $8.17 | $16.34 |
(2010 prices...) I would double check newer mowers to make sure the bolt sizes are correct.
I have a pair of steel saw horses that make it easy for me to raise the mower and put the deck on them (in the line of travel for the tractor, so if something catastrophic happens, the other will provide support). An air impact wrench makes it easy to get the blades on and off; I don't have to try and wedge the rotor. It takes very little time to remove the bolt/bushing with blade, a bit more to grind the edge on the blade (if needed), wipe the old grease off, add fresh grease to all surfaces and reassemble. Five minutes or less per blade. The only welding that I have done lately is on the leading edge of the blade to replace worn material.
I haven't bought blades since 2010 either... So down from four blades in the first three years to zero blades in the last fourteen.
I did at one point spend some time looking for a bolt with an internal grease path, but in the end, I convinced myself a) it would be weaker, and b) it would need something like a grub screw to seal it while mowing which would be unlikely to last. The greased grade 8 bolts and sintered bushings system seems to work for me, but I don't mow every day or every week.
(And thanks to @MossRoad for the hitch idea; I bought one, and while I don't use it very often, it is the bees knees for parking trailers in tight spaces!)
All the best,
Peter
MossRoad
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I got to the point that if the blade bolt(s) shear off, as I recall:
- remove two bolts that hold the hydraulic motor mount.
- loosen a set screw over the shaft key.
- remove the motor and mount.
- use the air gun to remove the 5 lug bolts.
- the entire hub assembly is now on the ground.
- use the FEL arms to lift the deck up, drive backwards a few feet and set it down.
Takes maybe 5 minutes total.
Then I'm free to do anything I want to the hub assembly, blades, etc.
At some point I drilled a hole through the deck so that I could access the inside of the hub and get a socket on the back of the broken bolts and thread on some jamb nuts and remove the broken bolts without removing the deck, but I realized it's easier to just drop the entire hub and not have to mess with aligning the socket over the back of the bolts through that little hole, etc.
I've thought about cutting the drum down a couple inches and shortening the shaft so I could raise the drum up 2", then adapt some gull-wing brush hog blades. They wouldn't be able to hit the each others bolt heads.
- remove two bolts that hold the hydraulic motor mount.
- loosen a set screw over the shaft key.
- remove the motor and mount.
- use the air gun to remove the 5 lug bolts.
- the entire hub assembly is now on the ground.
- use the FEL arms to lift the deck up, drive backwards a few feet and set it down.
Takes maybe 5 minutes total.
Then I'm free to do anything I want to the hub assembly, blades, etc.
At some point I drilled a hole through the deck so that I could access the inside of the hub and get a socket on the back of the broken bolts and thread on some jamb nuts and remove the broken bolts without removing the deck, but I realized it's easier to just drop the entire hub and not have to mess with aligning the socket over the back of the bolts through that little hole, etc.
I've thought about cutting the drum down a couple inches and shortening the shaft so I could raise the drum up 2", then adapt some gull-wing brush hog blades. They wouldn't be able to hit the each others bolt heads.
MossRoad
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I've also thought about threading the bolts DOWN through the backer nut inside the hub through that hole I put in the deck, and then using nyloc nuts and washers on the bottom to hold the blades on. Sure, the nylon nuts are bigger targets, and they'll get sheared off just like the bolt heads do, but there'd be a bolt head inside the hub that I could get a socket on easily to drive them out.
That's always the rub. If you shear off the bolt head on a rock, there's nothing on the back side but threads and they aren't easy to get to. The jam nut trick works well. As does a well-lubed washer and nut and just drive them out by tightening it with the air gun.
That's always the rub. If you shear off the bolt head on a rock, there's nothing on the back side but threads and they aren't easy to get to. The jam nut trick works well. As does a well-lubed washer and nut and just drive them out by tightening it with the air gun.
ponytug
Super Member
Did I mention that I haven't sheared a bolt in fourteen years now?...
MossRoad
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yeahDid I mention that I haven't sheared a bolt in fourteen years now?...
m5040
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- Kubota M6040 L2250, JohnDeere 310D, Ford 841 Elenco, Ford 961, Trapmaster, PT180 w/LM bucket and 45" brush cutter, PT1430 Deutz w/grapple bucket, Antonio Carraro Tigrecar 6500. John Deere 5300. Former owned Steiner 430 max, Goldoni REV Maxter 7
I will get a pick of the Forestry mulcher on the 1460 the next time I use it, which will prob be when I get the RUT rotary so as to compare the two different styles.
Sorry to be the odd guy, but aftermarket cutters seemed to have worked out all the PT deficiencies. They have no wheels, but that could be good or bad, I think the wheels are more for a finished area. And for example the bottom line RUT I ordered uses a 3/4" thick blade carrier/hub (think of the mass and stored energy when you tackle an object), you can see in the pic the gull wing blades and flat head bolts with minimal area for impacts.
I think it depends on your particular situation, apples to oranges. PT makes a good cutter for most uses, but there are options. The PT machine is just like a skid steer with 100s of tool choices.
Sorry to be the odd guy, but aftermarket cutters seemed to have worked out all the PT deficiencies. They have no wheels, but that could be good or bad, I think the wheels are more for a finished area. And for example the bottom line RUT I ordered uses a 3/4" thick blade carrier/hub (think of the mass and stored energy when you tackle an object), you can see in the pic the gull wing blades and flat head bolts with minimal area for impacts.
I think it depends on your particular situation, apples to oranges. PT makes a good cutter for most uses, but there are options. The PT machine is just like a skid steer with 100s of tool choices.