PT capabilities as an all-terrain fork lift

[MossRoad]

Here's a couple videos of my PT425 about 9 years ago. First one shows the turning radius. Note the tire tracks from the dirty tires as they form a perfect circle on the paved driveway. The rears follow the fronts exactly.
http://mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425_DonutDone.WMV

This one shows the "PT Pucker" in action. Watch as I back up carrying this huge chunk of a log. As I turn my wheel, the center of gravity changes and my right rear tire comes off the ground. As I straighten it back out, the center of gravity shifts back and the wheel comes back onto the ground. The log is 27" in diameter at the narrow end, 37" in diameter at the wide end and 53" long and weighs (insert some exagerated number here), well, we'll just say more than I cared to cut up and carry by hand! :laughing:
http://mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425_logs02.WMV

Here''s a link to my videos page with a lot more if you're interested. Just remember that this is a 2001 model PT425 and they have changed in design a few times with the engine placement, pump configuration, engine type, fuel tank type and placement as well as a now higher lift capacity. But you will get the general idea of how the articulation and oscillation from side to side works. Remember, the front and back sections not only pivot side to side in the middle, the front and back sections can pivot on the roll axis independently of each other up to 24 degrees (as I recall). This makes for all 4 wheels staying on the ground more on unevel terain compared to other vehicles.

http://mossroad.com/PT425Videos/videos.html

 

[BillCroasmun]

Just a couple other quick thoughts...

Model Max Lift Base Cost
PT-180 600# $6,500
PT-420 800# $8,500
PT-425 800# $11,000
PT-1430 1200# $17,000

Power Trac is a great bang for the buck multipurpose vehicle and for those of us who take advantage of the "multi" part of that phrase, bigger is always better.

As much as I love promoting PT's you haven't stated whether you see yourself using it for anything other than moving equipment. If not, to get to the price point where you can easily move your stuff I think you could do much better with a dedicated piece of equipment like the Toro Workman AZCLAN wrote about (I have no clue about the price of them but similar options may be more cost effective).

If you were going to take advantage of the PT then I'd add the thought of using a cart to get over carrying your max load around. I have a PT-180 and have lifted large rocks in the 500# to 700# range and set two at a time on a cart. The 180 had no problem pulling ~1200# around the property up and down hills and uneven terrain then unloaded them at the destination.

I assume your starting and ending locations would be good locations where a 422 or 425 could maneuver near max loads on and off a cart/wagon and would be more than capable of pulling or pushing ( they have front mounted hitch assemblies you can get) where ever you need to take them.

If you use a cart idea whether with a PT or a dedicated 4 wheel drive Workman or Gator you can also attach an electric winch in case you have damp/slippery grass on a grade. If you can set your vehicle on top of the hill you could winch up a cart easier than trying to climb a wet steep grade under a load.

Take care and good luck on finding the best equipment for your needs!
Bill

 

[aczlan]

I would not use a trailer in various conditions on "turf/manicured lawns" that I had to pay to repair unless it had large tires AND was powered.
Doing anything else is inviting ruts and/or gettign stuck.

1824, how did your visit to Tazwell go? Wasnt that going to be Wednesday?


Aaron Z

 

[1824]

Hi all,
The trip to Tazewell went great. The 1430 was impressive. The 425 looked to be a great machine but as every one on here said it's capacity just is not there for me.

At the moment it looks as if we will be getting the 1430.

As much as I like the idea based around the Toro Workman the simplicity of just being pallet based is huge. Thank you, Aaron you really made me think hard about other possibilities.

Bill, I have looked at actual all-terrain fork lifts and they all weight much more then a pt and most seem to be built around flat terrain. The PT is not a great forklift but if is the only thing I have found that can lift with forks my 700# screen then go do donuts on a hill, and still be easy moved form site to site with the rest of my gear.

 

[MossRoad]

Hi all,
The trip to Tazewell went great. The 1430 was impressive. The 425 looked to be a great machine but as every one on here said it's capacity just is not there for me.

At the moment it looks as if we will be getting the 1430.

As much as I like the idea based around the Toro Workman the simplicity of just being pallet based is huge. Thank you, Aaron you really made me think hard about other possibilities.

Bill, I have looked at actual all-terrain fork lifts and they all weight much more then a pt and most seem to be built around flat terrain. The PT is not a great forklift but if is the only thing I have found that can lift with forks my 700# screen then go do donuts on a hill, and still be easy moved form site to site with the rest of my gear.

That is the beauty of the PT design. It is not "THE BEST" at any one task. But it is the best multi-tool platform for the money. It can't do anything the best, but it can do everything pretty darn well. :thumbsup:

 

[aczlan]

Congratulations. Sounds like you have found the perfect setup for your situation.
May it serve you well for many years.

Aaron Z

 

[1824]

Thanks Aaron, I feel it will fit my needs!

Here is a pic of me driving the 1430 at Tazewell with our 40 foot screen on the forks!

 

[BillCroasmun]

Hi Aaron,
The kind of wagon I was talking about was one with bigger tires like this:


I wouldn't think pulling that would rut more than the PT carrying a 700# load directly but I'm no expert either. My thought also was the better the ground conditions the more you could take in a single trip to the site. If it was soft then maybe only one pallet at a time, if it was firm maybe load 3 or 4 pallets at once. Actually, it could be the same road worthy trailer that you haul the PT to the site on that you would use to take the pallets to the off road location.

Hi 1824,
Great news, sounds like you have a good idea about what fits your needs best especially after that visit.

I'm just curious but I am imagining that the 425 picked the equipment up OK on level ground but was too tippy on the terrain you tested? Or did you have items it wouldn't even lift well? I always love to hear stories about seeing the limits of the various models for future reference.

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks Aaron, I feel it will fit my needs!

Here is a pic of me driving the 1430 at Tazewell with our 40 foot screen on the forks!

View attachment 277862

Well, that's about as good a test as you can do.... take your equipment with you and see if their machine can handle it. Beautiful!

 

[aczlan]

Hi Aaron,
The kind of wagon I was talking about was one with bigger tires like this:
View attachment 277892
I wouldn't think pulling that would rut more than the PT carrying a 700# load directly but I'm no expert either. My thought also was the better the ground conditions the more you could take in a single trip to the site. If it was soft then maybe only one pallet at a time, if it was firm maybe load 3 or 4 pallets at once. Actually, it could be the same road worthy trailer that you haul the PT to the site on that you would use to take the pallets to the off road location.

The problem with that or any other trailer is that you now have to move more weight with less weight on the drive wheels which in soft ground WILL lead to getting stuck and/or making ruts.
I would not use a trailer like that on the road regularly as they generally dont have brakes and they can have issues with tracking properly.

Aaron Z