OP
ToolcatWonka5610
Gold Member
Yeah thats what it looks like I gotta do. But I noticed you have a 1445. That may be the tractor we end up with. What do you think of it as far as performance, reliability, etc?
Power-Trac purchase
- Thread starter ToolcatWonka5610
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SnowRidge
Elite Member
So is that 10K gross weight rating an option, or did they swallow real hard after Mobil1 posted about being stuck with a 7,000 lb trailer that grossed 8,600 lbs on the state's scales and start building them with heavier axles in the first place?
MossRoad
Super Moderator
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2001
- Messages
- 58,074
- Location
- South Bend, Indiana (near)
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
OP
ToolcatWonka5610
Gold Member
The 10K gross is for the T18 class tractors. 7,000 is for the T12 class. 14,000 for the T24 class.
But is that illegal; a trailer grossed at 7,000 actually at 8,600? I'm only 14 so I don't know.
J_J
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2003
- Messages
- 18,952
- Location
- JACKSONVILLE, FL
- Tractor
- Power-Trac 1445, KUBOTA B-9200HST
You have to understand that my 1445 is about 16 years old. I have the only 1445 with a gas engine and radiator, and it uses the three point attachment hookup. It is pretty reliable. I have replaced several pumps, and rebuilt hydraulic cylinders.
SnowRidge
Elite Member
If you look closely at the T12 page that JJ linked, you will see that they mention a 10K rating, but it looks like it might be an option. It really isn't clear if it is standard or not.
Yes, towing a trailer that is rated for 7,000 lbs gross with an actual gross weight of 8,600 lbs is very much illegal.
OP
ToolcatWonka5610
Gold Member
Ok, I looked at that and it looks like thats the standard weight. I got the PT DVD and it says something about the gross weight for each trailer package. I'll check right now.
OP
ToolcatWonka5610
Gold Member
DVD said 7,000 gross for the T12 class so that 10,000 gross must be an option.
ponytug
Super Member
Given that it is a dual axle trailer, the math would be 2x7,000, which would be 14,000 gross.
At some point the total weight becomes an issue for your driver's license, and you may need to upgrade your license to a commercial type.
I like my 1445, which we have had for almost two years. We have used it to brush hog, spray, rototill, level a terrace in a hillside for a garden, plant trees, build a subsurface drainage and relevel a corral. I can't imagine running this property without a PT. (Well, I can, and it would involve lots of minimum wage labor.) I have routinely hit the lifting limit moving waterlogged clay soil and large pallets of material, but we just take a couple of boards off or get a leetle less greedy on the soil bites. (FYI the 1445 won't lift a full pallet of pavers- you need to move up to a 1460 to do that.) Brush cutting is a dream come true; you get to cut the brush down before you have to drive through it. What a concept! I am on the verge of welding reinforcement angle iron on the mower deck. It just flexes more than I think is good for it; for commercial use, I would do it in a heartbeat and I would add reinforcement from the front wheels to the Q/A plat and add a brush turner between them. (a reinforcing pipe with a second pipe around it to push stubborn brush over- it will make heavy brush hogging faster. The PT unit will do it, but the deck lip catches on trees occasionally.) The largest trees that I have taken out are about 4" oaks- you notice it, but they all go away.
We had the seals on both rear motors fail, the first at 8 hours, the second weeped, but never quit, so after 10 months, I replaced it. PT said that they had never had it happen. Given that I got my orignal back as a replacement for my second, I am inclined to believe it isn't common. Other than that, nothing major. I added extra lights under the top of the ROPS for night work, and rewired the switch to have upper or lower lights as needed, plus added a 12V socket to run sprayer pumps.
The fit & finish on the units is pretty crude, but the essentials are there. If you plan to do alot of leveling and slope setting, I would get the power rake and a laser height controller, and get teeth put on the 4N1 for ripping into soil. You will probably pay for it in the savings on the first job.
I could tell stories for days, but it is one handy machine. For commercial use, I would consider specifying flat face hydraulic couplers to minimize oil spills as you make/break connections.
I would consider the size of the unit- it is either a plus for getting more work done or a minus, because you can't drive through a human size gate into a backyard. YMMV...
The Aebi is a better engineered, more ergonomic tractor, but much more focused on pure agriculture-plus it is about four times the price.
Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you want other questions answered.
All the best,
Peter
At some point the total weight becomes an issue for your driver's license, and you may need to upgrade your license to a commercial type.
I like my 1445, which we have had for almost two years. We have used it to brush hog, spray, rototill, level a terrace in a hillside for a garden, plant trees, build a subsurface drainage and relevel a corral. I can't imagine running this property without a PT. (Well, I can, and it would involve lots of minimum wage labor.) I have routinely hit the lifting limit moving waterlogged clay soil and large pallets of material, but we just take a couple of boards off or get a leetle less greedy on the soil bites. (FYI the 1445 won't lift a full pallet of pavers- you need to move up to a 1460 to do that.) Brush cutting is a dream come true; you get to cut the brush down before you have to drive through it. What a concept! I am on the verge of welding reinforcement angle iron on the mower deck. It just flexes more than I think is good for it; for commercial use, I would do it in a heartbeat and I would add reinforcement from the front wheels to the Q/A plat and add a brush turner between them. (a reinforcing pipe with a second pipe around it to push stubborn brush over- it will make heavy brush hogging faster. The PT unit will do it, but the deck lip catches on trees occasionally.) The largest trees that I have taken out are about 4" oaks- you notice it, but they all go away.
We had the seals on both rear motors fail, the first at 8 hours, the second weeped, but never quit, so after 10 months, I replaced it. PT said that they had never had it happen. Given that I got my orignal back as a replacement for my second, I am inclined to believe it isn't common. Other than that, nothing major. I added extra lights under the top of the ROPS for night work, and rewired the switch to have upper or lower lights as needed, plus added a 12V socket to run sprayer pumps.
The fit & finish on the units is pretty crude, but the essentials are there. If you plan to do alot of leveling and slope setting, I would get the power rake and a laser height controller, and get teeth put on the 4N1 for ripping into soil. You will probably pay for it in the savings on the first job.
I could tell stories for days, but it is one handy machine. For commercial use, I would consider specifying flat face hydraulic couplers to minimize oil spills as you make/break connections.
I would consider the size of the unit- it is either a plus for getting more work done or a minus, because you can't drive through a human size gate into a backyard. YMMV...
The Aebi is a better engineered, more ergonomic tractor, but much more focused on pure agriculture-plus it is about four times the price.
Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you want other questions answered.
All the best,
Peter
SnowRidge
Elite Member
7,000 GVWR trailers are commonly built with 3,500 lb axles. I believe that is what is being referred to here.