Buying Advice Is pt425 a good option for dragging brush

[MossRoad]

I looked at that, and knowing how I operate.... I would bend the bajeezers out of it. :laughing:

 

[KentT]

The grapple bucket will bite and carry a pretty substantial amount of brush, and is more versatile than the dedicated utility grapple:

http://youtu.be/_X7FuP6KFik

 

[cqaigy2]

I looked at that, and knowing how I operate.... I would bend the bajeezers out of it. :laughing:

I was thinking the same thing. I'm probably a little hard on my stuff.

 

[3238dpw]

Here is a thread you would be interested in
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/power-trac/230087-homemade-log-grapple.html

 

[KMA]

You could go the ultra cheap route with a thumb (assuming you have a mini-hoe)? Only $150.

NEW

 

[Mcfarland tree]

Thank you for everyone's input I think the 425 will do the job. I am a little concerned about reliability. It will become a favorite tool and used a lot for dragging brush to the chipper. But at that price point I don't find anything else in the mini articulated.

 

[ponytug]

I had similar concerns when I bought mine. There is no question that these aren't orange/blue/green/red levels of tractor manufacturing, but they are very, very simple machines at the core- an air-cooled engine drives a couple of hydraulic pumps that drive four or five motors and some lift cylinders.

Keep it clean inside so that you can spot leaks early, tighten up anything that weeps, and keep it greased every 8 hours, and clean the hydraulic cooler as needed.(Could be hourly, if you are mowing thistles...) Change the oil and air filters on schedule. It isn't complicated. Of course, this applies to most tractors, too...

This group has been fantastic for me for trouble shooting and helpful suggestions.

FWIW: I had never owned a hydraulically operated power unit before this, and while there was definitely a learning curve and a bit of a shakedown cruise when I first got my PT, I can't imagine running my property without it. I think that they are pretty amazing machines.

All the best,
Peter

 

[KentT]

I can't imagine running my property without it. I think that they are pretty amazing machines.

All the best,
Peter

Ditto all Peter said, especially this statement... I don't know of any other landscaping/land care tool that will do what this thing will do, in the amount of time it can do it. I just hauled it home from my friend's house this afternoon who has a 30HP Kioti -- yet he routinely wants to borrow my PT because of what it can do, and how fast it can do it...

FWIW, I have over 1,000 hours on my Kohler powered 425. Other than routine maintenance, the engine has only required a fuel pump. Replaced the oil cooler fan once, and the replacement is now starting to make noise. No repairs to the hydraulic system at all, that were not operator-induced, such as a pinched hose. I have shade-tree engineered several mods to it, and adapted several aftermarket attachments to it. Most of my repairs are from my abuse... I push it past the design limits routinely. But, I repair it and keep on using it, because I know of nothing else that would replace its usefulness...

 

[KentT]

Thought I'd provide some examples of a grapple bucket from this morning. Got a burn permit and fired the burn pile off about 9am. By lunchtime, I'd moved 11 piles of brush onto the burnpile. All I need to do now is pick up the strays that fell off, or that got knocked off the "bites" as I transported them to the burn pile. Couple of keys to using the grapple bucket effectively:

1. Pile the limbs/brush parallel, so it is as dense as possible...
2. Come down onto the pile from above, using the weight of the PT to compress it, before closing the grapple.
3. Transport it backing up, so that you can drag rather than just lift and carry. This also prevents you from getting the wheels onto the brush, and pulling it out of the grapple's grasp...

I've been clearing underbrush from my hillsides and piling it in or near the service roads to transport it to the burn pile and burn it. Here's what it looked like before...


Called and got a burn permit, and fired off the burn pile about 9am.



This is a fairly typical "bite" of what you can get and drag -- not carry...



Another view...



On to the pile...



I'd piled some chunks of black locust to save for either fence posts or firewood. Those were transported to an old barn for dry storage.



Piles along the top service road...



Looking up at those piles from the lower service road...



If they're full of wild grape vines, you can get even bigger bites...



Where I started from with that bite... you can see the trail it's making in the grass. Took this one just to "prove" that I am indeed pulling that large "bite" of brush...



When I broke for lunch, at noon...



Same perspective as the first pic, off my deck, showing the results...



Not bad for 3 hours work... flying solo!

 

[cqaigy2]

Thanks for the picts.

Boy, having a good tool sure can amplify the amount of work you can do! I never get tired of looking of pictures of your place, looks like a nice slope.