Just ordered a PT-180, wanted to introduce myself

[James23]

Hey Everyone,

Just got off the phone with Terry and have a PT-180 on order. Also added bigger bucket, finish mower, plow and forks. I was very close to pulling the trigger on a Massey Ferguson 1723E when I happened onto the Power Trac forum here. I must have spent 10+ hours reading all your posts, reading the power-trac site, etc. I debated a lot between the 425, 422 or 180, but when I really sat and thought about it, my usage is pretty light.

I have a 3 acre lake front property up here in Minnesota with 100 feet of lakeshore. 3/4 acre is grass and the rest is dense woods (aka stuff we don't go in or use). Also have a roughly 200ft cement driveway. I will be doing some light landscaping (hauling sand / black dirt I get delivered once a year), mowing and plowing in the winter. It's a second home and pretty much finished from a landscaping point of view. Mostly flat, one small hill up from the water.

While a full-on sub-compact tractor would have been a lot of fun, I think I was about $18,000 before I had everything I needed (tractor, fel, plow, forks, bucket, etc.) I also have 0 use for a rear PTO.

My out the door cost on the PT-180 was $12460, including shipping to my door. I'm pretty mechanical, so I'm not too concerned if something breaks.


Now reading everyone posts, it sounds like there are some "must-dos", especially to the PT-180. I assume mine will have the Robin 18HP engine (EH63).

MY todo list includes (in order):

1. Add a combo hour meter, tach, temp sensor (for hydraulic temp) (amazon has these, seems like the best way to go about it)
2. Add a Radiator to the top to suck air out of engine compartment
3. relocate oil filter (using the kit they sell) and add oil cooler (From the eh72)
4. perhaps relocate fuel pump
5. Put one of those warming blanket things on there for winter (will be inside a garage that I *can* heat, so low priority).

Anyone have any opinions on my list and the order? I know watching the hydraulic temp is pretty important, I really don't want to run it much without something to watch that. The tachometer is basically free with the combo device, so why not throw it on there. I'm somewhat new to hydraulics, but small gas engine work doesn't concern me. Seems like hydraulics are reasonably simple (at least on these machines).

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site.

 

[ponytug]

Welcome to TBN! I hope that you have a great time with your new machine.

Yes, if you are mechanically inclined, hydraulics are straightforward. Keep it clean, keep it cool, and keep an eye out for leaks as the hoses settle in. My two cents would be to take it easy for the first 10-20 hours to let the seals settle in (no wide open throttle, and no testing the limits of the machine.) Grease the machine every 8 hours and change the hydraulic filter regularly.

All the best, Peter

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to TBN and the PT family! :thumbsup:

 

[curtjeep]

Welcome!!? I just got my 180 a few weeks ago!

 

[ernemats]

Welcome , have fun and enjoy your machine

 

[m5040]

I bought my 180 almost a year ago and love it. As far as your list:
Add a combo hour meter, tach, temp sensor (for hydraulic temp) (amazon has these, seems like the best way to go about it)
Hour meter only was easy to install as wire to key switch. If you go with tach, you have to run wire through center to engine.

Add a Radiator to the top to suck air out of engine compartment
Not a radiator, a hydraulic oil cooler. A side bennifit is that it will draw air out of compartment. Use it to cool down before shut off

relocate oil filter (using the kit they sell) and add oil cooler (From the eh72)
I have never seen this, maybe you can post on it. I didn't think it was too hard to change in stock form

perhaps relocate fuel pump
I haven't had a problem, but I did add a cheap fuel shut off valve in line with the filter.

Put one of those warming blanket things on there for winter (will be inside a garage that I *can* heat, so low priority).
Extremely mild winter so didn't even use it.

The things I did were to use some type of temp gauge for hyd oil. Magnetic is easiest, just don't loose it in heavy brush. I added a sonic alarm for low oil pressure as I climb steep hills (park brake won't hold machine, cause only 2 wheels lock). The wiring for sonic alarm is already on engine (grounded for no oil pressure). I bought these when Radio Shack was in business and put them on a lot of things.
I switch the loader controls to work like all other machines (forward for float, one back for down, one back for hold, all the way back for lift)
I added a small tool box above the right front wheel.
Added a generic magnet hanging into hyd tank from cap (picks up microscopic size metal), cheap to install, used stainless wire.
Of course the hyd oil cooler.
When I get to 50hours, will install a liquid filled vacuum gauge on filter to see restriction.
Made a forklift out of a masons walk behind carriage.
Suspension seat (2" height increase)
Needs liquid in rear tires or weights
LED headlight

One thing to do when yours gets delivered is spend some time going over all the bolts to make sure nothing got overlooked. I have found loose fasteners on both my tractors.
Idle before shut off when working. They get very hot.

2 gears fittings, the rest you need to spray with premium oil like superlube. Don't know if it is better then regular oil, but it stays clean. You need to do this every 8 hours.
Periodically check the low center pin to make sure the nut is tight. (Do you have to do this on the larger machines?)

Good Luck

 

[James23]

Hey m5040, thanks for the information.

So you are right, radiator was not what I meant. I guess I assumed people were just sticking electric fans on top or is it a hydraulic oil cooler + fan?

I was also planning on going over as many of the bolts I can get to with a wrench (especially on the mower deck), based on other things I've read around here.

What is the "low center pin"?

So there is 2 grease fittings, got it.

Should I be spraying the hydraulic cylinders with superlube every 8 hours, or some other part?



The oil filter relocation kit was basically just a cheating way to get an oil cooler. They include hoses and clamps with the kit. So it would be pretty easy to add an oil cooler at the same time.


Will I have a hard time fishing a wire from the console back to the engine? If so perhaps I will just do +12V hour meter and a magnetic temp gauge.


Thanks for all the tips!

 

[MossRoad]

I can answer a few of those.

- The hydraulic cooler goes on the underside of the hood. A fan goes on the outside of the hood and pulls air up through the cooler. They come from the factory on a thermostat, but many of our thermostats have failed after years and many of us (me) have just put them on a switch.

- The lower center pin is the lower articulation joint in the middle of the machine. The lower one has a grease zerk on it facing the ground. GREASE THAT RELIGIOUSLY! Every 8 hours, or sooner in dusty/dirty conditions.

- Also, there's a nut under there. You need to make sure it's tight every so often. It's big, so you'll most likely not have the correct size wrench on hand.

- There are grease fittings on the roll-over tube at the middle of the FEL. Every 8 hours!

- There are also grease fittings on the other center joints, under the console that need grease every 8 hours.

- Don't know your treadle setup, but mine has 3 fittings, every 8 hours.

- At the ends of every hydraulic ram there are swiveling eye joints. Super lube those heavily every 8 hours. Steering ram, FEL lift rams, dump/curl rams, etc...

- Also hit both ends of both sides of the FEL arms where they attach to the tractor and where they attach to the implement mounting plate.

- Pretty much anything that moves or pivots gets grease and/or super lube every 8 hours.

- For wire that goes through the center of the machine, make sure it's something super flexible or it will wear out and break with all the bending in the middle. I recall someone mentioning elevator wire at some point, because it's made to flex. Can't recall which member mentioned that, but is doesn't sound like a bad idea. Have no idea where you'd get it, though. Maybe get a piece of hydraulic hose and run wires through that for protection. That's what I'd do.

 

[ponytug]

FWIW, I think that I mentioned the elevator wire. It is what Power-Trac uses for the main electrical cord. It uses super fine (technical term ) copper strands within each wire, plus insulation and cords designed for the stresses of repeatedly flexing. You could probably also use Machine Tool Wire (try McMaster-Carr). Personally, I have used a lot of Del City’s marine wire and cable on vehicles and trailers.

All the best,

Peter

 

[m5040]

Just FYI the PT180 has different loader arms then all the other machines. It has no grease fittings for the loader and (to me) is a joy as all I have to do is spray it with the oil, couldn't be easier (As MossRoad said, everything that moves needs one type of lube or another), the most difficult is the treadle setup as you cant see it very well without taking off a cover, you spray it with oil at the pivots. The center pins are the 2 grease fittings every 8 hours and I forgot about the other that is under the cover and there will be NO GREASE FITTING in it! But if you read the manual, that one is a 50 hour interval (same as filter). Please correct me if I am wrong on that interval. PT factory wanted you to take the fitting out of the rear joint and install it in the front, grease it up, put the fitting back in the rear center pin and put the covers back on. There is no room for the fitting with the covers on.

You will have to run at least one wire front to back to control the fan. Your hour meter tach combo might have a special wire to run and wrap around a spark plug wire I would guess. You may want to run a harness back with extra wires? If you plan on a rear light, the low oil alarm needs one, etc, Good to have extras. It shouldn't be too hard to get it through, just be patient and try different spots for a clear passage through the group of hoses, or push a hard wire through then pull the harness through.

While we are on the subject of the loader arms, be very careful with the loader operation. The other models have a design that keeps the bucket in the same position as the arms are raised. The 180 does not and as the arms are raise the bucket (in relation to the arms) curls back. This can dump whatever you have in the bucket back onto YOU! So you have to work both levers at the same time and uncurl the bucket as you raise the arms. Just be careful if you have a large rock or something that can kill you.

 

[MossRoad]

You can put the fan switch in the engine compartment and avoid having to run wire through the tunnel. Just open the hood, do your pre-run inspection, turn on the fan, close the hood and start the tractor. I didn't even put a switch on mine. I put an alligator clip on a wire and stuck it to the starter post.

I have no grease fittings on the 2001 425 loader arms, with the exception of the rollover tube. The joints just get sprayed. I've thought about putting grease fittings on them, but after 19 years, I'm pretty sure I'm never gonna do that. :laughing:

Greasing the joints and treadle under the center tunnel were such a pain that I took the covers off about 15 years ago. Haven't been back on since.

And don't feel left out.... I've put many a load of dirt in my lap with the 425's bucket and it's snappy hydraulics.

 

[m5040]

I grease the roll over Z-bar religiously on my 1430. It doesn't look like there is any way to replace the bushings if you damage them from no lube.

The 1430 also has 2 fittings were the arms attach to the main frame, I thought that was the way all the other 422 and up loaders were to.

Thinking that was a lot of maintenance, yesterday I noticed my Kubota has a sticker on the loader telling me to grease it every 10 hours

 

[MossRoad]

When I received my 425 back in 2001, the manual said to grease fittings X, Y, Z, etc... for the life of me, I couldn't find the fittings on the loader arms where they attach to the frame. Finally I called the factory.... they stopped installing those fittings and never updated the manual. I just spray the heck out of everything, often.

 

[James23]

Just FYI the PT180 has different loader arms then all the other machines. It has no grease fittings for the loader and (to me) is a joy as all I have to do is spray it with the oil, couldn't be easier (As MossRoad said, everything that moves needs one type of lube or another), the most difficult is the treadle setup as you cant see it very well without taking off a cover, you spray it with oil at the pivots. The center pins are the 2 grease fittings every 8 hours and I forgot about the other that is under the cover and there will be NO GREASE FITTING in it! But if you read the manual, that one is a 50 hour interval (same as filter). Please correct me if I am wrong on that interval. PT factory wanted you to take the fitting out of the rear joint and install it in the front, grease it up, put the fitting back in the rear center pin and put the covers back on. There is no room for the fitting with the covers on.

You will have to run at least one wire front to back to control the fan. Your hour meter tach combo might have a special wire to run and wrap around a spark plug wire I would guess. You may want to run a harness back with extra wires? If you plan on a rear light, the low oil alarm needs one, etc, Good to have extras. It shouldn't be too hard to get it through, just be patient and try different spots for a clear passage through the group of hoses, or push a hard wire through then pull the harness through.

While we are on the subject of the loader arms, be very careful with the loader operation. The other models have a design that keeps the bucket in the same position as the arms are raised. The 180 does not and as the arms are raise the bucket (in relation to the arms) curls back. This can dump whatever you have in the bucket back onto YOU! So you have to work both levers at the same time and uncurl the bucket as you raise the arms. Just be careful if you have a large rock or something that can kill you.

Thanks for the useful info.

My plan was to find some higher quality wire (continuously flexible wire seems to produce good search results). I found some that have 7 or 12 wires in a bundle, meant for robotic arms. It's $1.50 / foot, but should be good for the life of the tractor. Then I can just run that once and hook up wires as-needed.

Also good to know about the loader arms, don't plan on lifting much up too high (just enough to drive around the yard, a foot or two I suppose). I'm also a complete novice to hydraulics and loaders, so I will be taking it very cautiously for a while.

 

[James23]

Well the PT-180 showed up on Friday. I spent a bit of time looking it all over, then started it up and spent a few hours moving dirt around and mowed the lawn on Saturday.

So far so good. The thing sure kicks off a lot of heat (but I knew that). I ordered a few random things to add including a magnetic thermometer, 12inch / 80W cooling fan, oil pressure warning light, and some LED headlights. I also grabbed some lights and a few accessories to hook it all up (relays, fuses and 10 feet of 16 gauge 7 bundle "continuous flex" wire meant for robots or something).

It appears the design of mine here has incorporated some feedback from over the years (or just lessons learned, I dunno). It has a heat shield between the engine and gas tank as well as on the muffler. The gas line is routed nowhere near any hot components, which I was very happy to see (after reading some many forum posts of you all adding heat shields and rerouting gas lines). Perhaps there is more room to route things. I would like to eventually add a hydraulic oil cooler, but I will wait until my warranty expires .

The pedals (treadle is the term I believe) seems to be super touchy. I basically bounced up and down a lot until I put one foot on each, seems to work much better.

I would like to get some type of rubber plugs for my PTO hydraulic attachments, but not sure what type / size they are. Already has an ok amount of dust in and around them.

Reading all of your posts over the last few weeks has been super helpful, so thank you to everyone who has put information on these things out there for the rest of us!

 

[cqaigy2]

Very pretty, all nice and clean like that. :laughing: I see they're still using Robin engine.

 

[m5040]

Very nice! Remember to check that big nut on the bottom center joint. And to spray the ball joints ever 8 hours ( you have to remove the left floor to get to one). And the 2 1/2 grease fittings (8hr and 50hr interval).
Did they tell you to do the first engine oil change at something like 10 or 15 hrs?

 

[James23]

Very nice! Remember to check that big nut on the bottom center joint. And to spray the ball joints ever 8 hours ( you have to remove the left floor to get to one). And the 2 1/2 grease fittings (8hr and 50hr interval).
Did they tell you to do the first engine oil change at something like 10 or 15 hrs?

Got it, yea need to go grab a grease gun. Manual says 20 hours, then every 100 after that. Terry never said anything about it, so my plan was to follow that.

 

[MossRoad]

I don't know how your treadle is set up. Mine is cable operated. Newer 425s are hydraulic. PT offered a spring kit to go under the hydraulic treadle pedal to add some resistance to your foot pressure to make it less touchy. Maybe check and see if yours has springs under the treadle, and as PT if there are stiffer springs available.... things like that.