Useful attachments adapted to PT ?

[m5040]

That pic you showed of the missing fitting, I believe is just a machining "center hole" when the pin was turned on a lath before it was welded in and is not threaded and doesn't need to be. Does that pin go across from one loader arm to the other with the Z-bar linkage pivoting on it?

If so, that Z-bar itself has two fittings, one on each side (right and left).

Purchase a good quality grease gun Zerk connector at an auto parts store, make sure it is small in diameter. Some can be very bulky.

Don't forget you need to buy spray lube as specified in the manual for the joints that don't have a grease fitting as THEY NEED LUBE TOO. I think those are the steering cylinders and the fwd/rev foot control at the pivot. I also spray the ball sockets of everything that has a fitting because it doesn't look to me that the grease zerk doesn't lube the ball sockets.

Very general rule is that everything that moves needs lube.

 

[2manyrocks]

I have found that only certain brands of grease gun nozzles fit the loader arm recessed zerks.

If you raise the engine "hood", and then stand in front of the dipstick, you should see a gizmo bolted to the tub wall, with several hoses going in and out of it, a large (3") diameter metal tube (the brake accumulator), and towards the back end, a large spring. Chock your tractor so it can't move, preferably with the bucket edge straight into the ground. When you start the tractor with the hood open, does the spring move? When you flip the brake switch off, how long does it take for the spring to move? If you watch the spring, with the brakes off, does it periodically go in and out?

Do you have photos of the particular hose end(s) that are leaking for you? Have you tried jacking the PT up, removing the wheel, getting everything clean and running it briefly? Can you see exactly where the oil is leaking? If it is the brake line, did you clean that end getting it super clean and then remove it to check for dirt on the flare surface, or a cracked flare end? (I have had that happen to me once.)

All the best,

Peter

Finally getting back to this.

When I flip the brake off, there's a momentary delay before the spring moves. I forgot to watch it to see if it periodically moves in and out.

I can't seem to find the right wrenches to tighten the hoses that are leaking. The ones I have are too long. Do I need to buy flare end wrenches or what is recommended to tighten these hoses in these confined spaces?

Now at 16 hours, I am hearing the brush mower blades clanging. The mounting bolts appear tight, but some play has developed that is allowing the blades to move, and that's the source of the clanging. Are these some bushings in there that already need replacing? Do I have to remove the entire hub to remove the blade bolt and replace the bushings?

The blades are already beat up, too. Is Power Trac the only source for replacement cutting blades?

 

[m5040]

For the wrenches, I would suggest going to a place like Harbor Freight and buy a cheap set of wrenches and cut them in 1/2 or 1/3 to allow you to get into tight spaces. I would also buy what I call crows foot (they are open end wrench type tools with either 3/8 or 1/2 drive).
If your blades are beat up on your mower, you must be doing some rock cutting. Make sure the blade pivot bolts remain tight (before each use) and watch how beat up they get and change them before tools won't fit on them to remove.
There is a bushing, I have never had to replace them and new blades that I have bought came with bolts and bushings. The bolts are in a somewhat odd size, like 2 1/4, so you buy either from PT or a commercial bolt place or cut down and retreat 2 1/2 bolts.
When you engage the mower, do it at idle speed then rev the engine up, same with shutting down, go to idle first.
I am not really sure on what you mean by clanging, when turned on the mowers centrifugal forces keeps the blades straight out unless you hit something, or shut it off, that is normal.

 

[ponytug]

Finally getting back to this.

When I flip the brake off, there's a momentary delay before the spring moves. I forgot to watch it to see if it periodically moves in and out.

I can't seem to find the right wrenches to tighten the hoses that are leaking. The ones I have are too long. Do I need to buy flare end wrenches or what is recommended to tighten these hoses in these confined spaces?

Now at 16 hours, I am hearing the brush mower blades clanging. The mounting bolts appear tight, but some play has developed that is allowing the blades to move, and that's the source of the clanging. Are these some bushings in there that already need replacing? Do I have to remove the entire hub to remove the blade bolt and replace the bushings?

The blades are already beat up, too. Is Power Trac the only source for replacement cutting blades?

If the spring moves in a few second, that isn't the cause of your movement delay. Do you still have that issue?

I went for many years with a Harbor freight set of offset open end wrenches. Cheap, and they feel cheap, but they get the job done. I keep telling myself that I will score a solid Snap-On or vintage Craftsman set at a local auction, but it hasn't happened, yet. I did eventually buy a set of flare wrenches, but I find that they are not my go to tool for hoses, unless the hose fitting is recalcitrant. I know many folks who find crow's foot wrenches useful, but, so far, I haven't found an occasion when I thought that they were essential, for me at least. I've seen some ugly injector systems on other diesels that absolutely require them, but I haven't owned one of those engines that requires a crow's foot wrench. Definitely a "YMMV" item.

On the mower clanging, it should not clang routinely or clang just once on power up. (If you are mowing that forest debris of yours, then yes, expect clanging /banging every time you hit a chunk.) As @m5040 wrote, try to engage the mower when engine is at idle, and disengage the PTO, only when the engine is at idle and the blades have spun down. I routinely grease the bushings and tighten the greased bolts before every use.

All the best,

Peter

 

[2manyrocks]

I thought about shortening some some cheap wrenches, but didn't know if there was some offset handle wrench or whatever that would make it easier to tighten these hose fittings. I guess I won't feel so bad about butchering a wrench or two.

The clanging has gotten to the point that it's happening when the cutter isn't even cutting anything. I suspect that there is too much play in the blade bolts or bushings. This wasn't a problem at first, but has gotten worse.

How do I remove the blade bolts to see what is going on? Do I have to remove the hub bolts and drop the hub that the blades are mounted on before I can remove the blade bolts?

 

[ponytug]

I thought about shortening some some cheap wrenches, but didn't know if there was some offset handle wrench or whatever that would make it easier to tighten these hose fittings. I guess I won't feel so bad about butchering a wrench or two.

The clanging has gotten to the point that it's happening when the cutter isn't even cutting anything. I suspect that there is too much play in the blade bolts or bushings. This wasn't a problem at first, but has gotten worse.

How do I remove the blade bolts to see what is going on? Do I have to remove the hub bolts and drop the hub that the blades are mounted on before I can remove the blade bolts?

When I looked for a wench set, I specifically looked for an offset design, as that will function with only 15 degrees of clearance.

I just put the mower up on supports that won't fall over, and reach under with an impact wrench. (I have two heavy duty angle iron saw horses that hold the whole mower up, and make it simple for me, but these are really heavy duty saw horses, and I would not generally recommend the method, because when the cylinders bleed down, there will be the full weight of the mower and the loader arms on the supports. Most saw horses aren't anywhere near strong enough in my opinion.) Other folks chain the mower up. I would do whatever is safe, and works for you. I try to be mindful that the whole thing could drop if something failed, and try to be in position where I would not get cut, pinched, or maimed if it happened. I live in earthquake country, and you have to plan for supports to fail, or get knocked over. (Around here, I do not like being on a ladder, as I keep thinking "this would NOT be a good time for an earthquake.")

All the best,

Peter

 

[m5040]

I may be wrong and others can chime in, but on my PT cutting decks (3), the blades do not extend beyond the deck/cover. This tells me you have the wrong blades. The noise may be the blades hitting your deck.
If your picture reposted below is just an illusion and the blades dont stick out, check your center hub for lateral and axial run out. All that heavy use may have bent something or something could be coming loose.
I WOULDN'T USE IT UNTIL YOU FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. Blades have been know to come loose and fly out.

 

[2manyrocks]

The blades are near the deck housing, but don't extend past it. The angle of that photo makes it look like the tip extends past the housing. Nonetheless, the blades come very to the edge of the deck housing.

I think there is some wobble going on and it has to do with the blade bolts or bushings if it uses bushings. The free play that has developed seems to be allowing the blades to hit something when spinning. Surely some idiot didn't install the wrong blades at the factory?

The use is just typical field mowing, but this deck is lower to the ground at its maximum height settings than my other cutters. I have hit some rocks.

I have a couple of J-Bar rotary cutters, and both are better cutting decks than this one from PT in design and construction, in my personal opinion.

It also stinks to spend this much for a brand new machine, and it being leaking hydraulic oil at only 16 hours. My Kubotas have nearly 300 hours on them with no leaks.

 

[ponytug]

I may be wrong and others can chime in, but on my PT cutting decks (3), the blades do not extend beyond the deck/cover. This tells me you have the wrong blades. The noise may be the blades hitting your deck.
If your picture reposted below is just an illusion and the blades dont stick out, check your center hub for lateral and axial run out. All that heavy use may have bent something or something could be coming loose.
I WOULDN'T USE IT UNTIL YOU FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. Blades have been know to come loose and fly out.

View attachment 870005

That's basically where my 1445 blades are. They come right to rear edge of the deck. When I first bought the machine, I did consider putting a chain guard spaced out a little, but in the end, I realized that debris doesn't come up and out directly. I still wear a chainsaw helmet, just in case of ricocheting debris, having seen how far the brush mower can hit chunks.

@2manyrocks where is your machine leaking?

All the best,

Peter

 

[Xfaxman]

I can't seem to find the right wrenches to tighten the hoses that are leaking. The ones I have are too long. Do I need to buy flare end wrenches or what is recommended to tighten these hoses in these confined spaces?

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