1850

[twin50]

Hello everyone, Glad I found this forum before I buy one. If you all will indulge me I will give some background. My wife and I are moving to WV in 3 years semi-retired both of us. I am 44 my wife is 49 we are going to buy now and start working the land which is me. So...now to the good part I have been looking for a multi use machine for several months and I keep coming back to the PT 1850. I need something that can do it all within reason and I feel this is it. The best part is I have pretty much as much work as I want or need as far as property maintance. Kut-kwick did a demo Wed. on the property we are buying wonderful job but, it is only a cutter so it is no good to me plus the price is out of my league. Now sorry for the rambling here are my ?'s. When brush cutting say more of overgrowth than a pasture setting how many acres can be cut a hour? Has anyone run the trencher tree shear post hole digger at slope? Thanks for the site and your time. I don't intend to work this machine full time or tear it up I really would just like some real world opinions.

 

[J_J]

I have the 1445, and I have used the wheeled trencher/stump grinder, the chain trencher and the post hole digger/auger. They work as advertised . I don't have PT's tree shear, but I built my own, but I would supposed that it works well. 10 ton of cutting force is a lot. The hole digger is the only one that will pivot One thing to think about with some of these attachments, is how often will you use it. If you are like me, you want it now, just to have it. I haven't used my hyd tiller in about 4 years. If you are thinking that you are going to put up a lot of fence, then the post hole digger makes sense, and if putting in a garden, then the tiller would be food to have. .


This is just my opinion on things

 

[twin50]

Thanks for the reply, I am pretty much betting the farm on it as the saying goes.

 

[twin50]

I agree on the attachments for sure I see alot of mods and fabbing in my future. I can't wait:thumbsup:

 

[J_J]

Look for used stuff if you can weld, and just adapt as necessary. I am building some adapting some adapter plates to use 3pt stuff on the PT, and an an adapter to use my hyd attachments on my Case 1445 skid steer.

Just for instance, you can use a 3pt bush hog, and add a hyd motor, and you have a heavy duty hyd brush cutter.

 

[Bob999]

Because you are looking at kut kwick I assume you have steep slopes. PT pretty much has the steep slope market for US made multi purpose machines that can dig. For mowing and some other uses--but not a heavy duty front end loader--you could look at Ventrac which is US made.

There are some very expensive European manufactured tractors that can work steep slopes.

On the other hand if you don't have steep slopes a more traditional tractor might suit your needs.

You need to make a list of just what you want the machine to do and go from there.

 

[American Bulldog]

I have a Ventrac 4231, and a PT 1460. Both have their place. Ventrac is an amazing mower, I have the 84" contour deck. PT's 90" mower does not do anywhere near as good a job. Also, the mower can't handle the real heavy stuff very well. The bucket on the PT, however, is great. I use the grapple and the light material bucket. Very useful. The Ventrac and the 1460 combined were not a whole lot more than the PT 1850. The 1460 is amuch better loader than the 1850.

Big thing is figure out exactly what your slopes are. The 1850 can handle pretty much anything you would want to mow. The Ventrac will handle 30 degrees all day long, and maybe a little steeper up and down with the duals. The 1460 is supposed to handle 30 degrees, but it really can't. I would say 25 degrees tops. The 1445 is probably similar.

Don't pay for the extra slope handling if you don't need it. Also, don't expect your 1850 with the 90" mower to do a good quality job around your house. It is just too big, and it will scalp and jump.

Here is a pic of my Ventrac after mowing. It has full rollers on the deck to give that striping look.

Here is the PT with the LMB.

 

[twin50]

Good info all thanks, I will be a bit more detailed on where I am at. I have been back and forth with the ventrac but in West Virginia I will for sure get into 45 degree just not sure how much. The main use for the machine will be to work in conjunction on my property with my 30hp 4x4 tractor. I have come by some pretty good hustle money work reclaiming neglected farms. I am sold on the PT where I am at is some real world opinion on the tree shear 90" mower which American Bulldog answered a bit. Also not sure on the flail mower as well. Chris at PT told me that alot of you owners are fabbing your own equipment based on needs I dig that I think if I can fab or mod some hydraulic tree saws,shears,chainsaws would be a good combo to reclaim the land I think. Thanks everyone.

 

[twin50]

Also, Wanting to stay with as much power as possible. Mainly for hydraulics. Has anyone done steep slope work with the trencher and tree shear?

 

[American Bulldog]

Sounds good. Just beware that PT does not dot the I's and cross the T's on their equipment. If you search you will find that many PT 1850's overheat when mowing. Pretty much right off the bat you should add cooling to the Deutz motor. The setup on the mower is a little strange. The front caster spacers are the wrong size. Also, the rough cut blades swing back and break off the heads on the stump jumper mounting bolts. The hydraulics are solid, but PT doesn't give much information, and puts stickers on the unit saying that you will void the warranty if you touch the hydraulic settings. This is all fine and dandy if the unit was set up right from the factory, but mine wasn't. The seat is uncomfortable and has no suspension to it. Actually there is no suspension anywhere on the entire unit.

Now for the good stuff. It is easy to modify and add things. There is this forum, where people have been detailing their mods for years. The Deutz 64 HP motor is fantastic - runs great and plenty of power. Just watch the temp. The drive system with the treadle is really nice, quiet, and very smooth. You can't dent the thing with a sledge hammer. Very solid. These things get into places where no other tractor can.

 

[Marks481]

The good news is that he will be in WV, so he can actually get warranty service, unlike those of us who are too far away to run to Tazewell when we have problems.

LMB (Light Material Bucket) is a must buy. I wish I had one, but don't want to pay 50% of the LMB's price for shipping. Too bad I didn't include it in my original order. One of these days, I will drive to Tazewell and pick it up.

I keep hoping that I will see someone nearby (DC area) buying a PT and I can piggyback on his order.

 

[SpringHollow]

If you are doing lots of fence on slopes, you might want to consider the post pounder. I purchased a used one meant for a conventional CUT but i have not had the need to adapt it yet and try it out.

I have not had the overheating issues that others have had but i also have not done lots of mowing when ragweed, etc. is in bloom.

I can not stress enough the peace of mind of having a tractor that can handle slopes steeper than what you usually work on. The 1850 can only handle 1200 lbs on the FEL but it can do it at angles even the 1460 can not do. With tractors, there are always tradeoffs and you need to prioritize what is most important to you.

You do have the advantage of being close to the factory so you can try various ones and you can easily buy an attachment at a later date.

The seat modification i did would be first on my list of mods.

Ken

 

[wasabi]

twin,

i have an 1850 and a 2445. the 1850 is an awesome beast when is comes to rough cut, but it is hard to gauge acres per hour as it depends on roughage and terrain. best results in thich stuff comes with inching along so at first you might want to calculate feet per hour

lifting, digging, trenching, post holes etc are not optimixed with this rig but it does those tasks adequately. your milage may vary

 

[woodlandfarms]

Both Ken and I have had our 1850's for 4 years. Both bought used.

Here is my thoughts. 1st. Are you sure you are at 45 degrees? 45 is VERY steep. Second, for an 1850 to mow 45 (or steeper) you have to make a few adjustments from regular tractoring. You must reduce the tire pressure, and it needs to be a dry day. I can't imagine what it would take for an 1850 to roll over (Probably 65 degrees or so) but sliding is an issue in the real steep. When you watch the guys mowing, you will notice the back half of the tractor pushing and the front have climbing up the hill. I mention this because if you have 45 degree slopes that go to 60 or steeper I would suggest thinking before mowing.

The Brush Mower is not a brush hog, and not a mower. It was designed to mow scrub (they say up to 3" thick stems and I have done 2" clean and 3" shattered). I have upgraded my blades to a heavier blade.

I do not have the attachments you have asked about, but I am constantly on the slopes at 30 degrees with a load in the bucket and the bucket high in the air. Never feels unsure of its footings.

As for overheating. The only thing I can say is that the Deutz is a rock solid performer. This version they have is not well suited to a dusty environment. This year I had no overheating issues to do dust but it was a wet year. Figure you should mow no more than an hour, or keep you eye on the guage and blow out the cooling fins every hour or so. There is a couple of mods we can give you that will help in keeping the engine cool (Synthetic Oil and changing a cover).

As for acerage. Figure you go at 4 MPH top speeds (8MPH is the top but mowing is 4MPH I bet). Figure you overlap and you only cut 72 inches instead of the 90 inches... Heck with it, you do the math ;-)

 

[twin50]

Not real sure of the angle but there are parts that for sure I would want to be on the 1850 no doubt in my mind. I really do appreciate everyones thoughts still have some ideas floating around and want to be sure I am making the right choice. I have not come across one single used PT for sale except what is on their PT's site.

 

[twin50]

I know there are alot variables with this question but, here goes anyway. What are some of the used prices say on 1430 thru the 1850? I have been looking since late august and have not seen but one 1460 I believe on a gov't auction site looked like it was gonna go for maybe 3000.00 and it was beat to **** and rusty with flats all around. If I may ask too if anyone is planning on selling what would they be asking for their machine.

 

[SpringHollow]

If there is not a lot of pollen in the air, i can mow all day with no heat issues. I have not had to clean my radiator all summer. I washed it in the spring with detergent. Last Fall, cutting ragweed, i would have to blow clean teh radiator about every 4 hours. But mowing ragweed in late summer or fall would make my regular CUTs overheat too. The difference there is you just pull the screen out and knock it clean.

Ken

 

[American Bulldog]

If there is not a lot of pollen in the air, i can mow all day with no heat issues. I have not had to clean my radiator all summer. I washed it in the spring with detergent. Last Fall, cutting ragweed, i would have to blow clean teh radiator about every 4 hours. But mowing ragweed in late summer or fall would make my regular CUTs overheat too. The difference there is you just pull the screen out and knock it clean.

Ken

Hey I haven't posted pics yet but I did complete the mod on my 1460 cooling. I removed the deflector above the oil cooler, I added a solenoid to the hydraulic temp switch, and I upsized the top fan to roughly double the CFM. I also changed the fan fuse from a 20 to a 30 amp. Fan pulls about 20 amps, and the old one pulled 7 amps.

The hydraulic temp is much lower, not sure how much but I can def notice the difference. The motor runs about 5-10 degrees cooler. All in all it gives a little more wiggle room before it starts getting too hot.

I will try to get some pics tomorrow.

 

[ernemats]

If you are looking for a used power trac call Terry and ask him if he knows of any for sale. That is how I found my 1845, it was not listed on Power Trac's site but Terry knew where there was one for sale.

 

[J_J]

This is deviating from the 1850 thread, but it still addresses the bucket, and it's usefullness .


Tim,

Why not look for a LMB locally, and just add the PT plate to it. If you have welding skills, you might be able to make one to your satisfaction, with extra hooks and 2 in receiver hitch, etc.