2425 VS 425 Power Trac for new buyer

[FAZTRAC]

Thanks Kent T. Boy does that terrain look familiar. Nothing like a picture ... 425 is out.
More Dilithium Crystals Scotty !!!!, we'll put up the shield and look for a 1430 with wider lower stance and more grunt to go up the hills.

Has anyone spread the wheels with spacers on these things to get a little wider stance?? Its a tough deal for us mountaineers. We need some ground clearance, but also plenty of spread to the wheels. I've almost tipped my 4X4 Land Pride into the lake We have very similar property to yours, and garages that are nearly identical. PM me and I'll send you a couple of photos of my finished log garage, and how I'm dealing with being the water shed for Eastern Tenn!

 

[American Bulldog]

The 1430 is a nice machine. I test drove one at Tazewell myself.......

If you are hitting heavy slopes, be sure to test drive the PT on a similar slope before buying. My 1460 is not as good on slopes as I thought it would be.......

Whenever someone says diesel is better, you can always expect Moss Road, the die hard gas guy, to chime in soon after. Diesels don't lose as much power when they get bogged down, and they do use less fuel. However, they are picky, and diesel costs more than gas most of the time. To each his own.....

Be really careful if you widen the stance. The farther out you move the tires, the more pressure you put on the the front bearings of the wheel motors. The PT's have no suspension whatsoever in them, so the wheel motors take a pounding to begin with. Years ago I made a big engineering mistake at my job, because I did not fully understand this concept. Just be careful......

 

[FAZTRAC]

Seems like an easy modification to widen stance when building the machine.
(Might be a nice option to offer as alternate to duallys... but not likely at PT!)
Not so easy afterwords.... I would cut out the brackets that hold the wheel motors and fab new motor bracket extensions and move the whole motor and all out with the wheels to avoid the strain you mention on the bearings. I wish I had a 1430 to play with.............Going north in a few weeks and will stop by Tazewell for a ride. :thumbsup:

Appreciate all the great info from the group here. Nice intro to this forum.

 

[J_J]

Don't talk to loud about the wheel spacing, some people swear by that concept. They know that it gives better stance, but ignore the motor shaft vertical bearing load. There have been hyd motors replaced on the PT's, but nobody is saying why. You, I, and others, know the potential for failure is there, especially on the front, when lifting and moving a large load. It's there choice, and they have to foot the bill.

The way mine is setup, you can not reverse the wheels. My wheels are mounted on the shortest offset now, and I have about 1 in between the tires and frame.

 

[American Bulldog]

Seems like an easy modification to widen stance when building the machine.
(Might be a nice option to offer as alternate to duallys... but not likely at PT!)
Not so easy afterwords.... I would cut out the brackets that hold the wheel motors and fab new motor bracket extensions and move the whole motor and all out with the wheels to avoid the strain you mention on the bearings. I wish I had a 1430 to play with.............Going north in a few weeks and will stop by Tazewell for a ride. :thumbsup:

Appreciate all the great info from the group here. Nice intro to this forum.

Yeah you know what you are doing.

 

[Gravy]

If I decide to widen the track on my PT, I will move the wheel motors farther outboard rather than reversing the wheels again. I paid for that experiment.

 

[ponytug]

In addition to the great points already made on widening the stance, let me just point ou that for mowing, especially brushcutting, the width of the brush hog should be at least as wide as your mower and plan accordingly.

Ultimately, it was the brush cutter width that kept me from widening my 1445. I've learned that the issue I have the most trouble with are holes in a steep slopes, which suddenly both steepen the slope and pin a wheel.

I do wish that the oil thinning wasn't as much of an issue, but on really hot days, it does affect how steep a slope can be climbed. I'll swap the oil one of these days.

All the best,

Peter

 

[KentT]

I just want to say that I went into the mods on my 425 with my eyes wide open. I knew the increased stress that I'd be placing on my wheel motors by (a) reversing the wheels, and (b) loading them with winter-mix windshield washer fluid plus sealant.

I intentionally traded safety on the slopes for the reduced reliability and/or service life. Without the modifications, the machine simply wouldn't do what I needed to do...now I'm limited by the 25 degree slope rating of the Kohler's engine oiling system, not the power of the machine. I can now mow places that I wouldn't have tried taking the machine before without the mower engaged....

I'm not recommending either of these mods for general use -- just as I tell most people that the 22.6ci wheel motors are "overkill" for most uses. IMO, the 425 should come with a 17ci to 18ci set of wheelmotors. It would then only go between 6 and 8 MPH, but could climb the 20 degree slopes that the Robin engine is rated for, when under full working load in ambient summer temps.

With the 22.6ci wheelmotors, mine will only go about 5MPH at WOT -- but it will go anywhere I feel safe taking it. Traction is now the primary limiter, even with the loaded tires.

 

[American Bulldog]

I just want to say that I went into the mods on my 425 with my eyes wide open. I knew the increased stress that I'd be placing on my wheel motors by (a) reversing the wheels, and (b) loading them with winter-mix windshield washer fluid plus sealant.

I intentionally traded safety on the slopes for the reduced reliability and/or service life. Without the modifications, the machine simply wouldn't do what I needed to do...now I'm limited by the 25 degree slope rating of the Kohler's engine oiling system, not the power of the machine. I can now mow places that I wouldn't have tried taking the machine before without the mower engaged....

I'm not recommending either of these mods for general use -- just as I tell most people that the 22.6ci wheel motors are "overkill" for most uses. IMO, the 425 should come with a 17ci to 18ci set of wheelmotors. It would then only go between 6 and 8 MPH, but could climb the 20 degree slopes that the Robin engine is rated for, when under full working load in ambient summer temps.

With the 22.6ci wheelmotors, mine will only go about 5MPH at WOT -- but it will go anywhere I feel safe taking it. Traction is now the primary limiter, even with the loaded tires.

Good stuff there Kent!!!

You are probably getting away with the wide stance because I am willing to bet that the bigger wheel motors also have bigger bearings in them.

 

[KentT]

Good stuff there Kent!!!

You are probably getting away with the wide stance because I am willing to bet that the bigger wheel motors also have bigger bearings in them.

I'm not sure what the dfferences are between the White RS-series motors that came stock on my 425 (and come stock on 422s now) and the Eaton CharLynn S-series motors that I put on it are, when it comes to bearings and sideloads. The White RS-series is an intentionally inexpensive motor, in comparison -- mayble a little more than half the MSRP of the CharLynn S-series.

However, I "pucker" my 425 routinely, even with the loaded tires on the back, with no damage to date. I've also tweaked and slightly bent one of the lift arms by trying to scoop and lift up a still-attached 10"-12" pine tree trunk with the grapple bucket while still in motion. I thought my son had cut it off -- he did saw it in two at about 12' to 14' up the trunk, but instead of being sawn off at ground level, the wind had blown it over, snapping it off at ground level and it was still partially, yet firmly attached.

I didn't just pucker the PT then -- I jerked it sideways and stood it on its nose (thank goodness for seatbelts). Now, 18 months or so later, I've still noticed no adverse effect on the front wheel motors... no leaks, no noises, etc.