425 or 1430?

[KentT]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( After giving this additional thought last night, I'm not ready to abandon the PT quite yet. I had a couple of additional thoughts. I could buy a 425 and if I'm really unhappy with the mowing, then I could still buy a ZTR for mowing and have no more invested than I'll have in the VT 4200 series as some have suggested I do. In order to go this route, I really need to be comfortable that the 425 is capable of doing a very good job bush hogging, particuarly tall thick wet grass on some inclines. Can anyone comment in this area.

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Have you seen the Mossroad's videos of his PT425 bush hogging? If not, click the PT icon in his signature and go to his site and check them out... IMO, the PT425 with rough-cut mower is VERY impressive, though I've not used mine very much yet....

You might be best satisfied with a ZTR for finish mowing (if it will handle your slopes) and a PT-425 for everything else. IMO, that would be the best of both worlds...

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="blue"> " In order to go this route, I really need to be comfortable that the 425 is capable of doing a very good job bush hogging, particuarly tall thick wet grass on some inclines. Can anyone comment in this area." </font>

Frankly, it's terrible. See attached pic, which was taken yesterday after mowing in just the conditions you described. The wheels jam, and the tires end up skidding. Directional control goes haywire, especially on a side slope. What should have been a three hour job took six and a half hours.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to best modify it so that it is usable in these conditions. Power Trac advertises it as a brush mower, which I think is an accurate statement. It does fine in light brush and just OK in long dry grass, but the finish mower is actually a better field mower, as long as you are not trying to cut woody plants or operate on rough ground.

Hopefully, I can come up with some sort of mod, otherwise I am going to have do a lot more mowing than I planned. It will mean not letting the grass ever get long, which will be an unwelcome and unexpected expense.

 

[KentT]

How did the wheels in front of the deck get so jammed? Is that from grass being cut and thrown forward, or is it from grass being caught up in the casters as they push through uncut areas?

Just curious... since I've not experienced it -- but I've mowed primarily weeds and briars with mine.

 

[SnowRidge]

It's some of both, as far as I can tell, but the majority of it seems to be the cut grass being thrown forward. The grass that is thrown forward goes toward the right front, and that wheel jams faster and harder than the left in every instance.

But the left will jam too. I just takes longer.

 

[KentT]

Does it do the same thing when the deck is adjusted lower to cut the grass shorter?

It would seem that the higher the deck setting, the more stuff that gets thown out from under it, without getting chopped up....

 

[SnowRidge]

Yes, it does, just not as quickly. The trouble with having the deck down low is bogging in the long, thick, wet grass. I tried several heights yesterday, none of which worked properly. Having the deck at its highest setting was by far the best for cutting. It was also the worst for jamming. It's a can't win situation. Of course, every change meant getting out the wrenches to "adjust" the rear wheels. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

The brush mower doesn't really chop the grass up like the finish mower does, since the two heavy blades have little or no lift. If it is set too low, it loads up fast, and the mower bogs, opening the relief valve.

 

[gooberjkf]

That's what I was afraid of. I had a feeling I wouldn't get real good reports about it bush hog ability. I'm sure it does fine in dry brush like that it mossroads video, but that isn't a very demanding task like tall wet grass is.

I'm afraid the same problems must exist with the 1430 as well, with the exception of the lack of power. For all that the VT isn't, I've heard that it is very good at bush hogging. So, I'm still leaning that direction.

Thanks again,
Joel

 

[MossRoad]

So why don't you mow on a dry day? Heck, my 50PTO HP IH and 5' brushhog didn't like that stuff that is in my videos after it rained either. And I have brush hogged that same field with the PT425 during a wet, rainy, snowy day. About as wet as you can get and it handled it better than I expected. I realize that weeds and brush are much easier to mow than grass. Grass mowing is the toughest job you can do with these things. It is a constant load on the entire system. However, when I run into tall grass with my mower or brush hog, I slow down. I always have it set on about the 2nd highest level. There is too much stuff under there to hit if I go any lower. I've found that I can mow the lawn well on one pass if I only take about 2-3 inches off at a time. Anything more, such as when I return from vacation, I have to either make two passes or half passes to get it all. Any finish mower on a 25HP tractor will have the same problem. Even ZTRs will complain at taking off 4 inches of thick lawn. I think it was Blackwell that suggested we all buy machines that are sized for the jobs that we have to do. I don't want it to sound like I'm overstating the capabilites of the PT425 in any way. I know what the machine can do on our property(I also know how to break it /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif). Look at the massive amount of work Paul has done with his. Look at the professionals that make a living with it. The machines are brutally simple, easy to repair from a mechanic's standpoint, and built like a tank. So much so, that we tend to over abuse them for their size.

If you need a great mower that can do a few other things, get a Ventrac. From everything I've read, they are fantastic mowers. If you want a great utility tractor that can do many things very well including a very acceptable job at mowing(keeping in mind it is a 25HP unit), get a PT. If you need to mow such heavy stuff when it is wet, get a larger unit. I'd also suggest test driving the Ventrac at your place in the conditions you expect to operate it in to see if it can handle the job you need to do. That's the only way to do a real world test for your needs.

Does anyone have any links to the Vantrac brush hogging? I'm always interested in this stuff and would like to compare it to a conventional CUT and the PT platforms.

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="blue"> "Does anyone have any links to the Vantrac brush hogging? I'm always interested in this stuff and would like to compare it to a conventional CUT and the PT platforms." </font>

I looked earlier and found these:

Tough Cut Mower

Field Mower

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks. I wonder what it means by 3 blades with 4 cutting edges, each on the first link you sent? Do you think it is shaped like a +. I bet it would handle tough grasses, but it says it only handles brush up to 1/2 inch while the 48" Pt brush hog has taken down 1.5"-2" stuff for me. Looks like PT should come up with a third mower type.

1. finish mower
2. field mower
3. brush cutter

I wonder if a flail type mower would handle tall grasses better than a blade type? Anyone have experience with those? I don't.