Attachment Effectiveness

BobRip · Oct 5, 2005

I think it would be helpful to potential attachment purchasers for us to rate how effective your attachments are in order from most effective to least effective. Certainly we cannot tell others what attachments to buy since everyone has unique needs, but we can rate in order of how well they meet our expectations and do the jobs for which they are intended, and perhaps a comment after each justifying that rating. I will give this a shot to demonstrate and others can build from there.
Please state what tractor you have.
PT422

Grappling bucket - Picks up huge piles of brush and moves it very efficiently. I believe this is the most effective attachment for the 422. This seems to get more positive comments that any other attachment.

4 in 1 bucket - Allows digging and loading bucket in both directions (forward and backward) so that you can always load and dig downhill, so gravity assist you. Not a very effective grappling bucket

Minihoe - Very effective attachment. Bucket is a little small if you have to move dirt more that a few feet, but is good at breakingup hard dirt.

Forks - For it's cost it's pretty effective. I use it much more than I thought. Some have used it for digging up bushes and have occasionally bent it doing so. It makes a good platform for homemade attachments like water tanks and fertilizer spreaders.

2 inch receiver adapter - Great for positioning a trailer in a tight position or even pushing the trailer around.

Trencher - Cuts about a yard a minute in clay if there are no roots over an inch in diameter and you only dig 18 inches down. Slows down considerably if you cut deeper or have larger roots. Can be used to dig post holes if they don't have to be round. Also good at breaking up dirt to be moved by the bucket. It works like a conveyor to move dirt towards the tractor.

Rough cut mower - Cuts small trees(<1 inch) and brush well. Be sure to get solid tires or put inner tubes in tires. Also put bolts with 2 nuts in the spare holes of the blade bug to prevent the blades from catching on the center hub. (This may not apply to new ones. Mine was made in 2000)

Stump Grinder - Works well on stumps under a foot in diameter. Works best when the tree has been cut recently. If you wait a couple of years on a stump it is very slow. Can also be used to make a trench about six inches deep and two inches wide. Good at cutting roots to deepen a creek or help the trencher.

Light material bucket - Very good for light materials. I have carried dirt and gravel in mine, but I don't use it much since I have the grapple and 4 in 1 buckets.

Ok, you get the idea.

Bob Rip

menchhofer · Oct 5, 2005

PT 1430

Grapple bucket...very effective moving dirt but especially wicked when use to move brush, limbs, logs, etc.

LMB...great accessory for transporting lighter material. Much faster than grapple. Very pleased with both attachments. Have not used my homemade forks yet and have not used mini-hoe.

Alan L. · Oct 5, 2005

This is not the order of frequency of use, but more a rating of how well the attachment does its job when its on.

1. Rhino brush hog
2. FEL/bucket forks
3. KK Tiller
4. Post Hole Digger
5. Box Blade
6. Fertilizer Spreader
7. Disk
8. Middle Buster

wasabi · Oct 6, 2005

PT2445 - Listed in order of my opinion of usefulness

1) Adjustable Forks. Use them all the time.
2) Trencher - more versatile than it might seem
3) Box Blade - invaluable on roads.
4) Light Material Bucket - good digger & transport
5) Rototiller - Get's er done - very sturdy
6) Post Hole Auger - great, but specialized use
7) Backhoe - Good hole digger for smaller jobs

I'm in the market for a grappling / root rake scenario.

Sabi

Spiffy · Oct 7, 2005

Not too many PT hours yet but here it goes on another 2445:

I'm fairly pleased with the BH: the articulation doesn't quite maximize the weight of the machine even with the bucket buried, but it sure is handy. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif On the negative, it needs a shut off valve so I don't need to disconnect when using other attachments. Also, the 2445 makes really quick work of small jobs, but seems small real quick on bigger ones (for the places I can get with it, I'm still saying a rather "happy medium").

Stump grinder; I love the front mounted grinder; hate the direction it throws chips [at me /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif ] and it really needs replaceable teeth and it's own ossillation to not beat the crap out of the tractor (and operator).

If you have a trailer package, the ball adaptor is awesome.
/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Planter head (with augers) is great! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I think I'll like the rake if I rig up some front wheels, but right now it really takes close attention.

I like the rock bucket better than the light one, but that may be it's position on the trailer.

If the tiller has the power the rake does, I think I'll like it, but wrong time of year for that around here.

Think I'll have some trencher feedback in a day or two, but don't know yet. Wish I had a 6 footer (water lines), even if that meant really slow travel.

I see all kinds of uses for the forks, but haven't tried them yet.

Now this is pretty funny: mine is looking just the opposite of Wasabi; wonder if my list will look like his, mine, or something completely different in a few years. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

stray · Oct 8, 2005

The small bucket to me is not worthy of the 422. Put you money somewhere else and get the larger light material bucket. If you have both you will have no need for the small one.

The large 35 to 40 cu ft red bucket I made is my most used attachment.

I love the mini hoe and would even like to make a 12" bucket to swap out with the 9" that is on it now. You could move more dirt per scoop and the 422 could handle it.

I use the stump grinder and it works well on stumps if it is kept sharp. Other wise it is great for burying cable and as some one else said "good for cutting roots.

The forks are very nice to have

The boom pole I have used several time as the base of something else extended from it. Such as my pond rake.

The brush hog works very well. If you get rough with it be prepared to do some work on the bolts that attach the blades. Keep some extra bolts handy.

Finish mower. It is OK but if you have a decent riding mower don't bother with it.

I have used the side mover for about a day and it seems that it will be much appreciated.

The quick adapt plate to ball is a must.

Box scraper is ok

Ripper is a good tool

Grapple bucket others like it and I do too.

Wood splitter is really great

Hole digger I haven’t used it much

Barryh · Oct 8, 2005

Now this is a great thread. Points new users in the right direction. I don't have much vested time on my PT yet. Some interesting comments.

One comment don't get the small bucket, may be true for the 422/425 or for those with the larger machines, as they have the extra lift or breakout force, but for myself and others with 180. Seems the small bucket is much better for digging with only a 600 pound lift. Just my thoughts.

I am interested in comments on my next two attachments the stump grinder, post hole digger. I did not realize the grinder did not have replaceable teeth.

Humm..... wanted to use this in place of the more expensive trencher for burying cable along with cutting roots. Good information thanks guys. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

KentT · Oct 8, 2005

Don't really have enough experience with most of the attachments to rate them yet. Here's my first impressions.

1. Grapple bucket is great for working with trees and brush. It is many times faster than trying to chain things to a bucket and move them. I'd caution you on trying to pinch logs with the fangs and move them -- you can bend a fang.

2. Mini-hoe seems like it'll be great, given my limited experience -- digging one drainage ditch 24'to 30' feet long and about 2.5 feet deep and 3' wide. I too wish that I had a 12" bucket to move dirt faster. You can buy a 12" bucket separately, I understand from talking to Scott at PT, but they don't recommend it for the 425. It seems to have plenty of power to handle 12" so I wonder if its the boom that's the concern...

With both of these attachments, I think significantly increased the ease of use by relocating the Aux PTO control to the left side of the instrument panel.

3. I also have the small rock bucket with teeth, and wish I had the LM bucket instead -- especially since I have the grapple bucket that's the same size as the rock bucket. I'd like to have a bucket that holds more... I'd also recommend people to get an aftermarket tool bar rather than the individual bucket teeth from PT...

4. I've put a QA plate on my 48" King Kutter boxblade but don't have enough experience with it yet to "rate it."

5. Have the 48" rough-cut and 60" finish cut mowers, but have only "test driven" them -- no real use. Same goes for the 60" snow/dirt blade (with wheels) and the Howse brand 60" landscape rake (also with wheels) that has a QA plate on it...

6. Next attachments on my "wanted" list, in priority sequence, are: LM bucket as mentioned earlier, stump cutter, forks, and trailer/tow adapter. I used my spare QA plate already on the boxblade... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

pajoube · Oct 8, 2005

All of my attachments come in very handy for the given job by season. My list is showing from top to bottom most heavily used attachments.
Spinner on steering wheel /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
large bucket
60 inch mower
forks
4 n 1 bucket
box blade
mini hoe
trencher
snow blade
tiller
core aerator
potato digger
cement mixer
lift boom
Keep in mind that some of the above are very specialized which means that they are just as important but not needed as often. But when you do /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
PJ