Brakes for 425 & 1430

[pajoube]

RIP,
Well said.
PJ

 

[Sedgewood]

<font color="red">In my opinion, under normal conditions, I greatly greatly prefer the PT425's setup - it is safer, more controllable, and works, unless you blow a hose, which is a pretty rare occurence.
</font>

Uh.. yeah... right. Today an end blew off a steering cylinder hose - for the second time this year. Is that rare enough? I must acknowledge that this is a bit unusual even for me /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif and suspect a bad batch of crimps may be at work since it was the other hose on the same cylinder. Having survived enough runaways on utility tractors to last a lifetime, even with brakes, I vote for the Brake Tender setup that's on my 1845.

That said, does a PT with one broken wheel motor hose actually run away? Or does just the broken side run away while the other side stops? Anybody care to run a test and get back to us? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Sedgewood

 

[J_J]

I can tell you from my experience, on my 1445. I was on a slight incline when the wheel motor hose burst. The only thing that stopped me from rolling into the creek was a tree. I didn't even think to drop the bucket. Had a new hose put on within the hour.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red"> That said, does a PT with one broken wheel motor hose actually run away? Or does just the broken side run away while the other side stops? Anybody care to run a test and get back to us? </font>

Don't make suggestions like that.
An 8x10 comes to mind of Bubenberg at high speed downhill with long handled pruning shears over the side of his 425. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Rip]

JJ,

Did you flip the switch for the wet disc brakes? Did they not work?

This is a common type of brakes for hydraulic machinery.... I'de be somewhat surprised if they did not work.

By the way on 1445 and up PTs, are all four wheels equipped with the internal brakes?

Sorry about your blown hoses guys.... shows it is not that rare an occurance on hyd systems, the main difference with a PT is that there are more of them and it is your drive and steering as well, not just a FEL as on a CUT.

Keep up the Good Luck

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> An 8x10 comes to mind of Bubenberg at high speed downhill with long handled pruning shears over the side of his 425. </font>

And he'll be waving with the other hand and smiling for the picture! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Please tell him we said "Hi!" if you talk to him... I know he is busy in the summer. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Sedgewood]

<font color="red">I can tell you from my experience, on my 1445. I was on a slight incline when the wheel motor hose burst. The only thing that stopped me from rolling into the creek was a tree.
</font>

Well I guess that answers that question - glad to hear you survived - think I'll go adjust my brakes.

<font color="red"> I didn't even think to drop the bucket. </font>

That confirms my lifelong experience. Once the "accident" is set in motion, one is basically just along for the ride wherever fate takes you it all happens so quickly. And all the pre-accident jawboning about what one do never quite fits the "accident" at hand anyway.

Sedgewood

 

[J_J]

RIP

My 1445 is an older unit, about 1996. It has the pin in a slot brake system and can only be used when fully stopped.

If a wheel motor hose does break, do not stomp on the treadle, you will lose a lot of your fluid.l

 

[MossRoad]

That's why you should always drive right at the edge of safe... take corners as fast as possible, keep the load high and overwork your tractor... it keeps you on your toes and makes you more likely to react correctly in a panic situation!!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Of course I'm kidding, but on that subject, I use to drive very fast, took every opportunity to throw my vehicles around in the dirt and snow and really had a great feel for how to control them. I was able to avoid accidents, knew what to do if the power brakes or steering went out or the brakes failed, engine died, road was icy, etc... practice makes perfect. Now that I am a responsible citizen, have grown up and sit in the right lane while the world goes by, I have found my driving skills lacking. It is surely due to the lack of practice in panic situations. So I occasionally take the car out in the dirt or a snowy parking lot and do some donuts, skids, etc... just to try to get the feel back.

Do any of you ever do that with your tractors? I'm not suggesting you do donuts or unsafe things, but if you have never experienced something, how will you know what to do when you are on auto pilot in a panic situation? I have intentionally dumped my bucket going down hills to see if it will stop the unit. I've pulled my foot from the treadle to see if it will stop. Most of us have experienced the PT Pucker, so we know what to do if it happens, and better yet, we know how to avoid it in the first place. I suppose that is the best practice... avoiding the bad situation in the first place and practicing good safety habits. But I often wonder if I will have the automatic reactions needed if an accident would happen.

Remember the person that tipped their PT? They had the presence of mind to keep their arms in and let the ROPS do its job. I wonder if I will do that in that situation or have the natural reaction to put my arm towards the ground as it comes nearer. Scary stuff to think about, but we all should review these things daily as we operate our machines. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[toolz_not_toyz]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( But I often wonder if I will have the automatic reactions needed if an accident would happen.)</font>

Unfortunately, the answer is "probably not." Pulling donuts in a parking lot, when you are clearly thinking "I'm going to pull a donut now" is very different from having a great day and getting a lot done and then unexpectedly tumbling down a hill backwards.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Remember the person that tipped their PT? They had the presence of mind to keep their arms in and let the ROPS do its job. )</font>

There are two types of motorsports that I enjoy watching: 1) Formula 1 racing; 2) World Rally Championship racing. Both of these sports have their share of gruesome accidents.

For those unfamiliar with the sport, unlike most open wheel racing in the U.S., the only circular/oval type track you will find on the Formula 1 circuit is the recently-added Indianapolis race. I imagine this is a temporary addition because F1 cars are not designed so much for straightaway speeds (the way Indy cars are) but more for top speed through really tight turns (like a particular hairpin in Monaco). So F1 drivers have a greater tendency to fly through a corner and straight into a wall than their Indy car counterparts.

In rally racing of course, you're driving at insanely high speeds down dirt roads through dense forests. These roads are, well, usually just roads and not race circuits so they have road features like drainage ditches. If a rally car slides ever so slightly into the drainage ditch while travelling 100mph it will catch and flip over.

Now here's my point (took a while, huh?): drivers (and copilots, in the case of rally racing) will immediately let go of steering wheels (and clipboards, in the case of rally racing) and cross their arms over their chest when they know an accident is iminent and they can't avoid it. They do this so things like steering wheels won't snap back and break their arms when they hit. This is probably a move that everyone should keep in mind while operating heavy equipment that can tip over.