Brush Hog Video - Up Hill In Woods

[MossRoad]

O.K. Here's a treat for you broad band users. I took this video last Saturday out at our property. It is of the 2001 model PT425 with the 25HP Kohler Command and the old style wheel motors running the 4' brush hog up one of the steepest slopes I can get it to go up while the hog is running. In the video you will notice that I have to stop and lift the brush hog an inch or two by pulling back the joystick a bit, which takes it out of float. As many of you know, this transfers the weight off of the implement tires and onto the FEL arms, which greatly increases traction on the front wheels of the tractor. Then I attempt to go over a 4" dead log, which jams the blades. I simply flip the PTO off, back up a couple feet and flip it back on. Then go over the log. Don't worry, I destroy the log on the return run.

The video is almost 14M in size, so I suggest downloading it to your computer before playing it. Enjoy!

As a bonus, you get about two seconds of a grade school basketball game at the end! I'm too tired to edit it out tonight.

http://www.mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425_brushhoguphill.wmv

 

[JD-Beach]

GREAT VIDEO !!! ... Thanks for all you do, we very much appreciate your contribution to this site. ... Makes me want to fire up my 425 and play!

 

[KentT]

Great video, MR! Thanks for posting it.

It certainly makes me feel better about my PT-425, as I see/hear similar challenges in climbing slopes with the brushcutter running. It's hard to compare the slope you were on with the ones I was working on, but it looks pretty similar...

Your brushcutter is surprisingly quiet when you engage it -- I didn't notice any "thunks" at all. Are you now using rubber stops on the second set of bolts, or just the longer bolts that you put on there earlier?

 

[Egon]

Nice video.

Is that a left handed right side joystick???

 

[KentT]

Nice video.

Is that a left handed right side joystick???

I think it's more a case of not being able to use the camera left-handed...

 

[Marks481]

My recommendation for mossroad's next PT mod:

Hard point on ROPS to mount his camera....

I liked the one spot in the vido where you tried to chop up that fallen tree...

 

[MossRoad]

I'm working on a way to mount a cheap X10 camera up under the ROPS and running the video cable into the camcorder stuffed under my jacket for protection and two hands on the PT. Surprisingly, the PT is very easy to operate one handed once you get the spinner knob. I rest my right elbow on the arm rest and don't look through the viewfinder of the camera unless I want to focus or zoom in on anything.

KentT

Your brushcutter is surprisingly quiet when you engage it -- I didn't notice any "thunks" at all. Are you now using rubber stops on the second set of bolts, or just the longer bolts that you put on there earlier?

I try to start it at low throttle and that takes most of the bump out. If you go back and look at the video where I first run over that log, it jams the blades and I quickly flipped off the PTO switch. When I backed up I did not throttle down before re-engaging the PTO and the unit shakes like the dickens when if spins up.

Egon

Is that a left handed right side joystick???

YES! My dad was a righty, my mom was a lefty, my oldest sister was a righty, the next ambidextrous (SP?), third was lefty, fourth righty and I am almost ambidextrous with the exception of handwriting... I can only write with my right hand if I am writing backwards with my left at the same time.

KentT

I think it's more a case of not being able to use the camera left-handed...

Correct, it is a right handed camera. If I used it left handed I'd have to turn it around and then you'd get a video of my face.... and this is a family friendly website, so you don't want to see that.

Tim_in_CT

I liked the one spot in the vido where you tried to chop up that fallen tree...

Yeah, I could have edited out the ugly parts, but that isn't unbiased journalism . I hit that thing and it jammed the blade good. Then I tried to get it again and the caster wheels just pushed it out of the way, so I lifted the hog a bit and went over it. But I got all of it on the return trip. There's a 4' gap in it now.

I have some more footage of deep green wet weeds that I will post later. I wanted to get some good quality video this time so that is why the file is so huge. If I go with 15 frames per second, it doesn't look good, so I went with 30 FPS. In the deep green wet weeds video you can hear the tractor straining to keep the RPMs up and I have to slow down quite a bit in a couple spots. But it is amazing to me what this little machine will do. I can only imagine what you folks with the higher torque wheel motors can go through.

 

[pajoube]

David,
Great video, thanks for posting.
Any closer to working the land?
PJ

 

[MossRoad]

I hope so. Oldest just started high school today and is on the golf team. Youngest started 4th grade and starts cheerleading soon. Minor health issues with the in-laws, too. Life is busy right now.

As far as building a house, our county and state are in the middle of a property tax nightmare. If I take the blueprints of my house to the county, they cannot even give me an estimate of what the property taxes will be because it is based on market value and they have to see the completed house to guestimate what it could sell for. There is no way to budget for them. Could be anywhere from $2000 to $5000+ Right now my property taxes are only about $600 (six hundred) per year.

Also, I was planning to use the backhoe to install my own septic system. They just changed the rule so that now you have to be a licensed installer to do it.

Anyhow, we will bite the bullet and talk to builders very soon. I would like to get things nailed down and have the foundation poured in early spring. Should be about 1700 Sq feet on first floor with full walkout basement. Entrance hall, living room, dining room/kitchen, guest lav, mud room/laundry and master bedroom/bath on first floor. Large storage room, larger recreation room, study, two bedrooms and full bath on lower level. Utilities on lower level, too. I'm excited yet sick to my stomach at the same time!

 

[toy]

I hope so. Oldest just started high school today and is on the golf team. Youngest started 4th grade and starts cheerleading soon. Minor health issues with the in-laws, too. Life is busy right now.

As far as building a house, our county and state are in the middle of a property tax nightmare. If I take the blueprints of my house to the county, they cannot even give me an estimate of what the property taxes will be because it is based on market value and they have to see the completed house to guestimate what it could sell for. There is no way to budget for them. Could be anywhere from $2000 to $5000+ Right now my property taxes are only about $600 (six hundred) per year.

Also, I was planning to use the backhoe to install my own septic system. They just changed the rule so that now you have to be a licensed installer to do it.

Anyhow, we will bite the bullet and talk to builders very soon. I would like to get things nailed down and have the foundation poured in early spring. Should be about 1700 Sq feet on first floor with full walkout basement. Entrance hall, living room, dining room/kitchen, guest lav, mud room/laundry and master bedroom/bath on first floor. Large storage room, larger recreation room, study, two bedrooms and full bath on lower level. Utilities on lower level, too. I'm excited yet sick to my stomach at the same time!

Have you checked to see if you might be able to get certified to install septic system, it might not be too hard to get certified. Several years ago a friend of mine had to put in a septic system and he got licensed and did the job himself and saved a lot. The regulations might not be the same in your area but it might be worth checking into.