Considering 425

[RonL]

I'm thinking of selling my Ariens 1136 snowblower and my Gravely 16 hp two wheel tractor and getting a 425. I can't find any reference to someone that has experience with the PT snowblower. I use these machines for maintenance at my apartment building in the city. Since my backhoe is at my property in the mountains it would be nice to have a machine that can move snow piles to my yard behind the carriage barn. I have a fear that the Gravely two wheel tractors are becoming orphans.

RonL

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to the Power Trac forum! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I don't know of anyone here that has the Power Trac snow blower, either /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif. It is pretty expensive compared to the plow. I don't get enough snow to justify the cost of the blower.

Anyone have the PT snow blower? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[RonL]

Mossroad

Thanks for the welcome, but I've been monitoring since you and Chalkley first considered the Power-Tracs.
By my calculations the gross hydraulic power available at the PTO is 11.66 HP. I'm wondering if this is sufficient to run a 48 inch two stage snowblower in wet snow. Probably have to slow right down. Wish someone here had experience with the snowblower.

RonL

 

[duane]

Ron,

My calculations come up with the same PTO horsepower. The Kubota BX1500 runs a 48" snowblower, and I believe the PT PTO torque/horsepower ratings are higher than that machine. I have read posts where the BX1500 runs the 48" snowblower just fine, so I would expect the PT425 to run it equally as well.

Duane

 

[johara1]

i have a 422 with a blade before that i used a gravely for 15 years this blade after the couple of mods. is great, it's fast,powerfull, can't see the need for a snow blower. it can pile snow as high as you need plus you don't have to wear the snow,like when the wind shifts and your using a snow blower /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[duane]

Ron,

Just a follow-up. Somewhere I read that one HP hydraulic is equivalent to 1.25 HP gas engine. That means you have the equivalent of 15 HP gas PTO. The torque on a hydraulic motor is essentially a flat line when compared to RPM. It's not bell shaped like on a gas engine. I bet it would do well with the snowblower. I do not rememeber anyone complaining of a lack of PTO power (except for lack of some engine power with PTO engaged and climbing a steep hill)

Duane

 

[RonL]

James

I have 250 feet of sidewalk and 150 feet of driveway to clear. The sidewalk has a stone wall with a wrought iron fence on top on one side and the curb on the other. The driveway has a banking on one side and a fence on the other. A blade would work on a light snow. With a heavy snowfall the City plows mound the snow right to the curb. There is simply nowhere to push the snow. The snowblower blows the snow over the wall, fence or banking , into my yard. When I had my backhoe on the city property I would attack the piles and haul them out behind the carriage house. If you have somewhere to blow it a snowblower can move a lot of snow in a short time.
The problem now is that I have planted a row of Arbor-Vitae along the stone wall next to the sidewalk. When they fill in I will not be able to blow the snow onto the lawn. I have been blowing the snow onto the curbside pile. If we have major snowfall this may not work. I will also be cutting into the banking in the driveway to put in additional off-street parking. This will further limit where I can blow the snow. This is why I am considering the 425. When I am out of room to push or blow the snow I will put on the bucket and haul the snow out behind the carriage shed.

RonL

 

[RonL]

Duane

A snowblower can move an enormous amount of snow in a short time. As such, they need a lot of power. My Ariens is 11 or 12 horsepower and is 36 inches wide. The blower on the 425 is 48 inches wide. With roughly the same horsepower i would expect them both to be able to move the same amount of snow in the same amount of time. ( Actually, the horsepower on the Ariens is divided between tractive and snowblowing duties so there is likely more power available with the 425 for the snowblower). The Ariens does the job plenty quick enough so I would think that the 425 would also. I just wish that I could talk to someone that had experience with the unit.

RonL

 

[johara1]

my drive way is at least that long and is two lanes wide and have banks on both sides. i pile all the snow i can on the banks then the rest goes down the road.i push it down and turn a 90 and push it again. this thing is fast,you can't believe the hugh amounts of snow these little things move!you get a 425 a blade and the big bucket that will be all the snow removal equpment you will ever need /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[barrell]

I live on the north side of a mountain in upstate PA. i HAVE BEEN USING MY 1425 with small bucket to clear snow for 10 years. I have to clear paths to two barns and over to the horse pasture plus a long dirt driveway. The 25 kholer has plenty of power to push deep wet snow. the problem I have run into is back to back to back deep snows. The front forks can not lift high enough to stack it all unless I start in November to push the first snows 15 feet back from the areas I need clear. This leaves me with enough room to keep stacking till spring. I normaly wont see my lawn again until late april or may.
Barrell