How are they on hills

[thingy]

I think,I would start off with the 60 inch finishing mower instead of hog,I got an acre yard and probably half of that 8 acres or so I mow with brush hog now I could mow with finishing mower,or I would think if I wanted to do it that often,,but if I just mowed my yard with it it would be working right away that way,,this way I could afford things better,,
How does it handle yard mowing? How does that finishing mower work,pretty good,,how high can the grass be?

More opinions,,do you all think it will handle a few 11 -12 degree hills with a few 20 degree spots throwed in,,,,maybe an acre of this. Any body hog or finish mow on some hills like this? The degrees will baffle you unless you do what ken said,,but 11-12 degrees [I think! now],,is pretty steep,,,you can drive a 4 wd truck up them but,, if you throw a couple of 20 degree spots in there,,looks much steeper,,but you can go up it in 4 wheel low if it ain't wet,no big problem,,generally speaking,,,but its not steep enough that its hard to walk it,,other than breath,,,,thingy

 

[MossRoad]

Thingy,
Have you seen the videos of the unit in action on my website? If not, just click on that little animated Power Trac in my signature at the bottom of this post. That takes you to my website. Click on the videos link on the left side. There are about a dozen or so videos of our 2001 model year PT. I should probably update some new videos an try to get a hill climb video.

I do have one hill that I cannot drive up while brush hogging with out losing traction with my trufs. It is sandy loam with forest litter. However, all I do is lift the deck an inch off the ground by pulling the joystick out of float and back an inch. That is enough to transfer the entire weight of the brush hog off of its own wheels and onto the front wheels of the PT. Traction increases on the front tires and up I go.

 

[Gravy]

Thingy,

I've got some pretty steep spots in my front yard. I haven't measured, but I'd guess it goes over 15 degrees in places. With the 60" mower, my PT425 struggles in the steepest parts. The mower takes a good bit of power, so there's not a lot left over for the wheels. If I try to go too fast, the mower slows down ya lot, which doesn't make for a clean cut. Also, I have clay soil, usually at least a bit damp, and the bar tires will tend to spin on the steepest parts, tearing up the lawn a bit. Mowing up those slopes requires a delicate touch on the treadle, and the steepest parts are at a crawl.

The 48" finish mower requires less power, but it isn't as good for cutting close too fences, bushes and such because it's ont a tiny bit wider than the tires. Maybe we should try to get PT to make something in the 52" range

I'll agree with others about the tires. The only practical reason for bar tires would be for mud or very rough conditions with a high risk of punctures. (The manliness factor doesn't count here). Most bar tires seem to be tougher than most turf tires. Turfs should be better on snow and grass. Think about the difference between mud tires for 4x4's and snow tires. The mudders are similar to bar treads, and good snow tires have lots of little tread blocks with lots of edges, much like turfs.

Gravy

 

[thingy]

Moss,no ain't looked at them yet,will try,,I got slow connection speed,but sometimes I got plenty o time.
Gravy,thanks,,that don't sound good for them hills o mine than does it?,,course on them I'd have to use the 48 inch hog,[few rougher areas],,,you reckon it would have noticeablely more power using the hog on thin grass than the 60 inch finishing mower cutting the yard?
This is starting to sound like it might not be able to do what I'd want it to do,,only got about an acre like that too,[that steep that I cut that is],but want to keep cutting it if I can.I'm betting it would go,,but,have only seen pictures,,so,,nothing to back that bet up,thats for sure,,,thanks again,,thingy

 

[Bob_Skurka]

thingy, I tested a couple of 422 units on my property when I was shopping for something to use for mowing. I also tested Ventrac and Steiner. The 422 has lower torque motors than the 425 and is not suitable for mowing steep places. The guys with the newer 425 units might have already noted, but there are supposed to be higher torque motors in the newer 425s that might make them suitable for steeper mowing??? I chose the Ventrac 3000 because it is about the same size/configuration as the PT180 but with more power. The PTs are definately more versitile and able to do far more work than my Ventrac, but I had other machines availble so that was not a consideration.

What you will find in any of these articulated machines (PT, Ventrac & Steiner) is that they are dramatically more stable than a rigid frame tractor. It is hard to compare until you actually sit on them and try them out, but I can do "figure 8s" and "U turns" on slopes that scared the heck out of me when I would just go up & down them with a Cub Cadet. The Cub was better than any other garden tractor I tried as it was one of the few that had the ability to power the mower deck and climb the hill. I've had to back down an un-even/rough hill with a New Holland and a Kubota that the Ventrac sprints right up.

You will also find the out front implements speed up work considerably.

 

[ernemats]

I have a 422 with over 1,000 hours on it and a 48 inch finish mower. Most of my mowing is from 10 to 20+ degree slope. We mow across slope rather than up and down as the 422 runs out of power mowing up the steeper slopes when the oil gets hot. 10 to 15 degree slopes no problem 20 degrees or more side slope is as much as I would want to try.

 

[thingy]

Thanks for the info,,ernie,,my hills are set up for mowing up and down,[longer than wider],plus there are a few 20 degree spots,or so,,wouldn't want to go side ways on that.
Bob,looked up stiener and ventrac's web pages,you learn something every day,,,,,they don't list prices though,you know about what they cost?
Any body got a 425 they cut hills with? thingy

 

[SpringHollow]

Thingy,

I believe the 425 is rated for going crosswise on a 20 degree slope. These things have an extremely low center of gravity. The 425 is limited by oil lubrication, not center of gravity. I never felt comfortable enough to take my CUT crosswise on a 20 degree slope but I would not be worried about tipping a 425 on something less than 20 degrees.

Ken

 

[thingy]

Ken,thanks for your help,,,,but what I'm not sure of is if it will go up a 18-20 degree slope,,,people seem to be saying no,,,moss said maybe if I raised mower up a bit to put more weight on tires,,so is it a traction thing or is it a power thing,,,if somebody were to take it up a hill,say 12 degrees and after going up maybe 75 yards or so,on top they was an increased slope of about 20 degrees for maybe 20 yards,,than back to about about 12 degrees,,would it make it,,or would it spin,or would it just power out and stop,thats my question,,this on dry grass,,,,than,if it stopped,thats when the scary part would begin! And if it goes better backwards,it must be a traction thing? Again for anybody who ain't read the previous posts,,20 degrees is about all you want to try and drive a 4wd truck up in low/low and dry at that,,unless your into hill climbing adventurs with trucks,,,,
I don't know,,but I don't think no more than I would be at 20 degree angle it would be an oil issue,thats not really a concern of mine anyways,,we always used to overfill them lincoln welders a little cause they would be setting on a 15-20 degree slope or more, running for up to an hour maybe],,not saying this is good on things but,you gotta do what you gotta do,,and I wouldn't be setting at 20 degrees,just mowing up it and down it for maybe 1 min at a time,,than slope goes down to 12-13 degrees,,thingy [see there ken,,I know all about them angles now!!,,well,,]

 

[Gravy]

Thingy,

As I understand it, the 48 inch finish mower and the bush hog both require a good bit less power than the 60 inch finish mower. If your steep parts will all be cut with the bush hog, you will likely be OK. At worst, you can always go up the hill with the mower turned off, and just mow downhill on those few really steep places. It takes a little more time, but for me it makes more sense than buying an additional machine.

To oversimplify, most PT's are loaders that can mow, while Ventrac & Steiner are mowers that can load. Your priorities will determine which suits you best. In my case, I keep my lawn looking like a golf course - not the green, but the rough! Mowing is something I do when I have to in order to keep the grass down. Probably upwards of 75% of my PT hours are spent on other work. It's amazing how many projects you can discover to do when they no longer require backbreaking labor.

Gravy