Interested in a Power Trac

[American Bulldog]

Hello,

I have a decent size farm, and several cutting implements. For mowing the grass I have a Deere zero turn 60" deck, and a 4WD Wide area mower. Neither one can handle the hills. I am thinking of getting a Power Trac. I measured the angles, and the steepest slopes are about 27 degrees. Both of my mowers become sleds when I try to go down, especially if the grass is long or wet.

Anyways, do I need a dual wheel mower like the 1845 or 1850, or will a 1445 or 1460 do the trick? Also, am I better off with turf tires or bar tires? Do the bar tires ruin the grass? How about with a dual wheel bar tires?

I would greatly appreciate any advice you can give. I want to mow the hills safely, but single tires would make the tractor a little more practical for other jobs, plus they are less cost.

 

[wasabi]

Hello,

I have a decent size farm, and several cutting implements. For mowing the grass I have a Deere zero turn 60" deck, and a 4WD Wide area mower. Neither one can handle the hills. I am thinking of getting a Power Trac. I measured the angles, and the steepest slopes are about 27 degrees. Both of my mowers become sleds when I try to go down, especially if the grass is long or wet.

Anyways, do I need a dual wheel mower like the 1845 or 1850, or will a 1445 or 1460 do the trick? Also, am I better off with turf tires or bar tires? Do the bar tires ruin the grass? How about with a dual wheel bar tires?

I would greatly appreciate any advice you can give. I want to mow the hills safely, but single tires would make the tractor a little more practical for other jobs, plus they are less cost.

Welcome AB. I tried a zero turn on our fields once and it was indeed a sled ride even on dry ground. Moss and other can attest to single wheel versions of the PT and I'm but a newbie on the dualies but imho they are the cat's meow on slopes. 27 degrees is not nuthin...

 

[ernemats]

I have an older 1845 that I bought used 2 years ago. It is great for mowing slopes either up /down or cross ways on . The steepest I mow is around 30 degrees and going cross slope you get slight sliding of the rear end. My tires are 8 ply industrial R-4 tread with tubes and they are inflated to more than they should be for maximum traction . There is little damage to the lawn from them. Traction would be better with the ag tires. On my 422 I have the turf tires and they give excellent traction in most conditions. What are you planning on mowing should influence your choice of tires. Lawn , I would go with the turf, if you are planning on mowing rough areas with brush probably the ag would be better. See my 2 pt's with different tires.

 

[SpringHollow]

I have an 1850 with the dual bar tires. They are very easy on the grass particularly because the tractor steers by articulating. Sitting still and turning back and forth (like when grinding a stump) is what is hardest on the lawn. You get some compaction if the ground is soft.

I use my tractor often with just single wheels instead of duals. It takes 10 minutes to switch (if you really hussle, 5 minutes). The biggest reason i use duals is for wet ground.

Ken

 

[American Bulldog]

I have an older 1845 that I bought used 2 years ago. It is great for mowing slopes either up /down or cross ways on . The steepest I mow is around 30 degrees and going cross slope you get slight sliding of the rear end. My tires are 8 ply industrial R-4 tread with tubes and they are inflated to more than they should be for maximum traction . There is little damage to the lawn from them. Traction would be better with the ag tires. On my 422 I have the turf tires and they give excellent traction in most conditions. What are you planning on mowing should influence your choice of tires. Lawn , I would go with the turf, if you are planning on mowing rough areas with brush probably the ag would be better. See my 2 pt's with different tires.

Thanks. Do you ever take the 422 down the steep slopes? How does is do?

 

[American Bulldog]

I have an 1850 with the dual bar tires. They are very easy on the grass particularly because the tractor steers by articulating. Sitting still and turning back and forth (like when grinding a stump) is what is hardest on the lawn. You get some compaction if the ground is soft.

I use my tractor often with just single wheels instead of duals. It takes 10 minutes to switch (if you really hussle, 5 minutes). The biggest reason i use duals is for wet ground.

Ken

So it sounds like you would recommend the bar tires. I guess if they won't mess up the grass, they are probably better. I know some tractor manufacturers do bars on the outside and turfs on the inside. Don't know what that does or if you can even do it on a PT....

 

[American Bulldog]

Welcome AB. I tried a zero turn on our fields once and it was indeed a sled ride even on dry ground. Moss and other can attest to single wheel versions of the PT and I'm but a newbie on the dualies but imho they are the cat's meow on slopes. 27 degrees is not nuthin...

Yeah I would imagine that the single wheels would probably work. If they are so easy to convert, it sounds like duals is the better way to go if I have the money.

 

[ernemats]

I often take the 422 down the steeper slopes with no problems, the only time it could become much of an issue is if there was ice, real wet mud or snow , now going up is sometimes a problem due to lack of power and if the tractor is hot it becomes more of an issue. On my 1845 I usually keep the dual wheels on as it makes it a lot more stable going across hillsides which I usually do mowing.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I believe that the 1400 series is rated at 30 or 35 degrees. Beyond that you slide first... PT has a very low center of gravity. This said, I love dualies. It is emotional much more than practical.

I run with bar tires on all 8, but my inside tires are off of a skid steer type setup, and the outside are more balloon.

on a PT they recommend lower the pressure pretty far, but then the issue of rolling off the rim comes up.

If you know how to turn a wrench and are not afraid of getting a little oil on you they are a great machine, very versatile. But if you are not mechanically inclined I would not recommend it. It is not that they are unreliable (the are not, but they are hydraulic and the factory fit and finish tend to be not well supervised), but they do not have any local support. You must do your own servicing, or find someone who would be so inclined.

Carl

 

[smartguyz]

I have a 425, and some parts of my lawn are pretty steep. I need to actually measure it, so I can't give you a solid number at this point. Let's just say the 'pucker factor' tilt meter built into our bodies starts to register on that section of the lawn.

The bar tires will tear the turf if the turf is wet and if I try and move the 425 too quickly. Even today, when I was mowing, it left a couple of marks, but they were pretty small, and I'll bet they will be gone in 1 week. I went with bars because I want max safety, and I think the lawn will recover from whatever the bars take out of it. After 7 years, I still think I'm right.

Your mileage may vary.

-Rob