OK,
Just a few impressions and comments here (FWIW).
I've spent some time on several occasions talking to Terry, both on the phone and in person. I think he's a good guy who tries to balance his loyalties to his employer with giving his best advice to his customers. There are times when I disagree with his advice, but those instances are a matter of opinion and interpretation. I trust Terry to try to help me keep my PT working well.
On the subject of lubricating mower bearings, we're getting into a can of worms. Yes, PT uses sealed bearings. No, sealed bearings aren't supposed to need lubrication...
However - based on my observations of my 60" finish mower, it ain't that simple.
Those sealed bearings are designed to hold up well when installed with the proper endplay and/or preload. PT's manufacturing tolerances aren't extremely precise. The tolerance stackup on the blade quill spindles and housings seems to run outside of the bearing tolerances.
That's where the grease comes in. If things are a little tight, some extra grease might provide a little extra lubrication under the higher bearing loads. If things are a little loose, the extra grease might help keep thigs from rattling themselves apart too soon.
Is that really good engineering? Nope. Is that the way the big boys (like Cat or Bobcat or Komatsu) would do it? Nope. Does PT provide useful manuals like the big boys do? Nope. Does a PT cost what a Cat or Bobcat or Komatsu costs?
NOPE!
I don't know about you guys, but I bought a PT because it does a "good enough" job for the money. There are some other machines that do some things better, and some that do a few things a lot better - but they all cost a LOT more. A lot of that commercial/industrial/professional stuff seems to cost 3 - 10 times as much.
If I were using it full-out on a daily basis to make my living, that might be worth considering. Here's a parable for you:
When I was a full-time auto mechanic, some Snap-On tools made some sense - I used them REALLY HARD every day under conditions that would have bent or broken Craftsman tools, much less Harbor Freight tools. I was working hard and fast. Lesser tools would have cost me productivity and possibly injuries.
I'm not turning wrenches for a living anymore. It's really not a big deal if it takes me 10% longer to remove a shock absorber. I don't need to put a 3 foot cheater pipe on a 1/2" breaker bar in order to beat flat rate.
When I was doing that stuff for a living, I needed Snap-On. It was maybe 10-50% better at 300-1000% more cost, but I HAD to have that 10-50%.
Nowadays, I don't need Snap-On. I also don't need Cat, Bobcat, or Komatsu.
PT provides a tool that lets me do what I need to do. It's got plenty of flaws and weak points, but it's still good enough to get the job done. Everything else that can do the job costs so much that I can't afford it. If I can't afford it, it won't get the job done.
I've had my PT for about 4 years now. I've learned a lot since then. I've dealt with some disappointing problems. I've seen some cool new machines appear on the market. I haven't seen anything else that would do the same jobs for anywhere near the price. I'd buy one again.
Gravy
