Mowing New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?'s

[Tang]

New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?\'s

Hello PT owners,

I'm new to the tractorbynet community but I've been lurking for many months soaking up all the information I possibly can.

My wife and I have been pursuing the purchase of a home with room to roam over the last 6 months and have recently purchased our dream home situated on 10.5 acres (n. central Ohio). The land is a mixture of 3-4 acres finished lawn (fairly decent with some rough areas) 3-4 acres rough unkept meadow, a pond, creek, old large barn, and a few other smaller structures. The land has a few gently rolling hills, no significant grades, many different trees in all sizes, and other than mowing the lawn, the previous homeowner didn't do much maintenance of the land.

From the reading I've done here, my story is similar to others - start out by researching the name brands (Kubota, JD, etc) stumble across the Power Trac and become intrigued about the possibilities.

As of right now, I know I'll need to do the following at the new property (listed in what I think will be the most to least use):

1. Finish mowing weekly
2. Rough cut mowing several times each year
Misc loader work (mulch, gravel, dirt)
3. Snow removal w/ blade
4. Gravel driveway maintenance
5. Post hole digging

I grew up cutting 2+ acres with an old 16 HP Wheel Horse w/ a 42" cut. The cut was fine but it was easily 3-4 hours spent cutting the yard. After the kids left, my Dad upgraded to a JD F535 w/ 48" cut and he easily shaved 1 to 1.5 hours of mowing time. I think the PT would probably fall some place between these two mower types (could be completely wrong having never used one). So, my questions regarding mowing are:

1. How does the PT mow compared to a conventional riding lawn mower w/MMM? (speed, quality of cut, etc.)
2. For those w/ 60" finish mowers, do you have any problems with scalping on uneven surfaces?
3. Any concerns when mowing areas with lots of trees?
4. I'm also considering the idea of buying a dedicated mower (z-turn ?) and then buying a used CUT w/ loader for everything else. This would reduce mowing time but my preference is having only one machine to maintain. Is this a better option than the PT since my primary use would be finish mowing?

Sorry if this is a little long as I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions as I go through the decision making process.

Thanks in advance for any input!
Shane

 

[KentT]

Re: New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?\'s

I haven't done a lot of finish mowing with mine, since I have two other garden tractors with 48" decks that I use....

However, a PT should mow at least as fast as any SCUT/CUT with the same width cutting deck since the limitation is the bumpy ride, not the "top speed" capability of the tractor. In addition the PT is much more maneuverable for mowing around trees, flower beds, etc., and the front mounting allows you to easily mow underneath overhanging bushes, shrubs, etc.

I suggest you view the mowing movies on MossRoad's site. Click the animated icon on any of his posts, or go to his profile for the link.

 

[MuncyBob]

Re: New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?\'s

Welcome to the world of the PT or more recently known as the MUT. I would estimate the time to mow 2 acres with my 422 and 48" deck to be anywhere from 45 mnutes to 1.25 hours depending on the obstacles to mow around and the slope of the terrain. I mow apprx 3.5 acres weekly and an additional 1.5 acres once per month. The finish cut is decent...I'm sure higher end dedicated mowers will do better but for me the cut is good enough.
I also decided on the PT to only have 1 machine to maintain and store. So far(approaching 200 hours) I'm all smiles /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
We have horses so loading the smelly stuff is a regular occurance, my only regret here is not getting the larger LM bucket...and sometime the additional lift hight would be useful but I have worked around that.
Your property sounds like a dream come true...I've found that it's a lot of continual work keeping any sizable property in good shape....so a tractor that can do it all is a must!!

Good luck in your decision!!

 

[MossRoad]

Re: New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?\'s

Welcome to TBN! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I have a 2001 model PT425 with the 60" finish mower. I really like it. I have mowed 1 acre in about 20 minutes, but that was driving at the highest speed and the grass was thin and I didn't trim around any of the bushes or trees. Realistically, I mow our 1 acre and do all the trimming around the bushes, trees and flower beds in about 35 minutes. I take my time and do it right. I think the quality of the cut is great.

There are a few, short, grainy videos of our finish mower and our brush mower in action on my website. Just click my little animated tractor in my signature and that will take you there. Then click on the VIDEOS page link and enjoy! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

In the spring my lawn is thick and lush. Before the drought hits, it looks like this. Very thick and a good test for a mower.

Here's a picture of my lawn before cutting(2002).
And here's a picture of my lawn after cutting(2002).

I think that's acceptable. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Piedmont3]

Re: New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?\'s

Hello, and welcome to TBN. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I have a 2005 model PT-425, I mow 5 acres of gently rolling ground weekly.
It was pasture before we built our house, it is rough ground, it will bounce you out of the seat if you don't have the seatbelt on. I mow it as fast as I can stand and on the next to the lowest setting on the 60" finish mower.
I don't have any problems scalping the ground.
I do have problems with the solid back wheels on the finish mower. I seem to bend one or the other of the bolts that are axles once a month. maybe I am mowing to fast, or turning to sharp and fast, or maybe it is just the rough ground I am mowing.
I am trying to diagnose and solve this problem... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
for now I just have a half dozen extra replacements and swap out the ones I bend or break.
It takes me about 3.5 or 4 hours to mow the 5 acres. and trim around the house, shop, and driveway and usually about 85% or 90% of a tank of gas.

 

[MossRoad]

Re: New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?\'s

That is odd. I would think the wheels would break before the bolts. Are you mowing with the joystick in "float"? Are all the pivot points free to swivel? Should we start another thread on this subject? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Piedmont3]

Re: New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?\'s

MossRoad
I started a new thread, I didn't mean to hijack this one.
Sorry /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[pajoube]

Re: New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?\'s

Welcome, your on the right track to ask these questions before buying.
I have the 60 inch mower and really like it. I have all types of surface areas to mow. I always use the float which works very well and never have had problem with scalping. I also use the finish mower to mulch leaves in the fall. I have 4 very large trees in the front which drop a foot high amount of leaves. Going over them twice leaves a perfect mulch for the winter. I did design all tree planting, walls, paths, etc. so that I could mow around each one without getting off the mower or backing up.
Hope you get the answers you need. I love my PowerTrac and with each type CUT there will always be some attachments that could use more work but then nothing is perfect. What the heck, we need to talk about something here on this forum /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
PJ

 

[BillCroasmun]

Re: New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?\'s

Welcome!
Your not that far from me at all. I live in Edinburg and work in the Green/Uniontown area. I can't help with some of the 4xx specific questions but I can offer you a ride on the PT-180.

You can see how the PTs ride and handle and how the quick attach system works and about 85% of the general design is the same, just better and bigger components. I think it is the same tub and driving characteristics and comfort should all be close to the same. I can even show you the work I've done with it on my 3.25 acres so you can see what even the smallest in the family can do. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My mower is different (large single blade type) but you can get a feel for the construction as well as the handling and I also have the LMB (which I used for snow removal) and a tiller. I have some smooth yard, rough yard, and untouched field so you can get a feel for the ride in multiple environments. Just shoot me off a private message if you want to set up a time to come see.

 

[Tang]

Re: New member - PT 422/425 finish mower ?\'s

Thanks to all for the additional information. Your answers confirm most of what I was thining!

My primary focus when considering the PT for mowing is ease of use, manuverability around objects, and efficiency. I'd like something that provides a decent cut but I'm not looking for putting green perfection. Based on the pictures from MossRoad and the videos on his website (btw, thanks for maintaining your site, it is fantastic!) I believe the PT would work well for my mowing needs. It's also good to hear that scalping w/ the 60" deck is not a problem.

Bill, thanks for the offer to come see your PT-180 in action. I have a few siblings that live in the Akron area so it wouldn't be too far to Edinburg when visiting them. Since we are still in the process of selling our current home (in the Cincinnati area) and making the move, I'm still many months from making my tractor purchase. I'll touch base as I get closer to decision making time.

Thanks again to all for the information. More questions to follow...