New PT425 and Trip

[woodlandfarms]

24" is a big head. Check to make sure the drill can do it. I have a 24. Love it for trees. One thing I did was add a longer point to help auger on slopes.

 

[Impulse]

I was using the dirt bucket with teeth today and it kept stalling out ....turning completly off..... and I would have a hard time restarting each time it stalled. I think what I was doing maybe, was pushing down on the forward treddle too much in an attempt to push through the packed down gravel surrounding a gravel pile i have behind a building for filling holes in the parking lot. The same thing happened when i pushed against a 3 to 4 inch sapling. Is the stalling typical?

Is it common that you have a rough time starting it? I bought mine in April and also have the Subaru engine. Even the first night I had it home, I shut it off and had a hard time starting it back up again. I have a post on here about my issue, but long story short, there was a square o-ring in the carb that was allowing fuel to sneak around the float/needle valve. I really noticed the issue when I forgot to close the fuel shut-off one night and the next day I had a crankcase full of fuel.

If by chance my issue wasn't a one-off and affects your carb as well, the repair cost me about $6 by getting the grab bag fuel-resistant o-rings from Autozone. Since I replaced that o-ring, it runs like a beast.

I've stalled mine only a couple times, but I think that as you get more seat time, you get quicker on the treadle and know when to back off a bit. I absolutely love this machine.

Don't forget that at 15 hours, you do your first oil, oil filter, hydraulic filter change then every 50 after that.

 

[bol4fun]

It seems to be starting better. In this case, I think a lot of it has to do with just getting to know the machine. My son and I got out to use the 24" auger several days ago. LOL, I tried first in some hard ground (very little rain all summer), and it wasn't pretty. I screwed around for over 30 minutes maybe on the first hole. My son tried setting the emergency brake and did the next two in about 10 minutes each. Went out yesterday after some rain and my son dug three holes in really fast. He's the man. I guess there is a learning curve on everything in this world. Going out this afternoon to dig some smaller 9" holes and play with the tiller for a while. I tried the tiller behind my work building on some pretty bumpy ground so anxious to try it on something more level and smooth. Looks like it is going to take a little practice too. 5 hours on it so far.

 

[cqaigy2]

Good to hear your have some quality time on your PT. A little moisture in the ground sure does help when your trying to get post holes into it.

 

[SpringHollow]

If it was a dry spell, I used to pour a bucket of water on the post location the day before.

 

[ponytug]

I usually till in two or three passes, depending on how hard the soil is. If it is rocky, I do the first pass going forward, with the tiller rotated backward, so that it is spraying some dirt forward. The rocks get tossed forward and are easy to collect and remove. I do the second pass in reverse, with the tiller rotated all the way toward me, and as deep as possible. If it goes to full depth, I'm done. If not, I do a third pass at full depth in reverse (no tire tracks).

If it has been dry, I will bet that you will be happier if you water it enough to dampen the soil to depth.

I also mow/mulch ground cover first- less gets would up in the tiller and it composts faster. I sharpen the tines occasionally to help with tilling roots and ground cover, but it doesn't make a big difference for me.

All the best,

Peter

 

[bol4fun]

The only accessory I haven't used yet is the minihoe and I have a few small stumps I just can't wait to practice on.
My son used the tiller to level out about 400 sq ft of what looks like someone made a lot of small piles of dirt and rock on top of the beautiful grass that used to be there when I had the place 8 years ago. Anyhow, he just took his time backing through the piles and gradually knocking the tops down until he finally got it pretty well leveled off. He sure is a lot better on it than me. I think maybe the tiller started to overheat toward the end cause the machine was doing all kinds of weird little things.....Very little power.... kind of a tinny clanking on a reg. basis sounding toward the front in front of the steering wheel????. We turned it off and let it set for 15-20 min. and switched over to the 9" auger bit. It was awesome. I made about an 140' row of regularly marked little branches pounded into the ground about every 10 ft and he just drove straight down the row digging 24 to 30" holes. He was done in no time.....in fact, he basically was keeping up with me as I measured and pounded in the little branches. Loving this thing big time.

 

[coolconnection]

Well check your emergency brake. If your moving and you hear the clicking from the front it could be that it is partly engaged. Just move the lever up or down.

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah, I've heard those parking brake pins clanking against the metal brake gear many times. For a long time I had no sweet spot to make the parking brake lever work well... I either tightened it too much and couldn't engage/disengage the brake, or I'd loosen it too much and the break wouldn't set, allowing the pins to rub the gear and engage. Finally got it right. Had to adjust it maybe 10 times in the past 16 years.

 

[BobRip]

I made a lever/ cam to hold it off. I pull the lever aside to let it go on. Works great.