Dakar
Bronze Member
Well, it was a long trip, but everything went smooth and the new 425 is home. Spending 33 out of 60 hours on the road isn't as easy as it used to be. Also, a warning for anyone approaching Tazewell from the southwest: do NOT take route 65 as a shortcut! That road goes over the mountains rather than around them, and the switchbacks are so tight you can see your trailer out the side windows. That 35 mile stretch took nearly 90 minutes.
Once we got to Tazewell, everything went great, other than a little rain interupting the testing. I showed incredible restraint, and only added on a set of solid wheels for the mower decks. A little pricey at $47, but they appear to be good quality. It appears that nothing has been changed since Pairodime brought his home, except that they have added springs under the treadles that help to bring them back to the 'neutral' position when you take your feet off of them. They seem to be undecided if that will become a standard feature or an option. The guys there seem to think it works better without them, but after trying their demo model without the springs, and mine with them, I like the springs.
I got home late Friday afternoon, and got it unloaded and did some practicing with each implement and then put it away for the night. Saturday I got out and mowed part of the backyard, then decided I couldn't wait to try out the brush mower, so I switched over and got two swaths around the pasture when the rain started. Rained the rest of the day of course. Now I am just waiting and hoping the sun comes out so I can get a little more seat time.
I have not graduated to the digital camera yet, so no pictures, but I will try to get a friend to come over and take a couple so I can post them for the fun of it. Oh, and Mossroad, you will be proud to know that Scott at PT actually recommends your site as a reference for maintenance.
Once we got to Tazewell, everything went great, other than a little rain interupting the testing. I showed incredible restraint, and only added on a set of solid wheels for the mower decks. A little pricey at $47, but they appear to be good quality. It appears that nothing has been changed since Pairodime brought his home, except that they have added springs under the treadles that help to bring them back to the 'neutral' position when you take your feet off of them. They seem to be undecided if that will become a standard feature or an option. The guys there seem to think it works better without them, but after trying their demo model without the springs, and mine with them, I like the springs.
I got home late Friday afternoon, and got it unloaded and did some practicing with each implement and then put it away for the night. Saturday I got out and mowed part of the backyard, then decided I couldn't wait to try out the brush mower, so I switched over and got two swaths around the pasture when the rain started. Rained the rest of the day of course. Now I am just waiting and hoping the sun comes out so I can get a little more seat time.
I have not graduated to the digital camera yet, so no pictures, but I will try to get a friend to come over and take a couple so I can post them for the fun of it. Oh, and Mossroad, you will be proud to know that Scott at PT actually recommends your site as a reference for maintenance.
