Sedgewood
Platinum Member
My new 1845 has been here a week and I'm starting this thread to offer up my customization thoughts on this so far impressively capable machine.
Power Trac 1845 customizations
- Thread starter Sedgewood
- Start date
- Views: 1954
Box Blade
I decided after looking at the PT box blade that I needed something heavier to handle my long driveway maintenance needs. I looked at a couple of brands at local implement dealers and decided on a Bush Hog SBX series. The dealer had an SBX720 6ft in stock and my first impression was that it was just too big and intimidating for the 1845. So I ordered up a 5ft and later in the day as I was working with the 6ft rake I got thinking it was going to be important to have the blade wider than the 5ft wheel track so I decided to cancel the order & take the 6ft model. I have no experience with a box blade so its been tough trying to get to the right decision. This turned to be the right one. I then had the dealer weld on a quick attach plate which I'll have to photograph. I turns out the Bush Hog 3ph "tower" for the top link rises from the lower links at nearly the same slope as the beveled upper sides as the PT quick attach plate and the width is just right. It's a nearly perfect fit and a simple weld up. If anyone is looking for a box blade this series is worth checking out for this reason alone.
Wow, I should have had a box blade years ago - I've been struggling with grading with the FEL on my 484 all these years. What a pleasure it is to grade with this thing - especially with it up front where I can see what's going on. This model weighs about 550 lbs and I think I've already decided a couple of hundred extra lbs would make it grade more smoothly in float.
I decided after looking at the PT box blade that I needed something heavier to handle my long driveway maintenance needs. I looked at a couple of brands at local implement dealers and decided on a Bush Hog SBX series. The dealer had an SBX720 6ft in stock and my first impression was that it was just too big and intimidating for the 1845. So I ordered up a 5ft and later in the day as I was working with the 6ft rake I got thinking it was going to be important to have the blade wider than the 5ft wheel track so I decided to cancel the order & take the 6ft model. I have no experience with a box blade so its been tough trying to get to the right decision. This turned to be the right one. I then had the dealer weld on a quick attach plate which I'll have to photograph. I turns out the Bush Hog 3ph "tower" for the top link rises from the lower links at nearly the same slope as the beveled upper sides as the PT quick attach plate and the width is just right. It's a nearly perfect fit and a simple weld up. If anyone is looking for a box blade this series is worth checking out for this reason alone.
Wow, I should have had a box blade years ago - I've been struggling with grading with the FEL on my 484 all these years. What a pleasure it is to grade with this thing - especially with it up front where I can see what's going on. This model weighs about 550 lbs and I think I've already decided a couple of hundred extra lbs would make it grade more smoothly in float.
6ft Rake
When I ordered the rake with my 1845 it was the one attachment I was most unsure of for its usefulness. My first project with it has been to drag debris, branches out of the ditches along my driveway. It works great. But for one major problem. With my low-on-the-learning curve skill set I've managed more than once to jamb the tines down on a rock rather than float it down and quickly bent a few. A trip to the local implement dealer turned up some much heavier tines (for a hay rake I think) with 3/8 dia wire instead of 1/4 and about 18 inches long instead of 9. I replaced the 20 original tines with 10 of these giving me 4 inch tine spacing instead of 2 inch. Some limited testing makes me think I'll add the other 10 to get better control over the finer debris but in general it works much much better with the longer tines and I have yet to bend one. I do have yet to perfect the mounting arrangement to keep them from rotating about the bolts and loosing their alignment - more on that later when I get it worked out.
Anybody want some spare 9 inch tines for the cost of postage?
When I ordered the rake with my 1845 it was the one attachment I was most unsure of for its usefulness. My first project with it has been to drag debris, branches out of the ditches along my driveway. It works great. But for one major problem. With my low-on-the-learning curve skill set I've managed more than once to jamb the tines down on a rock rather than float it down and quickly bent a few. A trip to the local implement dealer turned up some much heavier tines (for a hay rake I think) with 3/8 dia wire instead of 1/4 and about 18 inches long instead of 9. I replaced the 20 original tines with 10 of these giving me 4 inch tine spacing instead of 2 inch. Some limited testing makes me think I'll add the other 10 to get better control over the finer debris but in general it works much much better with the longer tines and I have yet to bend one. I do have yet to perfect the mounting arrangement to keep them from rotating about the bolts and loosing their alignment - more on that later when I get it worked out.
Anybody want some spare 9 inch tines for the cost of postage?
pajoube
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2001
- Messages
- 2,225
- Location
- Montana (Near Bozeman)
- Tractor
- Former Owner PowerTrac 425 (September 2003)
Re: Box Blade
Congratulations on your new PT1845. Will be interested in seeing your pictures, be sure to take many. Also after you get more seat time please keep us updated.
PJ
Congratulations on your new PT1845. Will be interested in seeing your pictures, be sure to take many. Also after you get more seat time please keep us updated.
PJ
Lift & Curl fine adjustment
Or rather the lack thereof. As with my old 484 FEL, I find I'm having a hard time making fine adjustments to the FEL or other attachment positioning on the fly. If I stop the tractor and get focused I can feather it ok, but if I'm moving I just can't get it tweaked just right on-the-fly as it were. What about some kind of a parallel circuit for the hydraulic feed to the valve body that would restrict flow giving a sort of micro adjustment feature? Controlled by a stick mounted momentary thumb switch to a solenoid? Has anyone tried this? Are there better valve bodies that are easier to micro control? This is one improvement that would make quite an impact on my efficiency I think.
Or rather the lack thereof. As with my old 484 FEL, I find I'm having a hard time making fine adjustments to the FEL or other attachment positioning on the fly. If I stop the tractor and get focused I can feather it ok, but if I'm moving I just can't get it tweaked just right on-the-fly as it were. What about some kind of a parallel circuit for the hydraulic feed to the valve body that would restrict flow giving a sort of micro adjustment feature? Controlled by a stick mounted momentary thumb switch to a solenoid? Has anyone tried this? Are there better valve bodies that are easier to micro control? This is one improvement that would make quite an impact on my efficiency I think.
gerard
Veteran Member
Re: Lift & Curl fine adjustment
I've got a simpler idea that MIGHT work. My loader control has a metal cutout "flap" that you can flip down. It limits the motion of the joystick so it can't move. It's basically a lockout device that is just a flat piece of metal with a slit cut in it big enough for the joystick to slip into but not big enough to allow extra movement. If you made that slit a little bigger to allow SOME movement, you would accomplish what you described. It bascially would physically limit the range of motion of the joystick to permit SOME flow but not full flow. walla - micro control!!!
I've got a simpler idea that MIGHT work. My loader control has a metal cutout "flap" that you can flip down. It limits the motion of the joystick so it can't move. It's basically a lockout device that is just a flat piece of metal with a slit cut in it big enough for the joystick to slip into but not big enough to allow extra movement. If you made that slit a little bigger to allow SOME movement, you would accomplish what you described. It bascially would physically limit the range of motion of the joystick to permit SOME flow but not full flow. walla - micro control!!!
Charlie_Iliff
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2001
- Messages
- 1,890
- Location
- Arnold, MD
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT1845, John Deere 2240, John Deere 950, John Deere 755, Jacobsen Turf Cat II
John:
Looks as if you're having as much fun with your 1845 as I am.
The box blade mod looks great. Some day I'll probably do that, but it's a bit down the list. I look forward to more reports on the rake. I don't have one, but am considering it. The rake might be a bit aggressive for lawn work, which would be my primary application. I hope you can post some pictures of yours, as modified, and some description of applications it's turned out to be good for.
For feathering the lift and curl, I've found the easiest thing for me has been to reduce throttle, thus flow. It makes it a lot less abrupt, although you can still get pressure, just more slowly.
Did you get the tilt seat? If so, watch for interference between the throttle cable and the connectors to the seat solenoid. I also ran a separate ground wire tying the negative battery pole to lugs in the rear and front frame sections, with a wire to the ground lug attached to the seat back. I think I had some intermittent ground faults, leading to some jerky behavior that seems to be smooth now (15 minutes test only, however.) The tilt seat is sort of neat, but I don't really need it, and wouldn't have bought it as an option. I got mine before they priced that, the strobe and fire extinguisher separately.
Looks as if you're having as much fun with your 1845 as I am.
The box blade mod looks great. Some day I'll probably do that, but it's a bit down the list. I look forward to more reports on the rake. I don't have one, but am considering it. The rake might be a bit aggressive for lawn work, which would be my primary application. I hope you can post some pictures of yours, as modified, and some description of applications it's turned out to be good for.
For feathering the lift and curl, I've found the easiest thing for me has been to reduce throttle, thus flow. It makes it a lot less abrupt, although you can still get pressure, just more slowly.
Did you get the tilt seat? If so, watch for interference between the throttle cable and the connectors to the seat solenoid. I also ran a separate ground wire tying the negative battery pole to lugs in the rear and front frame sections, with a wire to the ground lug attached to the seat back. I think I had some intermittent ground faults, leading to some jerky behavior that seems to be smooth now (15 minutes test only, however.) The tilt seat is sort of neat, but I don't really need it, and wouldn't have bought it as an option. I got mine before they priced that, the strobe and fire extinguisher separately.
<font color=red>Looks as if you're having as much fun with your 1845 as I am.</font color=red>
Charlie if I'm not then you're having way too much fun for a growed up person!!
<font color=red>The rake might be a bit aggressive for lawn work, which would be my primary application.</font color=red>
I think so. I think it would rip up the sod pretty badly. The closest I get to lawn is what the Bush Hog leaves behind, and now of course the much much better job done by the roughcut mower. More on that later. I'm using mine to clean ditches, rake the trash off an area I Bush Hogged last year, push fallen limbs off the fields, etc. I'll try to get some pictures in a few days.
<font color=red>For feathering the lift and curl, I've found the easiest thing for me has been to reduce throttle, thus flow. It makes it a lot less abrupt, although you can still get pressure, just more slowly.</font color=red>
Yes, slower helps, and I'm getting better at it. It may be I just need to slow down a bit, take this PT life at a more leisurely pace, given all the extra time the increased productivity of the thing gives me. But there's just SO much FUN I can't wait to have!
<font color=red>Did you get the tilt seat?</font color=red>
No. My thinking was that $900 was a bit much to invest to make 10% of my seat time more comfortable. The deal was a stretch for me anyway and the $900 I think is better spent on the box blade. The seat can come later perhaps. The strobe I would like since this thing is a bit slow over the road.
Charlie if I'm not then you're having way too much fun for a growed up person!!
<font color=red>The rake might be a bit aggressive for lawn work, which would be my primary application.</font color=red>
I think so. I think it would rip up the sod pretty badly. The closest I get to lawn is what the Bush Hog leaves behind, and now of course the much much better job done by the roughcut mower. More on that later. I'm using mine to clean ditches, rake the trash off an area I Bush Hogged last year, push fallen limbs off the fields, etc. I'll try to get some pictures in a few days.
<font color=red>For feathering the lift and curl, I've found the easiest thing for me has been to reduce throttle, thus flow. It makes it a lot less abrupt, although you can still get pressure, just more slowly.</font color=red>
Yes, slower helps, and I'm getting better at it. It may be I just need to slow down a bit, take this PT life at a more leisurely pace, given all the extra time the increased productivity of the thing gives me. But there's just SO much FUN I can't wait to have!
<font color=red>Did you get the tilt seat?</font color=red>
No. My thinking was that $900 was a bit much to invest to make 10% of my seat time more comfortable. The deal was a stretch for me anyway and the $900 I think is better spent on the box blade. The seat can come later perhaps. The strobe I would like since this thing is a bit slow over the road.
Roughcut Mower
I put about three hours on the roughcut mower yesterday. Wow. This thing just pulverizes multiflora rose, which I'm seriously infested with here. Most of what I did was brush hog type stuff. I cleared some areas in a young open woods area. The maneuverability and fine positioning control is just amazing after 35 years of looking over my shoulder watching my Bush Hog crashing around skinning trees and cutting things I wanted to leave. Gotta watch those flailing rose wands though now that I'm right down at their level and close up too. It'll cut hardwoods up to about 1-1/2 inches and I'm not sure how it might do in a thick tight clump of brush. Probably not well; even the Bush Hog has trouble with that. Not being able to attack those clumps is a small tradeoff for the up front maneuverability and finer cut of the roughcut. To say nothing of the major difference in physical wear and tear on this getting older body saved by not having to brake, clutch, and shift constantly. I'm impressed.
I took a look under the mower and saw once again that the stump jumpers have holes for four blades. Why? Would there be some advantage to having four rather than two blades? Would four blades stress the hydraulic motor too much? Does anyone have a comment?
Oh, and in light of MossRoads cautioning post elsewhere to beware of hot hoses when disconnecting the mower, I felt of them when I stopped after my 3 hours of mowing. They were barely warm. When the tractor first arrived I hooked up the mower and took it for a short maybe 5 minute test run after which the hoses were too hot to touch. The only difference I can think of, other than the 3 hours of running/breakin time is that as I recall the 5 minute test was run at about half throttle and while the whole 3 hours was not at full throttle the last half hour or so was. My knowledge of hydraulics is sketchy at best. Is there a loss of efficiency in the hydraulic motor that might account for the part throttle heating? Does the fact that the tractor now has close to 30 hours on it also contribute to the cooler running oil? And what is the correct throttle setting for the mower anyway, and the tractor in general? Power Trac apparently assumes we know all this stuff and offers no tutorial in the manual.
I'm running out of question marks - that's enough questions for now.
I put about three hours on the roughcut mower yesterday. Wow. This thing just pulverizes multiflora rose, which I'm seriously infested with here. Most of what I did was brush hog type stuff. I cleared some areas in a young open woods area. The maneuverability and fine positioning control is just amazing after 35 years of looking over my shoulder watching my Bush Hog crashing around skinning trees and cutting things I wanted to leave. Gotta watch those flailing rose wands though now that I'm right down at their level and close up too. It'll cut hardwoods up to about 1-1/2 inches and I'm not sure how it might do in a thick tight clump of brush. Probably not well; even the Bush Hog has trouble with that. Not being able to attack those clumps is a small tradeoff for the up front maneuverability and finer cut of the roughcut. To say nothing of the major difference in physical wear and tear on this getting older body saved by not having to brake, clutch, and shift constantly. I'm impressed.
I took a look under the mower and saw once again that the stump jumpers have holes for four blades. Why? Would there be some advantage to having four rather than two blades? Would four blades stress the hydraulic motor too much? Does anyone have a comment?
Oh, and in light of MossRoads cautioning post elsewhere to beware of hot hoses when disconnecting the mower, I felt of them when I stopped after my 3 hours of mowing. They were barely warm. When the tractor first arrived I hooked up the mower and took it for a short maybe 5 minute test run after which the hoses were too hot to touch. The only difference I can think of, other than the 3 hours of running/breakin time is that as I recall the 5 minute test was run at about half throttle and while the whole 3 hours was not at full throttle the last half hour or so was. My knowledge of hydraulics is sketchy at best. Is there a loss of efficiency in the hydraulic motor that might account for the part throttle heating? Does the fact that the tractor now has close to 30 hours on it also contribute to the cooler running oil? And what is the correct throttle setting for the mower anyway, and the tractor in general? Power Trac apparently assumes we know all this stuff and offers no tutorial in the manual.
I'm running out of question marks - that's enough questions for now.
Charlie_Iliff
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2001
- Messages
- 1,890
- Location
- Arnold, MD
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT1845, John Deere 2240, John Deere 950, John Deere 755, Jacobsen Turf Cat II
<font color=red>The seat can come later perhaps. The strobe I would like since this thing is a bit slow over the road. </font color=red>
I doubt you'll opt for the seat. Although it does increase comfort on slopes when it is properly set up, I'd advise not operating on anything where you'd be uneasy in the fixed seat. The 40 degree stuff is for someone else, and you avoid the need for an electrical circuit or two and another hydraulic system.
The lights are something else again. If you got their strobe, you wouldn't have the wonderful challenge of installing a truly good set of working and hazard lights. Read Mark Chalkleys description of his Chalkleyized system on the EF-5. You'll want one.
(I'm not going to be working much at night, and the rear is visible because of the strobe, so that mod is way down my expanding list. But when you get yours installed, I may copy all or part.)
I doubt you'll opt for the seat. Although it does increase comfort on slopes when it is properly set up, I'd advise not operating on anything where you'd be uneasy in the fixed seat. The 40 degree stuff is for someone else, and you avoid the need for an electrical circuit or two and another hydraulic system.
The lights are something else again. If you got their strobe, you wouldn't have the wonderful challenge of installing a truly good set of working and hazard lights. Read Mark Chalkleys description of his Chalkleyized system on the EF-5. You'll want one.
(I'm not going to be working much at night, and the rear is visible because of the strobe, so that mod is way down my expanding list. But when you get yours installed, I may copy all or part.)
Here are some similar links:
