PowerTrac Customizations

[Charlie_Iliff]

Re: PowerTrac Hook-em Up

Paul:
Everything I have assembled would be a bit too big for the 425. The quick attach plate is bigger.The length of the Lackender hoe would be too much. I posted a note to MossRoad, however, about the CatDigger on the Cadplans list. It is 4' long, I think, which would fit the 425 nicely. The outside 4' of any backhoe would work, I think, if you cut it off and welded on the quick attach plate, retaining only the bucket, end of the arm and cylinder. Similarly, my 4 in 1 bucket is 505 lb., but it is 60" heavy duty. WR Long can build smaller and lighter, as can other suppliers. The important thing is that with the Power Trac you are starting with really strong front lift equipment, lift and curl for the bucket or to act as the boom for the hoe, and the auxiliary PTO already set up to run the bucket or hoe hydraulics.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Re: PowerTrac Hook-em Up

"<font color=orange>Charlie, can you show in a picture how you attached the hitch to the plate? From the one picture it appears you have some type of pin set or is the hitch welded to the plate?
</font color=orange>"
Paul:
Sorry I missed your question last night. We started with the standard Power Trac quick attach plate. A 2" receiver ($19.95 from a trailer supply company) was welded end to the plate at about the center. We then added some flat stock with holes, thus bracing the receiver and providing attachment for the two bottom hooks and the side shackles.
Finally, the multiple ball and pin hitch is an off the shelf purchase. It is held in with the standard pin through the 2" receiver. We can use that insert either on the front or the back, where we welded the receiver a couple of weeks ago. In fact, the multiple ball hitch can also be used in the pickup truck to pull a trailer with the Power Trac on top.
Sorry no picture of the separate insert. My photos are limited since I don't have my own digital camera and haven't gone to the trouble of taking film pictures.

 

[pajoube]

Re: PowerTrac Hook-em Up

Charlie,
Thanks for the update regarding the hitch, I have a good idea now of what you have put together.
Hate to be a copy-cat, but plan on doing the same based on your experience.
Your humor regarding the top was great.
Paul

 

[pajoube]

MossRoad,
Did you put the additional lights on the ROPS?
Also, have you or anyone else looked into a chipper that would hook into the hydraulic's on the front end?
Notice that PT has a winch, did you happen to see this when you visited PT?
Paul

 

[MossRoad]

The weather still hasn't been nice enough to remove the ROPS and install the light brackets. They are cut to size, just waiting for a few good days in the 50's.

I have a line in at several lawn and garden shops in the area looking for a chipper/shredder with a blown motor that no one wants to repair. I'd like to convert it to hydraulic. It might be a while. The shops all tell me that with all of the damage from the tornados last October and the ice storm in January, people are getting them repaired, rather than junking them. I can wait. I inspected our property after each bout of bad weather and, fortunately, we had little damage. Some stuff that was already down in the big woods just came down a little sooner.

I never visited Power Trac, so I didn't see the winch. Maybe someone else did. There is a thread on this board about winches. One mentions some hydraulic winches. I was considering one, however, I have been able to drive the PT425 everywhere so far. (Charlie, please don't flame me on this). I will look into it further. When we move our to our property, it would be handy for pulling some trees down the bigger slopes.

I welded up a trailer hitch like the one that I diagrammed earlier. It still needs some work and painting, but I think it will work. If it doesn't, I've only lost about $20.00 and a dozen welding rods.

 

[pajoube]

MossRoads,
Thanks for the update, sounds like your tractor time has been limited.
Still following you and Charlie in your exploits. This is shaping many of the decisions for my tractor needs.
Paul

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

MossRoad:
Don't worry about flame from me about not yet getting a winch. The one I have my eye on is electric, and still on top of a truck where my brother uses it to load logs to get to his sawmill. I didn't look at the one at PowercTrac.
Your chipper-shredder project sounds interesting. I hope you find one soon, so you can report how to do it.
I'm still researching solenoid valves to select one to put in series with the aux PTO. Terry Estep, at Power Trac, said that it should work fine. I got a rocker switch at a boat store which will work for testing. Who knows, within a couple of weeks, I may be able to unjitch and back up, ripping the ends off my hoses. We Power Trac users certainly have to try to keep up with the Chalkleys.

 

[jhburke]

When I was working in truck repair one common repair was replacing the air hose ends on the trailer hoses. Guys would get out dolly down, release the 5th wheel and get back in and drive away. One good thing you only lost the air and didn't have a mess of hydraulic fluid to clean up and replace.

 

[MChalkley]

Charlie - Smart-aleck! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif If you can't manage to rip the ends off your hoses, let me know. I'll come do it for you - I'm sure I know how! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Mark:
I don't recall, but it's possible one of the photos of my PT 1845 mods has a broken anvil in the background. For people of our advanced destructive capability, needling someone about breaking a couple of hoses is merely a nod by an old pro to an amateur. We'll defer to you and others when it comes to making a machine more useful. At making it useless, however, we take back seats to none.
So far with the PT, the only damage has been when it ran over it's carefully positioned loading boom. Turning the ROPS canopy into the barn roof hardly did any damage at all. But, better weather is on the way, and the possibilities for destruction are infinite.