PT-425 PROS & cons??

[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

con: Stump Grinder Rotation

Problem:
OEM rotation of the cutter blade is from the bottom of the blade toward the front of the PT.
The first stump I ground resulted in chips and dirt flying back at the PT and me in a shower that filled the entire front area, the seat, the foot wells, and even the canopy! My clothes and face were pelted and covered with dirt and chips!! I used a 12” x 18” piece of Plexiglas to partially hide behind long enough to complete that stump. It took longer to clean the PT and myself afterward than it had taken to grind the stump! Grinding the front of the stump or rear made little difference!

Solution:
Reverse the rotation of the cutter blade, so that the rotation of the blade is from the bottom of the blade away from the front of the PT.

Procedure:
1) Remove the 4 bolts which attach the cutter blade to the hub.
2) Flip the cutter blade over.
3) Reattach the cutter blade with the 4 bolts.
4) Exchange the male and female connectors on the PTO hoses going to the Stump Grinder motor.


Result:
The teeth of the cutter blade now throw the chips away from the PT. The PT and I remain clean. The cutting area at the stump is clear of chips so my progress can be easily viewed from under the Stump Grinder with the cutter blade fully lowered.
By positioning the cutter blade on the far side of the stump the teeth cut downward splitting off larger chips. The blade is slowly moved from side to side while slowly moving the PT in reverse. A tarp may be placed on the ground at the far side of the stump to collect most of the chips.
The Stump Grinder motor is fully reversible, and has functioned flawlessly with full power. After grinding more than a dozen large stumps with their attendant rocks and dirt, the teeth are still as sharp as new! A great attachment, after alteration!!

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[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

PRO: Light Weight


Although the PT-425 only weighs about 1500#, it has a low center of gravity and excellent lift capacity, both weight and volume, with the LM Bucket!!

Here is my wife, a 70 year old retired school teacher, helping unload mulch. I know she wouldn't be doing this with a typical CUT!!

The trailer is single axle, no brakes, 3000# capacity, and cost ~$700 new. It hauls the mulch, or the PT, or both, with ease.

The PT climbs right into the trailer bed to get every bit of mulch, which we unloaded and spread in less than two hours.

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[Bird]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I know she wouldn't be doing this with a typical CUT!! )</font>

Maybe she wouldn't, but I sure did a few loads that way with my B7100; both from my 5' x 10' tiltbed trailer and from two 6' x 16' tandem axle non-tilt trailers.

 

[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

CON: The hidden zerk grease fitting.

Problem: A zerk fitting to grease the linkage on the PT-425 is located where two cover plates meet. It must be removed to reinstall the covers.

Solution: Grind a slot in the horizontal cover large enough to accommodate a 90 degree zerk fitting when the cover is in place.

Since this photo was taken, I have rotated the zerk 90 degrees to face toward the rear of the PT. By just loosening the two mounting bolts the horizontal cover can be slid rearward to allow the grease gun to connect with the zerk!!

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[MuncyBob]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

Many solutions to treadle based on the person....for sure! Was about to run to Wal Mart and follow 14's suggestion with the cords the other day.....but I happened to be wearing an old pair of sneakers rather than my work boots when taking out the PT....I found that I have a better "feel" for thr treadles with the sneaks on....seems to have been my solution. Guess I'll hang onto those old sneaks a while longer! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[RegL]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

I'v Planed to do this mod for some time on the pt1430 stump grinder so today I got out the wrenches. Switched hyd lines and tested motor in reverse. It seemed to run fine. I than removed cutter wheel to reverse it and ran into a snag. The five bolts holding the cutter on are actually tapered lug bolts, same as used on the PT's wheels. The outside of the holes in the cutter are chamfered to match. The insides are not. I may check with a friend who is a machinest and see if he can chamfer the holes, but for now , I put it back original. To much steel spinning to fast to not get it right.</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
con: Stump Grinder Rotation

Problem:
OEM rotation of the cutter blade is from the bottom of the blade toward the front of the PT.
The first stump I ground resulted in chips and dirt flying back at the PT and me in a shower that filled the entire front area, the seat, the foot wells, and even the canopy! My clothes and face were pelted and covered with dirt and chips!! I used a 12” x 18” piece of Plexiglas to partially hide behind long enough to complete that stump. It took longer to clean the PT and myself afterward than it had taken to grind the stump! Grinding the front of the stump or rear made little difference!

Solution:
Reverse the rotation of the cutter blade, so that the rotation of the blade is from the bottom of the blade away from the front of the PT.

Procedure:
1) Remove the 4 bolts which attach the cutter blade to the hub.
2) Flip the cutter blade over.
3) Reattach the cutter blade with the 4 bolts.
4) Exchange the male and female connectors on the PTO hoses going to the Stump Grinder motor.


Result:
The teeth of the cutter blade now throw the chips away from the PT. The PT and I remain clean. The cutting area at the stump is clear of chips so my progress can be easily viewed from under the Stump Grinder with the cutter blade fully lowered.
By positioning the cutter blade on the far side of the stump the teeth cut downward splitting off larger chips. The blade is slowly moved from side to side while slowly moving the PT in reverse. A tarp may be placed on the ground at the far side of the stump to collect most of the chips.
The Stump Grinder motor is fully reversible, and has functioned flawlessly with full power. After grinding more than a dozen large stumps with their attendant rocks and dirt, the teeth are still as sharp as new! A great attachment, after alteration!!

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)</font>

 

[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

Sorry to hear about your snag!! My experiences and suggestions are based upon a late model (2/4) PT-425.

I would most likely just reverse the nuts as I have done without incident when installing custom wheels without chamfers on my ATV 250X. Maybe even add a drop of Locktite for insurance. However, it is your machine and your decision!! But for me, using my Stump Grinder with OEM rotation is not an option!!

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[RegL]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(

Sorry to hear about your snag!! My experiences and suggestions are based upon a late model (2/4) PT-425.

I would most likely just reverse the nuts as I have done without incident when installing custom wheels without chamfers on my ATV 250X. Maybe even add a drop of Locktite for insurance. However, it is your machine and your decision!! But for me, using my Stump Grinder with OEM rotation is not an option!!

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No nuts, The blade is attached with bolts with tapered heads, same as the wheel bolts. The purpose of tapered heads and chamfered holes is for proper alienment. I agree that the oem rotation is not fun and that is why I'm going to try to get the holes chamfered on the other side. Glad to here yours worked out. Did yours just have regular bolts and no chamfered holes? Lock washers? )</font>

 

[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

"" No nuts ""

You are right!! Last night my memory wasn't fully engaged! Tonight I looked and sure enough they are bolts! I don't recall if the other side of the blade, which is now against the hub, was chamfered or not.

I do recall that we removed and reinstalled the bolts with an air wrench. (NO Locktite!) After several months of use, they have not loosened at all, and will require the air wrench again if I need them loosened!

Because the bolts are chamfered, they will self align even in the unchamfered holes. At the slow speed at which the blade turns balance is not an issue.

I would not go to the bother and expense of chamfering the holes, but again that's me!! You won't know if you don't try!!

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[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

Parking Brake Operation


Problem: Parking Brake is difficult to use.


Solution:
Loosening the nut that holds the handle on will make moving the handle easier. Then, when you move the handle, see if the cables are moving in and out of the cable tubes. The handle only needs to be tight enough to avoid inadvertent movement! At 8 hours lube the cable tubes with spray lube like silicon that will lube but not attract dirt.

When you need to use the parking brake: do NOT move the steering wheel, lift the parking brake handle, shut off the engine, then get off the PT.
(The pins will only move into the brake plate slots if needed. If not needed the pins can be more easily retracted from the face of the brake plate later.)

To release the brake: get on the PT, start the engine, do NOT move the steering wheel, lower the parking brake handle, gently move forward and reverse to verify that the brake is released while NOT moving the steering wheel!
(Moving the steering wheel can result in one pin becoming trapped on the forward side of it's slot, while the other pin is trapped on the reverse side of it's slot! If this happens, a combination of forward - reverse, AND left - right movements will be needed to clear the pins!!)

Rather than using the parking brake, it is often adequate to just turn the steering wheel hard to one side. If the PT were to move, it would just roll a little in a tight circle, then stop!!

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[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

Grease

Problem: What grease to use on my Power Trac??
Wheel bearing, high speed, low speed, no speed, high temp, low temp, normal temp!! It's all rather confusing!!

Solution: I now use Amsoil Series 2000 Synthetic Racing Grease for all applications!

"Ultimate protection for hard-driven, high-performance vehicles. Dramatically reduces friction and wear for improved performance. Excels at both high and low temperature performance. Outperforms other conventional and synthetic greases."

More Info

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[toy]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

I don't have the stump grinder so I'm not sure how the motor is mounted to the mounting plate, but if it is possible to take the motor off the side that it is on and turn it around and mount it on the other side of the mounting plate and then reinstall the blade the way it is supposed to go I believe you will have reversed the cutter direction to make it throw the debris away from you. Keep in mind that if you can do this then you don't have to reverse the hoses. I hope that is a solution for you because the chamfers is there for a reason and if you were to turn the blade over time it could cause damage to the blade by wallowing out the mounting holes and I'd say that that blade is pretty expensive.

 

[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

"" I don't have the stump grinder ""

Thank you for your efforts, but as someone who does own a PT-425 Stump Grinder Model #P141X3 , has used it OEM, has researched the reversibility of the Roller Stator motor, has reversed the hoses, has reversed the cutter blade, and has successfully used it reversed for ~40 hours so far with no negative consequences, I must rebut all of your theories!


"" mount it on the other side of the mounting plate ""

No! The motor sits inside, and is bolted through the bottom of, a rectangular plate steel box! This, of course, would have been my first option, but it is impossible!


"" then you don't have to reverse the hoses ""

Reversing the hoses, actually the male and female hose couplings, is the easiest step in the procedure!


"" the chamfers is there for a reason ""

Actually two: to center the bolts in the holes, and to resist loosening. Both these goals are still achieved because the bolts also are beveled.
Since the holes in the blade are slightly larger than the bottom diameter of the bolts' bevel, the bolts will self center, if they are tightened progressively!
The edge of the hole will bite into the bevel enough to prevent loosening!


"" over time it could cause damage to the blade by wallowing out the mounting holes ""

Only if the bolts are not progressively and sufficiently tightened!!


"" that blade is pretty expensive ""

Perhaps, but considering the large amount of work it performs, the time it saves, the little or no wear I have experienced, the unique jobs it does, and the modest cost, the Stump Grinder, after having its blade reversed, has proven to be one of my best investments!

 

[toy]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

You rebutted all my theories, I am sorry that you think that I may have lied or misrepresented some how the things that are in my post to the gentleman that hit the snag about reversing his rotation on his stump grinder. I said that I didn't own a stump grinder , that is not a theory honestly I don't own one I wouldn't lie to you or the forum members about something like that. I thank you for the model# p141x3 although I don't intend on buying one as I have no need for it and that you say that it has a rooler....stator .... motor..., a hydrolic motor with a stator and it rolls no doubt wow! Thank you so much for that information. You rebuted and said that the motor sits inside a box and is bolted from the bottom. I never expressed a theory there either, that is why I readily admited that I didn't have one. The man said that he hit a snag and was about to alter or at least contimplating altering his cutter blade, my intentions was to invoke another line of thought that might work for him . That is what the forum I thought was all about sharing ideas and not trying to belittle each other. The man said that his holes in his blade were chamfered I assumed that yours was not or as astute as you portray yourself as being you would have noticed a thing like that and would have remembered it. I don't know your mechanicle abilities when you tried to swap ends with yours you may have turned it as a wheel would turn and not been smart enough to rotate it to get the holes on the bottom. What may be impossible to you may be very easy for someone with more mechanicle ability than you and they could report back to us and we could all learn from it. I never expressed any theory about the difficulty of reversing the hoses I only said that if it were possible to turn the motor around you wouldn't have to reverese the hoses. When I said that the chamfers were in it for a reason I didn't know I was in a court of law or in an english class Im sorry that I didn't use a plural expression there but you didn't rebut any theory that I have there either. The only theory that I expressed was that you could turn the motor around and acheive the desired effect of causing the blade to throw the debris away from the opperator and to me that is not a theory. If you have a watch with a second hand the thing that turns that second hand is a very miniture motor for the sake of a demonstration hold your watch up with the face toward the right the bottom of the second hand is coming toward you now turn the face of the watch to face your left and watch the second hand as you can see in turning the motor around would acheive the desired effect, to you this may have been a theory but to me it is a proven fact and maybe after this demonstration you may learn something and it will be a fact tooo youuu. I hope that you find this post a benefit to you and that although long I tried to make it as simple as I could.

 

[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

"" I may have lied or misrepresented some how the things that are in my post ""

Nowhere did I say that you lied or misrepresented anything!! The word 'theory' has been defined as "An assumption based on limited information or knowledge; a conjecture." or "Abstract reasoning; speculation"!! You clearly stated that you do not own a stump grinder, therefore, your suggestions are obviously 'based on limited information or knowledge' and 'abstract reasoning', which, by definition, are theories!!


"" I said that I didn't own a stump grinder , that is not a theory ""

I did not say that your ownership was a theory!! The theories referred to are listed after the phrase: "I must rebut all of your theories!"


"" you say that it has a rooler....stator .... motor..., a hydrolic motor "" "" Thank you so much for that information. ""

'Roller Stator' is the brand name of the hydraulic motor used in the PT-425 Stump Grinder Model #P141X3!! That was a statement of fact of what I own, and a reference to the fact that I had contacted several hydraulic experts to verify that the Roller Stator motor was indeed reversible, not in theory, but in fact!!


"" my intentions was to invoke another line of thought that might work for him . That is what the forum I thought was all about sharing ideas and not trying to belittle each other. ""


That is why the first phrase in my reply was: "Thank you for your efforts"!! Please show me where this "" trying to belittle each other "" is!! Although your intentions were admirable, your theories were demonstrably incorrect!!


"" as astute as you portray yourself as being "" "" and not been smart enough "" "" What may be impossible to you may be very easy for someone with more mechanicle ability than you "" "" maybe after this demonstration you may learn something and it will be a fact tooo youuu. ""

Apparently when it comes to "" trying to belittle "", you are indeed the expert here!!


"" I didn't know I was in a court of law or in an english class Im sorry that I didn't use a plural expression there ""

What??????????? If you really were sorry, you would use the 'Check Spelling' button before posting!!


"" you didn't rebut any theory that I have there either. ""

That reply wasn't a rebuttal, it was a clarification!!

 

[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

con: Brush Cutter Blade Stops

Problem:
The Brush Cutter hub has four 5/8" bolt holes. Two hold bolts and washers to secure the ends of the two swing blades. Two just have bolts with the heads sticking down to catch the back of the blades if an obstacle is struck.
I struck a hidden 10" stump while clearing an area thick with Sweet Gum saplings. The blade was forced backward as the Brush Cutter rotated, but the stump didn't move! Investigating, I found that the bolt head had only slowed the blade, and that the blade had been driven down under the bolt head, jamming it in place. A sledge hammer was need to drive the blade back off the bolt head!!
The blade was bend down overall ~ 1/2". After removing the blade from the hub, I was able to straighten it with my vise and heavy hammer by beating on its hole. If the blade stop bolt had extended lower, it would have stopped the blade rather than allowing it to override and bend.

Solution:
I added a 5/8" nut between the blade stop bolt head and the hub. Now if an obstacle is struck, the back of the blade will hit either the nut or the bolt head and stop. It will not override and bend the blade. Total cost was two 5/8" nuts.

PS: With the exception of 10" stumps, the Brush Cutter chops up everything in sight!! Blade removal and sharpening is easy.
Even when tipped back and raised up to 3' off the ground, very little of the cut material finds its way back to the operator!
With 50# in the tires, I have had no tire problems!

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[MossRoad]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

When I hit a rock with my brush cutter I found the same thing, except it also sheared the bolt off that holds one of the blades. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Talk about a shakey ride until I got that thing turned off.

I did a pictorial of re-assembling the brush hog. Thought this would be a good place to put a link to it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

MossRoad's 48" Brush Hog Re-Assemble Pictorial

 

[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

Good idea!! Thanks!! It would be a shame to see all that effort on your part lost in the archives!! Three years old on TBN is ancient, but your pictorial is as relevant as ever!! Often we think that our problems is so unique that we are the first to encounter them!! Doing a Search on TBN for "Things I don't know." hasn't worked very well for me!!
Although this thread is getting rather large, I like posting my 'original' ideas and observations here on PT-425 PROS & cons?? to make them easier to find by new members. Some topics, like reversing, they may never even consider until they read a post about doing it!

I considered removing the blade stop bolts entirely, but that would allow one blade to strike the other blade and its mounting bolt, which could be worse! Extending the blade stop by adding the nut may be the best compromise .

When I got the Brush Cutter working again, I found that suspending it a foot or two off the ground would allow me to make an initial cut with less likelihood of suddenly finding unseen obstacles. If all is clear, then I recut at the normal 3" height. Larger saplings, nearly trees, are easier to push over and cut from the elevated position. Then I slowly lower the Brush Cutter to grind down the stump. Now if I could find a use for several hundred 3" stumps!!!

I may experiment with adding a guard placed flat on top of the rear deck and extending horizontally to the rear to protect against cuttings being thrown back and upward toward the operator, but, so far, that hasn't been much of a problem.

Again, thanks for all your detailed and informative postings!!

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[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

Problem: Grass and tree roots creeping into the gravel driveway.

Solution: Use the PT-425 Stump Grinder with reversed blade to dig a trench ~2" wide and ~6" deep, (wider on curves or with multiple passes). The blade will cut through and shoot out a stream of dirt, roots, and stones. It will cut through limestone and sandstone rocks. With the debris thrown 99.9% forward, just safety glasses are required! Fill the trench with gravel. So far I have edged ~600' of driveway with no damage to me or the Stump Grinder!!

These trenches can also be used to provide quick and easy invisible drainage ditches across graveled or mulched areas.

 

[FOURTEEN]

Re: PT-425 PROS & cons??

PRO & con: PT Potato Digger

The Potato Digger is a useful and inexpensive tool! It can be used for trenching, for digging up rocks, bushes, or trees, for breaking up hard packed soil for a bucket to scoop up later, for a lifting hook, for making planting furrows, for ripping up roots and half buried rocks, for mixing mulch into garden soil, etc.

However, the OEM mounting of the blade seems to be backwards!!
It is more difficult to make a straight trench or furrow, without wandering, when going in reverse! Curved trenches are the most difficult!
Although it can be used to dig up things, unlike a shovel which digs down and away from the operator in front of the object, the Digger must be positioned on the back side of the object, and dug down and toward the operator from the far, sometimes blind, side!

Recently I reversed the blade on my Potato Digger!!
Now I can see where my trench will be going! It digs just as well going forward as it did in reverse! I use reverse to scoop out the loosened dirt.
Digging up rocks, bushes, or trees is easier because I can now use the Digger like a shovel! No matter how large, I can see just where and what I'm digging up, and the object doesn't block my access! A bush isn't damaged by reaching through its stems to dig from the far side!
If there is preload on an object, it will be thrown forward, away from the operator, when it comes loose!!

PS: I have reversed the Wheels, then the Stump Grinder blade, and now the Potato Digger blade!! Seems like my ideas are 180 degrees out of phase with PT's OEM designs!!!!

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