Greetings everyone- I finally took the plunge on a new pt 422 and it was delivered today. Prior to purchasing i mulled over this discussion group on a fairly regular basis until i read just about every post at least twice.
So with confidence /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif i purchased the above unit.
Below is my follow up to Scott Gentry at PT after the first hour or so of use- Just wanted to keep everyone informed.
FYI - this unit has only (1) hyd cylinder for articulation
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Greetings Scott,
The unit Model 422 PT was delivered today right on schedule. Very impressed with the tractor layout and all implements. First thing I did was test out the 4in1 bucket and then I did about 30-45 minutes of light bushhogging (5” front lawn that I have been saving to test the PT).
After about 45 minutes the unit kept stalling and would only start after waiting a few minutes. It would then run for 15 -30 seconds or maybe a minute but as soon as I moved or turned on the pto it would stall again.
The fan was running every time the unit stalled- however I can’t imagine that the light duty mowing I was doing would overheat this tractor- my normal cub cadet unit mows it fine wide open even at the 5” height that I tried to bushhog today.
What am I going to need to do to make the unit work correctly?
Sounds like a fuel problem. Did you fuel the machine PT ships with about a 1/2 gal at least thats what came in mine.. Also was a thread about the Robin fuel pumps.. I don't know if this will help or not.. Also does the engine seem to develop full power and then lug down when you turn on the PTO. When you get it started will it move without stalling..
Could be vapor lock similar to my 425 with Robin engine. Look at the fuel line and filter. If it's full of "air" instead of fuel, that's my guess. I'm still working to resolve mine, but have had some reasonable success with insulating the fuel line, and lead substitute additive in the fuel. It will now run for 3 hours before going into vapor lock. Now working on insulating the exhaust manifold and muffler to reduce overall heat in the engine compartment. The 22HP engine fuel pump can also be replaced with the 25hp fuel pump to help overcome vapor pressure. good luck
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif If it is definitely an engine problem, why don't you take it to your local Robin Engine Service Center??
PT builds the PT from components, of which the engine is a major one that has its own warranty! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I would check the output of your regulator/rectifier which charges your battery. It should be putting out at least 13.5 volts or greater. If not working properly, then the load from the hydraulic fan pulls down voltage so that when you engage the PTO , there is insufficient voltage to fully energize the solenoid. Thus the PTO oil flow is dead headed and chugs/stalls the engine
Welcome to TBN and the family of PT owners.
Sorry to hear of this problem and hope it gets resolved as a new machine should be running perfect. My guess is that it is a minor problem.
Keep us updated on your progress.
PJ
I should have noted that the unit still stalled even without the pto on and without any implements attached.
I received a call from Terry at PT today and he recommended that I visually check the fuel filter for air and or debris and then get back to him.
You would think however that all of this stuff would be done up front prior to shipping the unit to the customer as it appears that it is not that uncommon.
One more note all of this occured with at least a half a tank of gas or more in the gas tank.
My gut feeling is that it is a vapor/heat issue but i will know more tonight after checking the fuel filter.
Looking further down the road- does anyone know of a good source for muffler pipe insulation to cut down on the heat?
thanks,
Well today I only had a chance to visually check the fuel filter.
There was some small debris visible - maybe 5-10 .020" or .030" irregular shaped chucks of something that appeared a bit orange in color. But I would not suspect that this would blind the filter media over and cause a restriction as this amount of debris would only rob less than I am guessing 5% of the total filtration area.
There was only a very small diameter air bubble present- appearing to be about 1/16" in diameter that would move around as the filter is manipulated.
We had a horse stall planned to be delivered today at 5:00pm and the Fed Ex truck was about an hour late (as usual the goods were damaged during shipment so they were sent back) so my wire tried out the brush hog for about 15 minutes in some very tall golden rod and weeds as I stood waaaay back. There were no problems with the unit stalling but it only ran for 15 minutes or so.
Side note- Even my wife was very impressed with it and the power it has compared to the 2 year old self powered swisher mower we used in the past behind the atv. (these are junk in my opinion at the PT attachment is about 300 dollars less).
I doubt the filter is the problem- I also later in the evening moved all of the attachments into the arch building we are building using the PT. This took about 10-15 minutes or so and I made it a point to use the PT to go back and forth to the house in lieu of the atv just to have an excuse to fire it up.
So for today the PT ran fine the entire time.
If I were a betting man (and I am not) I would bet that the problem is more heat related. If it was the fuel pump or filter we most likely would have seen the unit stall today.
One question I do have is this- Should the PT be at full throttle when bush hogging? I would suspect so and that is how we have been operating the unit. But it never hurts to ask.
Another side note: The arch building that I have 80% finished measures 30' wide x 60' long and the PT is perfect sized for moving thing around inside with the forks. If I had gone with a full sized 4wd tractor I would feel very cramped trying to turn around (especially with scaffolding and ladders to watch out for). This little puppy is extremely agile and is actually fun to zoom around on.
Final side note- The lights are just way too low. I will make some stand offs to raise them or at least on of them up about 18"-24" so that the blind spot in front of the attachements goes away.
Does anyone know if there is enough power to run one additional light? It may be easier to just add another knuckled light higher and leave the oem ones in place.
I also plan to design/build a roll over protection snow/rain plate similiar to the $750.00 PT offers.
If anyone is interested in one I can build a few of them while I am in the process. I can post a jpg of the 3d model when I am done with the design.
To confirm vapor lock, you have to check the fuel filter when the engine is hot and and you are having your stalling problem. You will see no fuel in the bulb and the gas line will not have fuel either. Topping off the fuel may make it better, but the problem will reoccur.
