MossRoad
Super Moderator
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2001
- Messages
- 58,029
- Location
- South Bend, Indiana (near)
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
I'm on a roll tonight! :laughing:
The PT425 48" brush cutter is not the best design.
The blade mounting bolts are the lowest point on the unit. Therefore, those bolts hit low objects (like rocks) first. Also, if the blade hits something hard and swings around, it can and very often does hit the mounting bolt of the opposite blade, damaging the mounting bolt, and bending the blade. Do this enough times and it shears off the mounting bolt and the blade goes flying.
Looking at replacement blades for Bush Hog brand cutters, they are gull-winged in design. The blades can hit each other, but they cannot hit the mounting bolts!!! And they have much larger holes in the blades for much larger mounting bolts.
You can get blades for the 48" cutter for about $30.00.
You can get blade bolts for about $6.50.
It uses a 7/8" 14 nut.
It would seem you could simply drill a hole in the PT brush cutter drum, weld in some backing material for proper thickness, drill through that and them mount Brush Hog brand blades to the PT brush cutter drum.
The only problem I see with this is the Brush Hog brand blades may be too long. So cut an inch off the end if they are.
Anyway, as I get time, I will take better measurements to see, and also look at other brand brush cutter blades. Its pretty clear that the current PT design is not the best.
You'd also lose about and inch of cutting height due to the drop-down gull wing design of the blades, so that has to be considered. You could simply raise the wheels to the highest setting (but I already have).
The other alternative would be to do major surgery on the drum by shortening the shaft by an inch and then cutting an inch off the top of the drum. Hmmmm.....
Anyhow, food for thought. :licking:
The PT425 48" brush cutter is not the best design.
The blade mounting bolts are the lowest point on the unit. Therefore, those bolts hit low objects (like rocks) first. Also, if the blade hits something hard and swings around, it can and very often does hit the mounting bolt of the opposite blade, damaging the mounting bolt, and bending the blade. Do this enough times and it shears off the mounting bolt and the blade goes flying.
Looking at replacement blades for Bush Hog brand cutters, they are gull-winged in design. The blades can hit each other, but they cannot hit the mounting bolts!!! And they have much larger holes in the blades for much larger mounting bolts.
You can get blades for the 48" cutter for about $30.00.
You can get blade bolts for about $6.50.
It uses a 7/8" 14 nut.
It would seem you could simply drill a hole in the PT brush cutter drum, weld in some backing material for proper thickness, drill through that and them mount Brush Hog brand blades to the PT brush cutter drum.
The only problem I see with this is the Brush Hog brand blades may be too long. So cut an inch off the end if they are.
Anyway, as I get time, I will take better measurements to see, and also look at other brand brush cutter blades. Its pretty clear that the current PT design is not the best.
You'd also lose about and inch of cutting height due to the drop-down gull wing design of the blades, so that has to be considered. You could simply raise the wheels to the highest setting (but I already have).
The other alternative would be to do major surgery on the drum by shortening the shaft by an inch and then cutting an inch off the top of the drum. Hmmmm.....
Anyhow, food for thought. :licking:
