smartguyz
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2003
- Messages
- 488
- Location
- Beaverton, Oregon
- Tractor
- JD318, Power-Trac PT425 with scuffed-up green paint.
Hi Guys,
You may have seen the news reports that show the Pacific NW with the largest storm we've seen in decades. Ice, snow, sleet, significant accumulations - we saw it all. PDX airport down for 3 days straight, with no flights in or out! Freezing rain, too!
Suffice to say that the Power Sweeper did an awesome job of sweeping sleet and snow, but when we got the freezing rain on top of it all, it was time to take out the 48" bucket. Only problem was, I left it in the garage!
After gingerly taking the PT down my drive, and 1/2 way across the ice and snow-covered lawn, I realized that getting all the way to my basement would rip up a sizable portion of the grass, due to the PT needing to 'scrabble' to get traction. I ended up taking the bucket and hauling it by hand across the ice-covered lawn to where the PT was. After getting the bucket on there, I was invincible! Many of my neighbors, who have 500-600 ft sloped driveways covered with 8" of ice-covered snow, were out with their hand shovels trying to hack their way out of their driveways. They would have been at it for hours and hours. I was able to break through the ice and liberate them from their forced solitude using the ever-trusty PT! This week, I have gone through 7 gallons of gas, done an oil change and 8-hour maintenance, and worn 2" off the Power-Sweeper's bristles, and crunched, plowed, pushed and lifted TONs of ice and snow. The PT was the only tractor capable of traversing such difficult access roads and breaking my neighbors out of their ice-encrusted prisons. I'm thankful for full-time 4WD, big lugged tires, and articulation!
I've had a chance to meet several neighbors whom I haven't really met before, and we're friends now. My son and I had a grand time (although cold and somewhat exhausting) spending hours sweeping snow, cracking and lifting ice and snow.
In Portland, Oregon, I never would have thought it would happen.
But, I am very thankful for the PT425. It really earned its keep this week.
*Whew*
-Rob /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
You may have seen the news reports that show the Pacific NW with the largest storm we've seen in decades. Ice, snow, sleet, significant accumulations - we saw it all. PDX airport down for 3 days straight, with no flights in or out! Freezing rain, too!
Suffice to say that the Power Sweeper did an awesome job of sweeping sleet and snow, but when we got the freezing rain on top of it all, it was time to take out the 48" bucket. Only problem was, I left it in the garage!
After gingerly taking the PT down my drive, and 1/2 way across the ice and snow-covered lawn, I realized that getting all the way to my basement would rip up a sizable portion of the grass, due to the PT needing to 'scrabble' to get traction. I ended up taking the bucket and hauling it by hand across the ice-covered lawn to where the PT was. After getting the bucket on there, I was invincible! Many of my neighbors, who have 500-600 ft sloped driveways covered with 8" of ice-covered snow, were out with their hand shovels trying to hack their way out of their driveways. They would have been at it for hours and hours. I was able to break through the ice and liberate them from their forced solitude using the ever-trusty PT! This week, I have gone through 7 gallons of gas, done an oil change and 8-hour maintenance, and worn 2" off the Power-Sweeper's bristles, and crunched, plowed, pushed and lifted TONs of ice and snow. The PT was the only tractor capable of traversing such difficult access roads and breaking my neighbors out of their ice-encrusted prisons. I'm thankful for full-time 4WD, big lugged tires, and articulation!
I've had a chance to meet several neighbors whom I haven't really met before, and we're friends now. My son and I had a grand time (although cold and somewhat exhausting) spending hours sweeping snow, cracking and lifting ice and snow.
In Portland, Oregon, I never would have thought it would happen.
But, I am very thankful for the PT425. It really earned its keep this week.
*Whew*
-Rob /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
