Sizing a PT for accessory farm use

marrt · Jun 11, 2018

Dadnatron said:
marrt, What is your belief as to the reason the ZTR is twice as fast? Maneuverability? Power?

The mower I was looking at is a Ferris IS3200Z. I like it because of the suspension, power, heavy construction, and 500hr oil change. Pretty much in that order. Locally, however, they run about $13K.

Sorry...a little late in seeing this. It's mostly the maneuverability. The PT is way better than a "garden tractor" in terms of speed. But a ZTR is way better than a PT.

I've mowed with a Ferris 3200 and they're fantastic. Would have bought one for sure if the dealer were closer. Ended up getting a Kubota ZD1211. Nice mower but the ride is nothing to compare to the Ferris. I'd probably get the Ferris if I were to buy again.

Everything is a compromise. I went with a used ZTR and used PT. The PT came with lots of attachments and I found more used attachments later. So far, I have the finish mower, brush cutter, potato plow, pallet forks, stump grinder, light bucket, regular bucket, grapple bucket, 4 in 1 bucket, post hole digger, tiller, utility grapple, boom pole, mini hoe, and towing adapter.

Some general observations:

Digging. The PT will never be a great digger...it's just not designed for that. However, using the potato plow to loosen the soil first helps a LOT.

Moving stuff. One of the big advantages of a PT is lifting and moving stuff. A bucket is a must have (consider a 4 in 1 bucket if you want to load a truck with a 425 machine.) But the forks and boom pole add lots of additional moving utility. Trust me...you'll find a use for them and they're pretty cheap.

Mowing. Keep in mind the PT can do both finish and brush mowing. So what you lose in overall speed you gain back in utility.

Good luck.

Dadnatron · Jun 12, 2018

I am interested in a Front Mounted Flail mower for this system. However, everything I see is either high flow (skid steer/CTL) or PTO powered.

The one video I see of a FLAIL on a PT, the cut was unacceptable (I realize it was very tall grass) but in my opinion, the cut was so poor because the machine was underpowered rather than the grass was too tall. I have a 100hp tractor and a PTO flail with about 85hp at the PTO. It would have cleaned up that grass without issue. I recognize this is far more HP than is reasonable for most hydraulic systems, but it is a concern.

Probably my biggest use would be mowing along a fence. That would be the main cause of a purchase. I've since been looking at the Antonio Cararro tractors (Italy) and really like them. Especially the reversible drive position and the relatively small machine with a relatively large power rating. I'm trying to research the TTR 4400 HST version at this point. There is a dealer in state, but I have yet to get very far into the process.

I like the power, reversibility, and size. I'm sure I won't like the price which might push me into the PT to a greater extent.

MossRoad · Jun 12, 2018

Don't forget that when PT lists a machine's HP, they are talking about engine HP and not the HP that is available from the hydraulic PTO line, which will be much less than the engine HP.

For example, their 1850 slope mower is listed as 65 engine HP and the hydraulics are listed as 18GPM@3200PSI.
The formula for figuring HP in this situation is:

HP = PSI * GPM / 1714

HP = 3200 * 18 / 1714

33.6HP = 3200 * 18 / 1714

If you're used to 85 HP at the PTO, well.... this is 33.6 HP.

The Antonio Carraro TTR 4400 is listed as 38 engine HP. I can't find any specs on the actual PTO HP that's available, nor if the machine has any hydraulics. So I couldn't actually compare the two machines accurately, apples-apples, so to speak.