Starting to plan my PT purchase

BobRip · Apr 30, 2005

How much land do you have? What does it have on it and how do you want to change it. Do you need to cut rough areas? One inch and even larger trees? Consider the rough cut mower.
Get the 4 in 1 bucket. I find that since I got it I don't use the large bucket much. With the 4 in 1 you can load it going backward and forward. This enables you to never have to load the bucket going uphill, a difficult task for my 422.

How much are you spending to ship all of this stuff? If you are hiring a truck, you might consider the shipping savings if you get everything you need at once. I hate borrowing and am paying down my mortgage as fast as possible, but my PT422 has bought me more use and satisfaction that anything I have ever bought. I would borrow a little to get all you need at one time. Just my opinion, and I have no right to spend your money. Good luck.

Do you intend to do the maintenance yourself? If so good. If not, better find someone local who is willing to work on it before you buy.

Bob Rip

FOURTEEN · Apr 30, 2005

( If you skip the small bucket with teeth and the plow, for $420 more you could have the grapple(which is $1300). /quote]

 /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gifHEY!! THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY!! /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

The Grapple does use the small bucket with teeth, but the Grapple can do so many more jobs! It is by far my favorite attachment!! 

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

FOURTEEN · Apr 30, 2005

( The voice of polite dissent on tires here [largely from going to visit FOURTEEN before I made my purchase /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif]. I think the bar tires are great. If you are going to do any woodsy or trail type work, I would stick with the bar tires as you were considering. Also, contrary to what some say, bar tires do not leave any marks on the lawn, at least none that last more than a couple of hours. I run the TPs at 7/11 psi as FOURTEEN recommends. I dosed them with Ultraseal (bulletproof grade from Gemplers {HERE} ) when I first got the PT, and I have had no flats. Neighbors are envious of my lawn this season. I attribute to de-thatching, feeding and cutting w/ the PT finish mower. Bar tires did not detract.
I guess that's one of the things about a PT. It's hard to find an implement that you won't like or won't be able to adapt to your situation. As someone said: "The Swiss Army knife of tractors." )

 You are so right!! (And smart for listening to FOURTEEN!!)

Also the Bar Tires are just so darn cool /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif!! They say "TRACTOR", rather than "lawn mower" !!

The 48" Brush Cutter with a sharp blade is just fine for cutting grass, if it isn't a fine lawn or putting green! Plus, it will maintain trails, chop brush, etc!!

It all depends upon the particular needs of the particular property!!

BobRip · May 1, 2005

When you live in a swamp, the bar tars are the only way to go. A comealong with some tow straps which you store on your ROP rack is another great swamp attachment.

I think the grapple bucket is the best matched attachment to the 422. Since brush is light the 422 or 425 will pickup about anything that is not too wide to fit across your driveway.

Bob Rip

toolz_not_toyz · May 1, 2005

Hrmm. Everyone's really keen on the 4n1 bucket. Paul (pajoube) even suggested BOTH the box blade and the 4n1!

Bob, it's 2.3 acres. Yes, I plan to maintain the gravel drive myself. Don't know what shipping will be but I would guess it will probably be around $2000. So I want to make this a one time shipment.

I don't think I'm likely to have much use for the grapple although I know Fourteen will disagree. Some of the main things I would want to do are dig, fill and grade. I don't have any particular projects in mind but I want to be able to do that kind of work with whatever I end up with. Hence the focus on implements that can do that. At least we don't have to debate the utility of the mini hoe! Mowing and bush hogging activities aren't really at the top of my list of things I reallllly want to do but there is that septic field and they may have even hydroseeded other areas by now.

I'm headed out there in the next few days so I'll scrutinize the land much more with the PT in mind.

dbetts · May 1, 2005

I would use the grapple bucket, but it wasn't in the budget at the time. I have both the large bucket and small bucket with teeth and would recomend having both if you're doing much digging. db

pequeajim · May 2, 2005

I was debating between the grapple and the 4 in 1 bucket at the time of my purchase and I went with the 4 in 1. Boy, am I glad I did! First of all, for the things that I want to pick up with a grapple, (tearing out briars, small logs, fence posts, etc), the 4 in 1 is plenty good enough for. I am not into carrying large logs and when I do get to that point, I'm not sure the PT grapple is what I want. I would be looking more towards a grapple rake as opposed to "another" bucket. Now if you put a grapple on a small bucket that you already have like MossRoad is doing, that's useful, but to buy the grapple bucket on it's own when there are some other more versatile rakes available, nahh....

I am very happy with the 4 in 1, you will be too. It grades, digs, carries, levels. I make short work of my gravel drive with it.

Nice purchase. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

FOURTEEN · May 4, 2005

( I know Fourteen will disagree. )

 Perhaps!! But, what is most important is that YOU get the tractor that YOU like, that does the jobs that YOU need done, on YOUR property, at a price that YOU can afford!!!! All I can do is advise based upon my knowledge and experience, which may not fit YOUR situation at all!! With enough knowledge hopefully you can avoid the evil: "Oh nuts!! What I should have gotten was .......!!".

Gravy · May 4, 2005

I'll add another vote for the 4in1.

I have vague plans for making a grapple of some sort - probably "stealing" from JJ's ingenious design. It should be really good for moving brush, big logs, and other items that are too bulky for the 4in1 to handle well. (If I had actual soil, it could also be useful as a cultivator/rake).

However, I'm constantly making use of the 4 in 1's versatility. Without changing implements, I can: dig, grade, scrape and grab dirt & gravel; pull saplings out of the ground; pick up and move rocks (boulders?) that are far larger than seems reasonable; haul logs and firewood; and a whole lot more.

I don't think a grapple bucket would be as versatile for my needs. I'm glad my wife talked me into the 4in1 (not that she got a lot of argument). /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Dave

ClintBlake · May 5, 2005

I am currently borrowing BobRip's grapple bucket and have mixed feelings about it. I have the small and the large bucket with my 422. When I bought the large bucket in 1999, PT had a set of long (maybe 12") forks for it and I bought them. I have found that I can carry quite a bit more in one load with the large bucket and long forks than with the grapple bucket and I don't have to fool with hydraulics when I want to change attachments. For brush, you just snag the pile with the forks, for logs you have to do more work to load the large bucket where with the grapple you just drive up and grab what you want. The long forks also work very well for mulch as they almost double the amount you can carry in one load. For me, I think I will hold off on the grapple as long as BobRip still likes me enough to let me use his when I need it.