Tazewell Visit Suggestions

[ToolcatWonka5610]

Peter,
Do you have the 72" Rough Cut (with stump jumpers) or the 72" Brushcutter?

 

[ponytug]

72" brush cutter- it cuts pretty much anything up to 3" oak, 4" softwood without a problem. I have cut a few 4" oaks- you know it when you hit one, but they do get cut down.

I tried the rough cut mower for the 1430, and it has the great advantage that it is three blades, which puts the whole mower closer to the tractor, and reduces the tendency to slip sideways on steep slopes. (less downhill torque.) But, it is designed for grass, not brush.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

You happen to have a Pic of the Brushcutter, Peter?

Never seen the 72" Brushcutter, only the 72" Finish Mower.

 

[Sedgewood]

I've always wondered though, why guys like Charlie Iliff and Sedgewood, have bought 1845s with single tires and not needing the Slope Mowing capability? Something to do with Horsepower or size?

Hmmm... gotta think back. I'd have to say size mostly in my case - and the fact that I had only a couple of small spots as steep as 30 degrees to mow. Size because I work in open woods a lot and the space between trees can be a problem. Horsepower on the 1845 has been adequate though torque for climbing when hot is an ongoing problem.

After the fire I thought long and hard about replacing the 1845 with the new 1445 model which PT brought out after I bought the 1845. In the end economics won and I rebuilt the 1845 instead. If I were looking for a tractor today I might go with the 1445 though the lack of a brake tender to stop a downhill runaway when a hose bursts could be a safety issue for working on hills. Am I right about this - I haven't really researched the 1445 wet brakes?

Two big things I see getting in the way of using a slope mower for heavy commercial use are keeping the cooling system clean enough to prevent overheating and flat tires. Oh, and limited climbing torque while hot. Solve those problems and you'll run rings around the guy with a cut.

Sedgewood

 

[Bob999]

Two big things I see getting in the way of using a slope mower for heavy commercial use are keeping the cooling system clean enough to prevent overheating and flat tires. Oh, and limited climbing torque while hot. Solve those problems and you'll run rings around the guy with a cut.

Sedgewood

I changed out the OEM 2 ply tires for 6 ply and that largely solved the flat tire problem.

With the smaller diameter (23") tires on the dual setup I have never had a problem with climbing torque. I think a possible solution would be to use the approach of Bob Rip--a xxW50 synthetic oil (where xx is as low a number as possible) Granted synthetic oil is pricey when filling a 20 gallon tank!

I have nothing to add on keeping the cooling system clean.

 

[ponytug]

The 1445 has the fail on brakes as well. I wouldn't go out on steep slopes without the fail on brakes.

On the brushcutter question:
I don't have a photo of mine handy.
There is a photo on the PT website; it is a slightly different design than mine, but I don't know which is current.
This one has an indirect drive to the blades, while mine has a direct drive. Pros and Cons to both. In all cases, I would consider reinforcing the upper deck. (Subject of an older thread...)

All the best,
Peter

Hmmm... ...

After the fire I thought long and hard about replacing the 1845 with the new 1445 model which PT brought out after I bought the 1845. In the end economics won and I rebuilt the 1845 instead. If I were looking for a tractor today I might go with the 1445 though the lack of a brake tender to stop a downhill runaway when a hose bursts could be a safety issue for working on hills. Am I right about this - I haven't really researched the 1445 wet brakes?

Two big things I see getting in the way of using a slope mower for heavy commercial use are keeping the cooling system clean enough to prevent overheating and flat tires. Oh, and limited climbing torque while hot. Solve those problems and you'll run rings around the guy with a cut.

Sedgewood

 

[ponytug]

If you think you are going to want the XXW50, you might just want to ask PT to fill the tank with it before you buy. Before I bought mine, I asked about biodegradable hydraulic oil and Terry was OK with doing it. Knowing what I know now, I would have filled with 5W50 synthetic.

All the best,

Peter

I changed out the OEM 2 ply tires for 6 ply and that largely solved the flat tire problem.

With the smaller diameter (23") tires on the dual setup I have never had a problem with climbing torque. I think a possible solution would be to use the approach of Bob Rip--a xxW50 synthetic oil (where xx is as low a number as possible) Granted synthetic oil is pricey when filling a 20 gallon tank!

I have nothing to add on keeping the cooling system clean.

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

Thank you all for the advice.
Well we've been talking to the buyers of the property that has the 40 degree hill we mowed and they may want us to mow it if things work out. After we told them we're looking into a machine that can work safely on a hill that steep they seemed interested. These people only have a small CUT and they're not going to waste money on a 3 $32,000 machine just for mowing that hill. We'd be using it for other things so it would be very handy for us.
So were trying to get a date set for the trip to "Taze". If all goes well, we'll take the trip Friday, June 12. The day after I get out of school. We'll give the 1445 and the 1845 a good testing, especially on the hill climing ability (we may try the 1850 if we can). I saw on a post there's a hill about 2 miles from the PT plant that's a good site for hill climbing tests. I hope things go well.
And We'll bring our trailer, just in case

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

Well guys looks like the trip will happen! Things are going well and I had to see if something was out of the way and now it should be. At Taz, we'll try out the 1850 and some attachments.
I'm thinking of taking J_J's advice and find some with a PT to go with us.