Tazewell Visit Suggestions

[Bob999]

Just a comment about power comparisons between the 1845 and 1850 and power generally in a slope mower.

My experience is with the 1845. In my experience it takes all of the power available to run a mower and work on a steep slope--that is it takes the full 45 hp to run the mower and move very SLOWLY up a 30+ degree slope. My expectation would be that the 1850 would behave similarly becuase it has a larger mower, is heavier, and is designed to work on even steeper slopes.

Granted if you are working on level ground or modest slopes and not using the PTO then my 1845 has lots of excess power--it is quick or it will easily spin the wheels if trying to use a bucket.

One other point--I think one of the design issues with slope machines is the moment arm effect when working cross slope on steep slopes. The mower, bucket, or other attachment is well out in front of the machine and the greater load that is out front when working a cross slope the more of a tendency of the load to twist the front of the tractor down the slope. I think the PT design limits lift to limit the amount of moment arm--that if more weight were allowed then the tractor would not be capabale of safely operating on very steep slopes.

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

Snowridge hit it right, the 1850 is a mower first, and a utility tractor second. But, when I started comparing specs, The lift capabilities were a match for a 35hp tractor (not lift height, which is a bummer). And yes, I personally feel the lift arms could be stronger. and longer.

But I have pushed my tractor hard. and the only weak link has been the rollover. I attribute this to the 65HP pushing, but it could be also attributed to the traction you get with dualies. The arms themselves have had no issue. That may change as I am going to upgrade the rollover this summer, but that is TBD. If I break the arms, there is a great machineshop at the end of the street and I may just upgrade the PT front end..

Terry has warned me against this as he says the 1850 has thinner steel, rear weight than the 1445/1460.

But the 65HP at the wheels, it really does make a difference.

I wish it had greater lift capacity since it is an all around tractor for me. The extra HP is going mainly to the PTO to drive the larger mowers.

Ken

Ken, we would also use this machine for all around uses so thats why the 1200lbs lift is a bit small. I understand it's a Mower first but they couldn't at least increased the Lift to 1500lbs on the 1850. We're also thinking of the 96" Flail Mower instead of the the 90" Rough Cut.

There is nothing weird about it. It is sold as a slope mower, not as an all around machine. It you need an all around machine, it is probably not the best option.

SnowRidge I'm not saying that we don't like the lift capacity I just think for the 65hp machine your getting the lift could be better than 1200lbs. You could probably reinforce the Lift Arms, though.

You wanted a picture of the Power Trac showroom. You got one.

You didn't specify ground level, now did you? Besides, I gave you a bonus. I threw the PT factory in for free.

SnowRidge I swear your turning into MossRoad

 

[ponytug]

I would second Bob's comments about the moment (i.e. Torque) that gets generated by having a heavy weight out in front of the tractor.

After you drive an articulated tractor, I suspect that you will agree that you can get more done/unit time with one. So getting the full load in one lift may be less important than you think. Then again, if it is a full pallet of pavers, that is a different story.

If the 1850 is only a little more expensive, I wouldn't think twice, and I would get it. As others have pointed out, you can always throttle the engine down, but you will have the HP when you need it on steep slopes.

All the best,

Peter

Just a comment about power comparisons between the 1845 and 1850 and power generally in a slope mower.

My experience is with the 1845. In my experience it takes all of the power available to run a mower and work on a steep slope--that is it takes the full 45 hp to run the mower and move very SLOWLY up a 30+ degree slope. My expectation would be that the 1850 would behave similarly becuase it has a larger mower, is heavier, and is designed to work on even steeper slopes.

Granted if you are working on level ground or modest slopes and not using the PTO then my 1845 has lots of excess power--it is quick or it will easily spin the wheels if trying to use a bucket.

One other point--I think one of the design issues with slope machines is the moment arm effect when working cross slope on steep slopes. The mower, bucket, or other attachment is well out in front of the machine and the greater load that is out front when working a cross slope the more of a tendency of the load to twist the front of the tractor down the slope. I think the PT design limits lift to limit the amount of moment arm--that if more weight were allowed then the tractor would not be capabale of safely operating on very steep slopes.

 

[SnowRidge]

I am going to add my two cents to the moment arm discussion. Even though my PT-425 is a toy compared to the big slope mowers, I experience the same tendency to want to crab downhill when mowing across steep slopes. More than once, I got in a difficult situation with the mower wanting to mow down (literally) instead of around an Xmas tree.

When I switched from mowing the plantations with a finish mower to the significantly heavier brush mower, the tendency was amplified. When in an excess of zeal I welded a lot of heavy reinforcement onto the cracked brush mower deck, its tendency to insist on turning downhill increased alarmingly.

A Power Trac can mow across slope at amazing angles perfectly safely (operator wise), even those without the dual wheels, but that ability doesn't extend to steering precision. I ended up straddling a young tree more than once, until I learned that I just couldn't cut as close to the trees on a steep side slope as I could on flat ground or a moderate slope.

These machines are different. You really can't think in terms of conventional tractors when dealing with them. Keep in mind, too, that hydraulic drives and hydraulic PTOs are very inefficient compared to conventional drives and PTOs. That extra horsepower is needed to overcome the inefficiencies inherent in an all hydraulic machine.

 

[MossRoad]

The 65hp Compared to the 55hp in our JD 5310 would be nice

You cannot compare the two machines HP to HP. The JD has 55 PTO HP. The PT has 65 engine HP. To figure out its PTO HP you have to use some hydraulic calculators, plug in the pump PSI, the GPM, etc... to arrive at the PTO HP that you can expect. It will be quite less than you think.

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

You cannot compare the two machines HP to HP. The JD has 55 PTO HP. The PT has 65 engine HP. To figure out its PTO HP you have to use some hydraulic calculators, plug in the pump PSI, the GPM, etc... to arrive at the PTO HP that you can expect. It will be quite less than you think.

Moss, the 5310 is 55 Engine Horsepower. PTO Horsepower is around 50. I should know, I've used it for a year and a half

 

[MossRoad]

Another that kind of bothers me is that the 1850 is 65hp with basically the Lift Arms of a 30hp tractor (1430). Only 1200lb lift rating on a 65hp tractor? That seems weird to me.

As others have mentioned, the added HP is there to drive you up the slopes and spin the mower at the same time. They did not want to increase the lift capacity, most likely because you could lift a heavy enough load on a slope to tip the tractor over. By keeping the lift lower, they can reduce the tendency of people to overwork their machines (as most of us have done on occasion).

Mowing is the most laborious activity you can put the PT through as you are moving the entire weight of the tractor AND spinning the blades through resistance. You ever use one of those air resistance exercise bikes? The faster you pedal the harder it gets. You need the HP to keep the blades spinning through the grass.

 

[SnowRidge]

And while you are there, ask them to show you one of these ...

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

I just think it could be a bit better, maybe 1500, 1600lbs. You have to remember this will be our all around tractor. We'll be using for every job it can handle (mowing grass lawns with it is still undecided, though). Since it has a wider Rough Cut Mower and can handle steep slopes, this will be a replacment for our JD 5310 (except for Backhoe work). And I'm pretty sure it's a lot better hill climber than the 5310. Only way we could get up a steep slope is if it had the Loader attached, Trany in 4WD, and the Tires weighted.

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

And while you are there, ask them to show you one of these ...

Ah, so thats what their mining tractors look like.
Wow thats quiet a machine! 13,000 lbs Max Lift Capacity!!!
I'm going to look that up right now!