Um, what is that gauge for (and other eye-rollers)

[valjo]

Here we go with our first set of REALLY pathetic newbie questions:

1) The temperature gauge . . . is that the engine temp or something else to do with the hydraulics (stop laughing). I was zooming around with the core aerator (it's neato!) and the temp was hovering around 210 or 220. I think I remember Terry saying that 220 was pushing it. Thoughts....???? Hubby is brush hogging our steepest hill right now, and the temp is running at 200.
2) Draft control: DH gets the concept of the draft control, but I'm still working on it. Chris told us to run the aerator in draft control, and move along at a fast-ish speed to get the best pellet results. So we adjusted the draft height to where we thought it was doing best, and I ran it for about 45 minutes with no problem. Then out of nowhere, something changed. The front end started pushing down and digging the aerator into the ground and making it act like a rototiller. I couldn't get it to hover anymore, it would just push down, even lifting the front tires a bit. WTH?
3) Hydraulic hose hook-up: I think the hoses from the implements are supposed to get threaded up and over certain bars on the front end to avoid pinching, but I can't remember which way. I know this is REALLY fundamental, but are there any photos I could look at to make sure I'm positioning all the hoses correctly?

Good news: DH just came in from brush hogging our steepest hill and gives the PT three thumbs up! WAY more stable and less scary than the JD 1050 w/hog we had been using. Very stable, even when mowing a little sideways, plenty of power to get up and down w/no problem, and able to tackle the scrub oaks, baby pines etc with equal utility. Bye-bye John Deere.

Amusing observation: a random handful of the spoons on the aerator appear to be attached on backwards.

Thanks for any input, I know these aren't the interesting kind of questions to answer.
Val

 

[Bob999]

Here we go with our first set of REALLY pathetic newbie questions:

1) The temperature gauge . . . is that the engine temp or something else to do with the hydraulics (stop laughing). I was zooming around with the core aerator (it's neato!) and the temp was hovering around 210 or 220. I think I remember Terry saying that 220 was pushing it. Thoughts....???? Hubby is brush hogging our steepest hill right now, and the temp is running at 200.
2) Draft control: DH gets the concept of the draft control, but I'm still working on it. Chris told us to run the aerator in draft control, and move along at a fast-ish speed to get the best pellet results. So we adjusted the draft height to where we thought it was doing best, and I ran it for about 45 minutes with no problem. Then out of nowhere, something changed. The front end started pushing down and digging the aerator into the ground and making it act like a rototiller. I couldn't get it to hover anymore, it would just push down, even lifting the front tires a bit. WTH?
3) Hydraulic hose hook-up: I think the hoses from the implements are supposed to get threaded up and over certain bars on the front end to avoid pinching, but I can't remember which way. I know this is REALLY fundamental, but are there any photos I could look at to make sure I'm positioning all the hoses correctly?

Good news: DH just came in from brush hogging our steepest hill and gives the PT three thumbs up! WAY more stable and less scary than the JD 1050 w/hog we had been using. Very stable, even when mowing a little sideways, plenty of power to get up and down w/no problem, and able to tackle the scrub oaks, baby pines etc with equal utility. Bye-bye John Deere.

Amusing observation: a random handful of the spoons on the aerator appear to be attached on backwards.

Thanks for any input, I know these aren't the interesting kind of questions to answer.
Val

1.The temperature gage is for the temperature of the oil in the engine--which is oil cooled. In my experience with the 1845 a temperature of 200-210 is about as good as it gets. Frequent cleaning of the oil cooler radiator is required. The frequency can be reduced if you filter the air intake--at the rear pulled in by a fan attached to the alternator. I use standard fiberglass screening over the rear of the engine cover and it takes out the larger chaff. Typically I can get by with cleaning the radiator every 8 hours or so.

2. The problem with the aerator sounds like a bearing or other problem that is preventing the aerator from rotating freely. If it is in fact a draft control problem the first thing to check is whether the draft control was inadvertantly switched off at the panel. If it is on then you need to check to ensure the solenoid is engaging the draft control. If it is not the problem is most likely a wiring problem that is preventing power from reaching the solenoid. Lastly--sometimes solenoids fail or valves get stuck.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Bobs got all your answers, I will add just a bit. Take a look at the mods that either I made or ALTAVISTALAWN (where are you BTW?). Do a search. Besides the screens on the outside of the engine compartment, you can make a couple of simple mods to the engine itself to ease in cleaning out the chaf.

I chose to raise the blower outtake by 2" or so. It is the sheild above the oil cooler on the engine. It was raised to help in cleaning, and also I believe that it is restrictive and you can reduce the engine temp by 5 degrees by raising it.... Second, Alta Vista made is to the side door is easy to come on and off the engine. That is one of my summer mods. He put hinges on, I will do the same.

Finally, get an engine cleaning adapter for your air compressor (you must have one with the 14 and 18 series of PT's). - 30 gallon will do. Anyway, That little device will help reach into the oil cooler.. FInally, at every 20 or 30 hours I use a hose to wash out the oil fins. Even though you blow them the dirt will build up with juice from the mown plants or the oil in the engine compartment and you really need to wash the fins out (again, talking all about the engine). If you cannot find any of the reference photos in your search I can repost mine.

As to your draft control. First, did you make sure you did not put the lift arm into draft mode. If not, lets make sure it is not working. Run the engine up, flip the switch on and make sure the unit raises. If it does not I would first think it is an electrical issue. Fit and finsih with PT is lacking. So, check to make sure you hear the solenoid click on and off, and disconnect and check for 12 volts at the connection. If you have juice, then it is the solenoid. They do fail. If not, you get to pull the front cover off the tractor (oposite side of the guages) and check the wiring. I think someone has the wiring diagram. It is easy work on and you can isolate it if it is the switch or not. The other connection place is back by the engine...

Hope this helps...

 

[ponytug]

I think Woodlandfarms meant to write accidently putting the lift control joystick into "float". A definite nono. You might also check that the lock ring on the draft control didn't come loose.

All the best,

Peter

 

[MossRoad]

I think Woodlandfarms meant to write accidently putting the lift control joystick into "float". A definite nono. You might also check that the lock ring on the draft control didn't come loose.

All the best,

Peter

That's what I was thinking. When an implement is in float there is no hydraulic pressure on the lift arms. They are free to FLOAT up or down. So, if you have and implement like a mower with wheels, the mower is free to follow the contours of the ground independantly of the tractor. This is necessary. If the mower could not float, and you attempted to approach a steep incline, the mower would start up the incline and the front tires of the tractor would come off the ground. Conversely, if you approached a decline, the mower would hang off into space until the front tires of the tractor started down the slope.

Now lets talk about an implement without wheels, like a bucket. If you have a bucket on the lift arms and attempt to scoop up some sod and the lift arms are in float, as you drive forward, the bucket bites into the sod and attempts to go down. The tractor tries to drive up over the lift arms, raising the front tires off the ground. That is why you need the ability to take the lift arms out of float sometimes and keep them rigid to the tractor.

Finally, lets talk about your aerator. It doesn't have wheels, but rolls on the ground. It engages the soil.

If the lift arms are kept rigid and you drive forward, the same descriptions I gave above apply. Go up a hill and you get light on the front wheels while the aerator spooms take the full weight of the tractor. Go over the edge of a down hill and the spoons will come out of the soil all together.

If the lift arms are in float and you drive forward, the spoons dig into the soil. In hard soil, they will tend to keep rolling along, supporting the weight of the entire aerator with no problem. In soft soil, however, they will dig into the soil, and, in some cases, act just like the bucket example that I gave above. The spoons will slow or stop forward motion and the tractor will try to drive up over them just like a bucket stuck in the soil.

Finally, lets talk about draft control. Draft control senses the pressure on the lift arms. If there is too much pressure, it automatically raises the implement until the pressure returns to what you have set it to. If there is too little pressure, it lets down the lift arms until the pressure returns to what you have set it to. The reason you need it on a ground engaging implement is obvious, now. But why do you need it on a mower? Because with really large, heavy mowers, the mower's own wheels can dig into the ground and act like a ground engaging implement, causing the tractor to ride up and over the mower if left in float. We don't have that problem too often on the PT425, so we don't have draft control. But it has happened to me with the brush hog in slopes. If I run into really soft sand at the start of an uphill slope, the front casters of the brush hog dig into the soil, the mower stops forward motion and the mower deck tips forward as the tractor tries to drive up over the mower.

Does that clear things up or have I done a crummy job of explaining it?

 

[Bob999]

Finally, lets talk about draft control. Draft control senses the pressure on the lift arms. If there is too much pressure, it automatically raises the implement until the pressure returns to what you have set it to. If there is too little pressure, it lets down the lift arms until the pressure returns to what you have set it to. The reason you need it on a ground engaging implement is obvious, now. But why do you need it on a mower? Because with really large, heavy mowers, the mower's own wheels can dig into the ground and act like a ground engaging implement, causing the tractor to ride up and over the mower if left in float. We don't have that problem too often on the PT425, so we don't have draft control. But it has happened to me with the brush hog in slopes. If I run into really soft sand at the start of an uphill slope, the front casters of the brush hog dig into the soil, the mower stops forward motion and the mower deck tips forward as the tractor tries to drive up over the mower.

David,

I think your description of draft control applies to a typical ag tractor implementation. I don't think it describes what is called draft control on a PT. My understanding of the draft control on PT is that it provides an adjustable lift force but that there is no feedback mechanism. That is it doesn't "sense" the pressure on the lift arms. This differs from an ag tractor where the control is designed to control the heigth of the implement so that the tractor is applying constant draft (pull) to the implement as it moves over/through the ground.

 

[MossRoad]

David,

I think your description of draft control applies to a typical ag tractor implementation. I don't think it describes what is called draft control on a PT. My understanding of the draft control on PT is that it provides an adjustable lift force but that there is no feedback mechanism. That is it doesn't "sense" the pressure on the lift arms. This differs from an ag tractor where the control is designed to control the heigth of the implement so that the tractor is applying constant draft (pull) to the implement as it moves over/through the ground.

I've heard that before when attempting to make a comparison to a 3PT draft control on a standard tractor to a PT with draft control.

What does an adjustable lift force do?
What good is it?
Can anyone explain how the draft control on the PT works?

 

[valjo]

I've heard that before when attempting to make a comparison to a 3PT draft control on a standard tractor to a PT with draft control.

What does an adjustable lift force do?
What good is it?
Can anyone explain how the draft control on the PT works?

I would really like to understand this. And the difference between 'draft control' and 'float'. I'm not sure I'm really clear on either of them. Thanks a bunch for this discussion!!!

 

[valjo]

1.The temperature gage is for the temperature of the oil in the engine--which is oil cooled. In my experience with the 1845 a temperature of 200-210 is about as good as it gets. Frequent cleaning of the oil cooler radiator is required. The frequency can be reduced if you filter the air intake--at the rear pulled in by a fan attached to the alternator. I use standard fiberglass screening over the rear of the engine cover and it takes out the larger chaff. Typically I can get by with cleaning the radiator every 8 hours or so.

2. The problem with the aerator sounds like a bearing or other problem that is preventing the aerator from rotating freely. If it is in fact a draft control problem the first thing to check is whether the draft control was inadvertantly switched off at the panel. If it is on then you need to check to ensure the solenoid is engaging the draft control. If it is not the problem is most likely a wiring problem that is preventing power from reaching the solenoid. Lastly--sometimes solenoids fail or valves get stuck.

1) Okay, but how hot is too hot? If it sometimes is running at 220, should I be concerned?
2) The problem with the aerator might have been the "something preventing the aerator from rotating freely". Upon inspection, I found some plastic baling twine wrapped around the main spindle. (duh) It wasn't tight, it came off pretty easily, but maybe that was the problem because the draft control seemed to be operating fine with the other implements (to the extent that I understand what draft control is supposed to do). As soon as I can verify it, I'll report back. Thanks for the tips everyone.

 

[RegL]

1) Okay, but how hot is too hot? If it sometimes is running at 220, should I be concerned?
2) The problem with the aerator might have been the "something preventing the aerator from rotating freely". Upon inspection, I found some plastic baling twine wrapped around the main spindle. (duh) It wasn't tight, it came off pretty easily, but maybe that was the problem because the draft control seemed to be operating fine with the other implements (to the extent that I understand what draft control is supposed to do). As soon as I can verify it, I'll report back. Thanks for the tips everyone.

1) My 1430 often runs at 220 in Summer brush hogging and other heavy work. I have just under 1000 hrs and the engine seems as good as ever.

2) In my opinion, draft control is one of the handiest things PT put on these tractors. I use it often for different tasks. It's main purpose is for mowing, taking some of the weight of the mower and transferring it to the front wheels of the tractor to improve traction. It's like float, in that the loader arms are free to follow the terrain, but there is that little bit of lift no matter what position they are in. I also use it for plowing snow with the lmb. It will keep the bucket on the ground with a lot less tendency for the tractor to over ride the bucket as it does in float. That said, with enough resistance, the tractor will climb up with the draft on. Another thing it's good for is letting the bucket down smoothly. I have a tendency to be jerky with the joy stick and float just slams it down. With draft control on you can push the joy stick forward, adjust the tilt when bucket reaches the ground, switch draft off and go.
Like someone said earlier, You don't use draft control and float at the same time.