Canopy Under Canopy Accessory Bar PT425

MossRoad · Nov 12, 2003

I forgot that you had armrests, do you use them very often or pull them up?
I am usually operating at full speed. After dumping a load of dirt its high speed back to the site. Holding on to the ROPS bar keeps me somewhat in one position.


I use the armrests a lot because they fall down into position by themselves! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

When I am doing serious loader work(sounds cool just to say it), here's what I usually do. Crowd the large bucket with dirt and then drop it to the ground as I am backing out of the pile. Then raise it an inch or two as I am moving backwards. Stick my right elbow on the arm rest, look over my right shoulder and stomp on the reverse pedal. I drive at top speed in reverse all the way across the yard or fields or wherever, slowing only for curves and hills until I get to where I'm going. Then I slow down, position the tractor and dump the load. Take off again in reverse back to the pile. This sounds really awkward until you try it. It is quite comfortable and I don't waste time turning around. The main reason I do it is because when the bucket is full, the unit is front heavy. If you try to go 8MPH forward with a full bucket and you hit a bump the rear comes up off the ground and the bucket hits the ground causing the unit to stop and the driver to slam forward. By driving in reverse, the bucket acts exactly like a wheelie bar. I can go the full 8MPH and if the unit attempts to bounce, the bucket drags on the ground instead of pushing into it. It just skids along until the unit settles down on all four wheels. Sounds dangerous, probably is, but I can move an incredible amount of material in a short time going 8MPH in both directions. As I said before, I don't do this on hills or curves, just on my flat lawn and fields. And I never drive fast with people around. Things move pretty quickly at 8MPH and your reaction times have to be quick. Better to slow down than rely on your reactions.

Sedgewood · Nov 12, 2003

Stick my right elbow on the arm rest, look over my right shoulder and stomp on the reverse pedal. 

This man needs one of those high speed left handed mirrors I can't seem to find anywhere /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Sedgewood

bebster · Nov 12, 2003

Do you have any concerns with the alternator being enough to power the extra lights?

MossRoad · Nov 12, 2003

Do you have any concerns with the alternator being enough to power the extra lights 

Yes. It is supposed to be a 15 amp alternator and the 4 lights will be pulling 35W each. So, if I got this right, 35Watts X 4Lights = 140W total. I think 140W/12V=11.7A. That leaves about 3 amps to charge the battery, run the spark plugs and the electric fan on the hydraulic cooler. I don't know how many amps that thing pulls. Add in a 35W reverse light and I'm looking at a dead battery by the end of a long evening of plowing. That is why I want to put everything on different circuits. If I don't need things, I'll turn them off. If it becomes a real hassle, I could order a 25AMP alternator kit for the Kohler, but I think I'll use my $15.00 motorcycle trickle charger on it all winter and see how things go. I never have to plow for more than 5 or 10 minutes right now anyway. When it is cold, I let the tractor warm up longer than it takes me to plow! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

pajoube · Nov 12, 2003

I ended up purchasing a 300 watt magnetic heater which I put on the oil tank. Works great for our cold nights (used for the last 10 days) but I still let it stand and run for 5 minutes before going to work.
PJ

duane · Nov 13, 2003

Pajoube,

What brand magnetic heater did you get. Local or mail order?

Duane

pajoube · Nov 13, 2003

I bought it at Big R (same as TSC) and the brand name is KATZ, cost was around $49 I think.
PJ

MossRoad · Nov 19, 2003

I temped in the two new lights under the canopy by tapping into the existing headlights tonight and gave them a test. WOW! What a difference that is going to make. Hopefully, I will get them permanently wired this weekend. I think I will end up facing the original lights more outward to the sides and put them on a seperate circuit so that I can switch them off when not needed. The lights up high really get out in front of the snow blade. I'm going to like that! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

pajoube · Nov 20, 2003

The picture you posted showing the new lights appear to be almost the same as what PT uses. I have not had an opportunity to run my machine in the dark, are they strong lights?
PJ

MossRoad · Nov 20, 2003

The bulbs are the same(35W tractor bulbs) but the housings are not. The ones that I added are a hard plactic housing. I'm not sure if I can change the bulb /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif but they were so cheap, I'll just replace it if anything happens. The ones that came on the Power Trac are a softer rubber housing. They are flexible.

By the way, I found out how to take the bulb out if you have to the hard way. We had some high winds last week. We lost about a 3rd of the side of beautiful 40' Bradford Pear tree. I used the forks to pick up the rather large branch and took it to the brush pile at the rear of our yard. The branch was about 25 feet long and 8 inches thick at the butt end. Lots of side branches and still full of leaves. I was pushing it into the brush pile so hard that it jumped the loader arms, bounced against the right headlight, pushed the joystick into lift and raised itself up all the way. I had to shut off the tractor as I couldn't back up because the branch was behind the loader arm. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Pretty scarry 2 seconds!!! Anyway, I managed to get the branch off the joystick and lower the lift arms with gravity. I then had to lift the branch off the lift arms by hand. It was very heavy and I almost had to get help, but at the last second, it popped over the lift arms and I was able to start up and back away(hey, maybe I'll cross post this in the safety forum). Anyway, that's when I noticed that the rigth bulb had popped out of the housing. I just popped it back in. It is a rubber housing and it just squished back in place. Pretty forgiving. To get the bulb out of the stock headlight assembly, just use a screwdriver, slide it up along the edge of the bulb into the rubber housing and gently pry the bulb out.

As for the brightness, the stock headlights are plenty bright. However, they are at such a height that the lift arms cast a shadow directly on the quick attach. Also, I usually use the headlights mostly in the winter, due to shorter days and the need to plow the driveway in the dark. The stock headlights shines over the plow good enough, but still cast a shadow in front of the plow or a bucket, for that matter. I think Power Trac should hear this and move the lights up under the canopy on any model so equipped. It is the most logical place for them, in my humble opinion, of course /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif