Wheel Trencher

[Frank Sorbello]

Hi, looking for a used wheel trencher for my PT-422. Also if anyone has any any closeup photos of one, or knows where I can view photos of one, please let me know.

Thanks
Frank

 

[ernemats]

Did you look at the pictures on power trac's web site under attachments, not the best but it gives you an idea of what they look like.

 

[J_J]

Here is a picture of the one I have.

It can be used as a stump grinder or as a wheeled trencher.

The wheeled dirt-trencher below was not available when my 1990's PT-1445 was sold.

 

[Frank Sorbello]

Hi JJ,

Do you know size hydraulic motor is on your wheel trencher? Can the wheel spin forward and backwards the way it is, or would you have to add a spool valve to change the direction of the blade?

Thanks
Frank

 

[J_J]

Yes, but on mine, the motor will spin backward, but the teeth are welded on the disc, and the hub is tapered.

I could theoretically, remove the motor and reverse the mount and be able to dig fwd.

If I want to dig a trench, I drive backward.

You could however make up a hyd motor and disc that can be reversed.

You design what you want and a plasma/laser cutter will cut the holes for you, add digging teeth or stump grinder teeth and you are off and running.

Dig fwd or rev by turning the blade around and reverseing the hyd motor with a motor spool valve.

On the size hyd motor, I would guess about 4 or 5 cu in, giving an rpm of 601 to 751 rpm.

My PTO pump puts out about 13 GPM

 

[Frank Sorbello]

Still looking for some close up shots of the wheel trencher. I would like to see how the motor is mounted to the plate.

 

[SpringHollow]

Here are some pictures of my stump grinder for what it is worth:

Ken

 

[Frank Sorbello]

JJ, Can you make a turn with the wheel trencher?

 

[J_J]

Yes, you should be able to make a gentle turn.

For 90 degrees, raise trencher and reset.

 

[J_J]

Yes, you should be able to make a gentle turn.

For 90 degrees, raise trencher and reset.

 

[Marks481]

You can go watch power trac's video of the wheel trencher on you tube:

Power Trac PT1430 with Wheel Trencher - YouTube

 

[Willl]

You can go watch power trac's video of the wheel trencher on you tube:

Almost looks like they're running it like a dado blade for a wider slot ?

 

[stuckmotor]

Yes, but on mine, the motor will spin backward, but the teeth are welded on the disc, and the hub is tapered.

I could theoretically, remove the motor and reverse the mount and be able to dig fwd.

If I want to dig a trench, I drive backward.

You could however make up a hyd motor and disc that can be reversed.

You design what you want and a plasma/laser cutter will cut the holes for you, add digging teeth or stump grinder teeth and you are off and running.

Dig fwd or rev by turning the blade around and reverseing the hyd motor with a motor spool valve.

On the size hyd motor, I would guess about 4 or 5 cu in, giving an rpm of 601 to 751 rpm.

My PTO pump puts out about 13 GPM

J.J.,
Is yours a store bought trencher or, did you build it?

 

[J_J]

My trencher is a Power-Trac trencher.

 

[ScoopCzar]

Can the PT wheel trencher be used for grinding stumps? If it can cut asphalt, I would think it could cut wood.

 

[J_J]

I cut stumps with my trencher/stump grinder.

Need sharp teeth. Use green stone to sharpen.

 

[ScoopCzar]

J.J.
Yours actually is a PT stump grinder, right? I was wondering if the PT wheel trencher could go the other way and be used for stumps.

 

[J_J]

Mine was advertised as a stump grinder, but I have cut many trenches with it.

 

[ScoopCzar]

The PT stump grinder is 18" in diameter and is advertised as also being able to cut trenches up to 6" deep. The PT wheel trencher is 26" in diameter, I believe, and is not advertised for stump cutting, but it is advertised for asphalt cutting. I spoke to Terry today about it. He was not sure how well it would work one way or the other. The teeth on the both attachments are the same. He said the motor on the WT was larger and had more torque than the one on the stump cutter, but the SC turns faster. I noted that the larger diameter on the WT would increase the speed of the outer edge of the wheel more than the same effect on the smaller SC wheel. He didn't know the RPM of either attachment. So who knows? Maybe the teeth would hit the stump at about the same rate with either attachment. My reason for looking into this is that I plan to buy my PT 425 in early November and am fine-tuning my attachment list.

 

[ponytug]

You raise good points.

A few people on the list have used their forks to pry stumps out of the ground. At least one person has bent forks trying.

I can say that the pry method works pretty well, but you want to be mindful of prying out stumps near water or electrical lines, where the root(s) might yank on something that you care about.

That said, you might want to go look at a tree stump grinder at a rental store. The wheel is a lot bigger, more powerful, and there are lots of safety shields. You might want to consider the relative cost and frequency of stump grinding. Stump removals aren't usually an emergency, so you can plan for it.

Because of my delivery options, I had to buy forks, but, for me, they have gotten a bunch of use moving pallets, unloading trucks, moving large numbers of milled lumber to job sites around the property. They aren't my most frequently used attachment, but they have been invaluable- to me. YMMV: reading this forum, I am always struck by the diversity of needs and uses that people put their PTs to.

Have fun with you new PT.

All the best,

Peter