Power Trac was a small company started by an entrepreneur nearly nearly 15 years ago to satisfy his need for an all-purpose lawn and garden tractor. The owner was running his successful business which was devoted to making heavy-duty mining equipment. When he went to buy what we know as a compact tractor, he found that there were deficiencies in the time tested and true tractor design. The tractors tended to be unstable on steep slopes; three point hitch implements were often neck wrenching to use because of the need to continually turn around and watch the implement and then back again to keep direction. A tight turn on a tractor could often turn into a rut as the front tires cut in to make the turn, especially on 4 wheel drive tractors.
The owner [of Power Trac] took his
engineering expertise and adapted a version of his rugged mining machines
to the task of lawn maintenance and the Power Trac was born. The
Power Trac, based on the articulated tool carrier that has carved out a
niche in the mining business was turning into a high production tool
carrier for everyday landscaping applications.
The Power Trac units tackle some of the inherent design problems with tractors by mounting all the tools in front of the operator. This allows the operator comfort and ease of operation. When using the Power Trac with attachments such as a mower, tiller or rake, the articulated design allows a very tight turning radius without the ruts associated with a front steer design. Articulated steering takes some getting used to but as the operator learns the advantages of articulated steering, they find the machine can literally bend around obstructions.
In the mining industry... steep slopes, sharp turns and uneven terrain make it necessary to have a machine that could survive in this demanding environment. Like its parent machine and tool carrier, the Power Trac was built to maneuver in these tough situations. Able to oscillate 12 degrees in either direction these machines can climb over obstructions that would stop or turn over your average lawn tractor. A low center of gravity allows these machines to operate safely on slopes up to 45 degrees (PT-1850 only... don't try this with any kind of traditional tractor). As the Power Trac caught on, attachments were added. The three point hitch lifts like a loader and this opens a whole realm of equipment and attachments such as buckets, fork attachments and augers. In fact, the Power Trac can be adapted to the standard skid steer loader quick attach and be used as a tool carrier that handles more than 30 different attachments.
As Power Trac grew, more attachments
were added and more refinement to the Power Trac line. In 1996,
Power Trac won the distinguished honor of the "National Engineering
Award For Excellence in Design." Power Trac's most well known
machine and the "King of the Hill" is their model 1850.
This 65 HP diesel powered machine comes with full time hydrostatic 8-wheel
drive (4 wheel motors, each with 2 wheels) outboard disc brakes with
automatic safety lock, a tilt seat that compensates the operator
automatically when using the machine on steep slopes and the ability to
take all of the Power Trac options. This machine is joined by two
other commercial models, the 1845 (a 45 HP version) the 1430 (a 30 HP
version) and three consumer models.
Power Trac has recently introduced an articulated loader backhoe aimed at the landscape and utility market. They also manufacture machines for special application transportation like the six- wheel-drive all terrain vehicle and the six wheel drive articulated transport. Call Power Trac at 1-800 THE YARD
