I'm 6' @ 205 lbs w/ size 13 shoes and a 34" inseam. I've operated up to 5 hour stretches of heavy loader work. I was very comfortable. In winter, with large snow boots on, the footwells are a little tight, but not bad at all.
Basic needs for 2 acres, at least to me, would be 60" mower and the light material bucket, that's it /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Everything else is just gravy /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif The light material bucket is my most used implement. The only other attachment that you are getting that I can comment on is the power angle snow plow. It works great. Especially when you have to pile up the snow. Being able to lift the plow and tilt it like a bucket works great up to about 4 feet high.
The pallet forks are pretty handy and not too expensive. I use them about once or twice a month(used them this morning to load an old snowmobile trailer onto my carhauler trailer). You might want to consider them.
As far as disadvantages as compared to a conventional tractor, they are two different beasts. Very hard to compare. In my opinion, the Power Trac PT400 series is like the ultimate small landscape and estate maintenance machine. The implements can be changed so rapidly that no conventional tractor can even come close. Have you seen my videos on the 15 second implement change(if not, click on my signature at the bottom and go to the videos section of my web page)? And you don't have to get off the tractor unless the implement is powered. That adds about another 15 to 30 seconds, as all you have to do is hook up two hydraulic hoses. The low center of gravity and turf friendly full time 4 wheel drive work well together. It is very hard to even intentionally scuff up the turf.
A comparably sized conventional tractor would be much better for plowing a field. Not that the PT couldn't do it... is is just that plowing backwards would just be a pain.
The 400 series will not lift high enough to load a pickup truck. Most conventional tractors will. I knew this before I purchased, so I was not surprised or disappointed. I purchased a car hauler trailer and can load it just fine. I am getting rid of my pickup truck and tow the PT on the trailer with my full size van with no problems, so I no longer need a truck.
It is a gas engine and I love it. It is VERY loud. It starts well in very cold weather. It uses about 1 gallon per hour at full throttle, which is where I usually run it anyway.
There is no dealer nearby. So what /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I am good with mechanical stuff, the engine is covered by a Kohler warranty and Power Trac has excellent phone support and can ship parts rapidly, should you break something... We have an excellent small engine parts store here and I can get Kohler filters, service manuals and parts. The tractor is so simple that there is little to maintain.
Maintenance. Every 8 hours you have to grease it up. There are six bolts that have to be removed to get to the foot treadle linkage. It is kind of a pain, but once you do it, it isn't too bad. 8 hour maintenance takes me about 15 minutes if I don't wash the tractor.
I would say, if you are going to do more agricultural work, get a conventional tractor. If you are going to do typical homeowner, small estate owner or landscaping work, the Power Trac PT425 is more versatile, faster, easier to operate, easier to transport, easier to learn and probably safer as there are less controls to mess with and mix up.
The front mounted implements cannot be beat for visibility. Mowing is extremely easy and you don't have to look down like a mid mount mower or behind like a rear mount. Also, you can stuff the front mount mowers under shrubs and trees about 3 feet. You can't do that with a mid mount mower.
The thing is built like a tank. No sheet metal anywhere. Plate steel everywhere. Wire brush and lightly sand any scratches and touch up with spray paint. No need to baby this beast, it can take it /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
With that said, the JD41xx series, Kubota BX series and NH boomer series are all fine machines that you would not be disapointed with either. I don't want to come off as disrespecting the owners of these machines. I am just really satisfied with the machine that I decided to purchase and attempted to list the advantages that I see.
What part of the country do you live in? There may be a Power Trac near you.
