Buying Advice Power-Trac 1430

[SpringHollow]

What you are saying I believe would be fine if installing a circuit to run a hydraulic motor for a 3 pt hitch powered implement.

 

[AKDirtGrubber]

Hello Ken,

Looking at your site and the mods / upgrades you've done makes me get the itch to fly down to Tazewell.... tomorrow! The V-plow setup you made sure looks impressive. I'm wondering if the 1430 is going to be big enough. Need MoreBiggerFaster! Seriously I think the 1430 will be big enough but wont know for sure until I do some test drives and feel the differences between them.

With your filter cart do you do both the motor oil and the hydro oil with the same cart or just hydro? Would one need separate carts for different oils?

The ability to get enough traction to make a furrow is certainly a concern for me too. I may end up with the tiller on the back with a bed shaper connected to it to make my hill. We will see.

Brad

 

[ponytug]

I share the concern about plowing. PTs are hydraulically driven and have no gearing so plowing is really the worst application. You would need to have very light soil. I have the tiller and it works very well. I'd be inclined to do two tilling passes and shape afterwards with a mound shaping gizmo. (As MossRoad pointed out, there is no ground clearance with these machines, so you aren't going to be able to cultivate with the PT.

Depending on where you are in AK, you may want to think about the V-plow vs a snow blower, depending on how heavy your snow is.

I would make the decision size on size based on slope. Get an 8' long section of uni-strut, or straight pipe and go measure your "goat" slopes. If they are at, or above, 30 degrees, you are going to want one of the slope mowers. Small rabbit holes have a way of turning something that was OK into something that isn't. My 1445 has enough power to back up a 30 degree slope, but comes very close to stalling out on a hot day pushing up hill. At some point, you just need the HP to run well on slopes.

If you know what circuits you want, I would ask Power-trac to do an install for you. They may do it and provide you with the power beyond feed that you would need for your extra circuits.

All the best,

Peter

 

[MossRoad]

I was referring to the auxiliary which is what I would normally use to control lift arms on a 3 pt hitch.

Ken

OK, gotcha. I was thinking implement.

Aux works off the second PTO pump. Goes pump to steering valve, to FEL valve, back to tank. If you tee'd off a valve equipped with power beyond before it goes to the steering valve you could power cylinders at the rear, but every time you operated the rear, you'd lose steering priority, correct?

 

[SpringHollow]

Yes, I would think so. I did mine after the steering for that reason.

Ken

 

[SpringHollow]

Hello Ken,

Looking at your site and the mods / upgrades you've done makes me get the itch to fly down to Tazewell.... tomorrow! The V-plow setup you made sure looks impressive. I'm wondering if the 1430 is going to be big enough. Need MoreBiggerFaster! Seriously I think the 1430 will be big enough but wont know for sure until I do some test drives and feel the differences between them.

With your filter cart do you do both the motor oil and the hydro oil with the same cart or just hydro? Would one need separate carts for different oils?

The ability to get enough traction to make a furrow is certainly a concern for me too. I may end up with the tiller on the back with a bed shaper connected to it to make my hill. We will see.

Brad

I like the V-Plow much more than I thought I would, mainly because I use it as a reverse V snow pusher a lot.

I do not see the need to use the filter cart for the engine oil. I rearranged things between the barn and shop and need to run a circuit for the filter cart - it has not been run for a while now. That project never makes it to the top of the list.

The 1430 and the 1850 are similar machines. The 1850 just has more hydraulic flow to run bigger mowers and better slope capability at the expense of cost, weight, size, and fuel consumption. Lift capacity is the same. For what I do, if the 1430 had the same slope/soft soil capability, I would rather have it. The 1850 sucks down fuel. If I did mostly mowing, I would rather have the 1850.

Ken

 

[AKDirtGrubber]

A 1430 would certainly have sufficient power to pull a single plow, though I doubt it would pull a double plow setup. In fact PT sells a front mount shovel-type plow that they call a potato digger.

Kent - As I have stated I would like to do traditional tractor work with the PT. I know we can double up on the wheels to make the slope work safer but have you seen someone add taller tires/wheels to get more clearance? Do you think this would rob me of much of the wheel torque?

Brad

 

[AKDirtGrubber]

...The 1850 sucks down fuel...

Ken - That is one reason I'm considering the 1430 over the other larger units; fuel consumption. As far as your filter cart goes do you filter the hydro oil @ 50hrs when you change the filter out?

Brad

 

[AKDirtGrubber]

I share the concern about plowing. PTs are hydraulically driven and have no gearing so plowing is really the worst application. You would need to have very light soil. I have the tiller and it works very well. I'd be inclined to do two tilling passes and shape afterwards with a mound shaping gizmo. (As MossRoad pointed out, there is no ground clearance with these machines, so you aren't going to be able to cultivate with the PT.

Depending on where you are in AK, you may want to think about the V-plow vs a snow blower, depending on how heavy your snow is.

I would make the decision size on size based on slope. Get an 8' long section of uni-strut, or straight pipe and go measure your "goat" slopes. If they are at, or above, 30 degrees, you are going to want one of the slope mowers. Small rabbit holes have a way of turning something that was OK into something that isn't. My 1445 has enough power to back up a 30 degree slope, but comes very close to stalling out on a hot day pushing up hill. At some point, you just need the HP to run well on slopes.

If you know what circuits you want, I would ask Power-trac to do an install for you. They may do it and provide you with the power beyond feed that you would need for your extra circuits.

All the best,

Peter

Hi Peter - I agree with you that the PT probably isn't the best tool to plow dirt with but I hope the PT will be able to do it even it isn't designed for it. What is your opinion of taller tires/wheels to get more clearance? Most of our row crops will be on the flat part of the property (about 10-20 600' rows) so I wont be side hilling it wearing taller rubber.
Since you have the 1445 do you feel the power/weight/capability-ratio favors greatly the '45 over the '30? Do you think the 1445 is worth another 5k over the 1430?

Oh forgot to mention about the Goat Slopes... yes only goats would tread these! When I walk this part of our property I can reach straight out and touch the hillside. Steep stuff.
Brad

 

[SpringHollow]

I usually ran the filter after any long use of the tractor while the oil was still warm.

I really do not see someone being happy with the PT being used for traditional farming - it is not what these tractors excel at.

Ken