Buying Advice New member needs advice.

   / New member needs advice. #1  

BAGTIC

Silver Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2004
Messages
172
Location
Thayer, MO
I don't have a tractor yet as I curently live in California on a 1 acre lot.

In March we will be leaving California and our citrus and avocado trees and moving to southern Missouri. We have purchased 82 acres. Most is in leased out pasture but about 10 acres is in residential use, house , garden, ponds, shade trees, etc. I want to get started on planting a small orchard, 1-2 acres, as soon as I can.

Which size tractor would be best suited to my needs? Primarily it is going to be landscaping/gardening, residential mowing. I thought of a finish mower, rotor tiller, auger with one large and one small bit, and a rock bucket as a starter set-up. The rancher leasing the pasture will keep it mowed with his 10 ft mower. I will only need to pick up occassional dead branches, etc. for my own firewood use.

The wife wants a koi pond and we need to build a garage and add another room to the house. I might want to excavate for a walkout basement under the new room so I could have a heated shop directly accessible from the house.

I have considered the PT-425 and the PT-1430. Obviously the PT-425 has a big price edge. I imagine it would also be much handier for mowing and working in tight places.

I could afford the larger 1430 if it was necessary [My most understanding wife told me so. See! God does still make angels] but is there any significant need for it? I am retired so time and speed is not a necessity as long as the smaller tractor can do the work even though with more but smaller bites. Can the 425 excavate a walkout basement if one is not in too much of a hurry?

How much difference is there in the noise of the 425 and the 1430? Are ear plugs required for either? I'm already a little deaf and I want to keep on hearing for at least as long as I keep on eating.


Would appreciate any othe advice.
 
   / New member needs advice. #2  
I have only a 422, but I wouldn't hesitate to undertake all that you plan with it, making the 425 an even better choice.

As far as the noise, see this thread:

PT muffling

Phil
 
   / New member needs advice. #3  
Given your circumstances, I recommend the 425. I believe Pajoube has done some significant excavation with his. You'll want hearing protection, regardless of the tractor you buy.
 
   / New member needs advice. #4  
As already mentioned the 425 will do very well with your projected projects. I also dug a very large hill out for garage footings without any problems. Go back into the form under my PAJOUBE name and you will see a number of projects with pictures showing what this great machine can do. These pictures are what you are talking about. Good Luck and enjoy the fun to come.
PJ
 
   / New member needs advice. #5  
BAGTIC,

Welcome to TBN! Where in Missouri are you moving. I am located south of the St. Louis Metro Area. I have 2 PTs that I love and am looking into replacing my 1430 and attachments with a 1460. I sent you a PM about the 1430 and attachments. I have been very pleased with the 1430 and I have never had nor will have a tractor or truck that is not diesel. You can not beat the torque, durability, or fuel economy of a diesel. Although, you would do great with any of the PTs! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Ask anyone here!

Happy Holidays! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Yardscaper
 
   / New member needs advice. #6  
my only problem is the weight,my 422 is almost too heavy.we here in pa. had the most rain in history,my yard was like a sponge.the pt tore up more than normal,and at times didn't cut to save what little bit grass that was there. i have a lot of trees and have to travel over the same area many times to get to an other,so it will tramp that area down and press the grass down into the soil.in the open where you don't have to do a lot of turning it's not bad,also if it's dry it does a good job.with the bucket,blade(with the mods.),ripper,boom,it's great /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif for all you want to do the 422 will do it,i never use full throttle, so power isn't a problem.if you steep hills to mow that is a problem, you learn how to work around them. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
   / New member needs advice. #7  
I pretty much agree with everyone else, that the 425 (that's what I got 50 days ago) can do what you want. If you will be putting lots of hours on your new tractor, the Diesel may pay for itself somewhat in fuel efficiency (two ways: less fuel per hour and less hours per job) and durability.

Also, you might consider visiting Tazewell and trying them both out. I'm in California, but it didn't take much time or dollars to make the trip. If you do, I recommend Jet Blue direct to Dulles and then a six hour drive across Virginia. I flew with my brother for a total of $320 round trip ($400 if you add the rental car and gas). If you buy at the same time, they take 2% off the order and you avoid sales tax.

Good Luck!
 
   / New member needs advice. #8  
I debated the same exact question for about two months before I bought my 425. The guys on here are right that pajoube has done some incredable things with his 425. I spent a lot of time reading the threads on here, and a little time asking questions. MossRoad's site was also very helpful in me making the decision. He even has videos of the 425 in action.

My final decision was based on two things, cost and size. For what I would spend for a 1340 alone, I was able to purchase all sorts of attachments and a 425. Also, the 425 is smaller, so it will get into places that the 1430 will not.

I drove both of these, up and down hills at Tazwell, and I believe that because of the extra weight of the 1430, even with the diesel, that it did not perform significantly better than the 425. It was better, but not a lot. Worth it to some guys, yes, me, no...

The diesel is louder, but will last longer and has more torque. For the extra cost, when my Robin engine goes belly up, I'll go buy another one and install it and still save money.

I have not found anything that my 425 will not do. It just takes longer some times. I figure that with the cost savings, I can go a rent a skid steer if I need to do a huge job quickly. Note that I have created some pretty big piles of wood and brush with this little guy.

On the 1430, it is heavier, so it should have better traction. It also is wider, so with the weight, should be a little better on slopes. It has a cool gage with engine temperature, oil pressure, fuel and voltage. It also has a draft control which will help with weight distribution and traction. The 425 does not. The 1430 will also lift more than the 425, 1200# vs 800#.

About the only thing that I wish I had on the 425 is a tach and a temp control.

You should read as much as you can and determine what you are going to use the tractor for. I walked around my property and tried to visualize what I might do in different areas. Again, pajoube's post is very helpful in seeing what you could do with a small tractor.

Some guys on here were considering the 1430 and went to the 1445 instead. If you have the funds, this is a smart choice. The 1445 is around the same size as the 1430, but a lot more umpf! Talk to Charlie...

Best of luck with your decision. Take your time and really think it through. Play out different scenerios to determine what you would use a tractor for and ask the guys on here lots of questions. It's a great bunch and they are all very helpful. Finally, there's nothing like trying out the real thing at Tazwell. Then you can go home with a smaile on your face knowing that you made the right decision. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
   / New member needs advice. #9  
Ah, let's see. It's Christmas, right? The classic Christmas colors are <font color="green"> GREEN </font> and <font color="red"> RED </font>. Oh, Santa could I please have one green PT (a <font color="green"> 425 </font> would be a fine choice) and one red PT (a <font color="red"> 1430 </font> perhaps)??

That's one way, albeit a bit fantasy, to pass through the horns of this dilemma. Realistically, from your description, it sounds like either unit will be up to the task. Me thinks that the GREEN machine will do it with somewhat more agility, and the RED machine will do it with a bit more brute.

If you can see your way clear, do make a pilgrimage to Tazewell, so you can try both, and then make a choice.
 
   / New member needs advice. #10  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Some guys on here were considering the 1430 and went to the 1445 instead. If you have the funds, this is a smart choice. The 1445 is around the same size as the 1430, but a lot more umpf!)</font>

Same physical dimensions, maybe, but let's not forget the weight factor here. While the 1430 and 1445 may have a similar "footprint," the 1445 is going to leave a much deeper print. It weighs in at 1,400# MORE than the 1430 /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. That's like having a 425 sitting dead weight on the ROPS of a 1430 /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. In round figures:
  • PT 425 1,400#
  • PT 1430 2,600#
  • PT 1445 4,000#
 
 
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