Buying Advice PT1445 talk me off this fence

[Toomanymaples]

My wife talked me in to getting that funny looking tractor. Our property is pretty hilly and she'd seen me up on two wheels, too many times while on a variety of traditional tractors, she was particularly ticked off, seeing me with the backhoe with full bucket, hanging to the side, to provide counter balance weight.

I grew up with tractors so i guess, probably a hard sell, but also it gave me an idea as to the issues i was going to keep seeing, given out place, but not going to be doing any ground engagement, so after reading and watching many video, in particular, Moss's cinematic extravaganzas. I mostly mow and use FEL and the ROPS, the ROPS has probably saved my life, as more then once have had large limbs come down on it due to my backing hard, into a tree. It's been close to twenty years now and with the engine replacement, going strong.

Great to hear man. I was wondering about the ROPS on those. I think because of the plastic canopies i've seen on most tractors, the PT were automatically also plastic in my mind. We have quite a few rotten trees with widow makers on them. The storms this winter brought down three, thank God we only lost about 25' of fence and that was inside the perimeter. With a canopy like that I might be more confident to push them over. Previous plan was to tannerite them.

 

[MossRoad]

The canopy is quite strong. I've hit my head on it many times. If my head can't damage it, it's darn near indestructible! :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

But in all seriousness, I've brush cut some really tall stuff with my PT425 and 48" brush cutter. So tall, in fact, that I step up on the tire, up onto the engine cover, up onto the canopy, reached as high as I could and was 2' shy of grabbing the top of the weeds.

The canopy on my 425 is 5'6". I can reach to 7'6". So that's 13' plus the 2' shy.... so about 15' weeds with the little 425.

The best part is mowing them down without having to drive over them first, or having to back into them all day. :thumbsup:

 

[Toomanymaples]

I have the 1430 that helps me with 2 horses, 2 donkeys, and some goats. I also have a 16 acre apple orchard. I wanted something to mow, haul brush, haul manure, and run a log splitter. I initially considered a CUT with a loader or a used skid steer. I got a skid steer demo for a weekend and ruled it out. There was too much ground damage, too much fuel consumption, and visibility was poor. I didn't demo a CUT, but went with the PT because of better maneuverability, ease of switching attachments, and stronger FEL. I think the PT also has better traction in mud and snow.

I was concerned with service on the PT. In 400 hours I have had electrical issues, throttle cable seized, fuel cut off solenoid failed, and the dynamo melted. I repaired all but the dynamo myself. Many tractor dealers will service the PT. I took mine to the local Case dealer. I also have a local Deutz distributor. Parts are expensive, but readily available.

Thanks for sharing mombo. I like hearing the good and the bad. I hadn't considered taking a PT into service at a tractor dealer. Looks like there is a full service Deutz dealer 25 miles from me :scratchchin:

How hard would you say you have been running your PT?

My wife wants donkeys, do they mix in well with the horses or do you keep them separate?

 

[Toomanymaples]

About $15,000 should cover it." Kinda sheepishly, as we never really discussed actual price and I was waiting for an adverse reaction.

So I'm still looking at her after saying $15,000 and she turns her head to the loan officer and says "We need $30,000 because I'm getting a car."

This is gold! :laughing:

We know what you got, what did she end up getting?

 

[MossRoad]

This is gold! :laughing:

We know what you got, what did she end up getting?

A 1 year old 2000 Impala LS with every factory option available for $13K. The guy bought it for $26K just a year earlier for his wife, who didn't like her 2 year old Jeep. She ended up wanting the Jeep back after getting the Impala...... YIKES! :laughing:

We drove that car for about 14 years, put about 185,000 miles on it. Took many family vacations in it. Most memorable was a two week trip from here out to Montana and back with my wife and two kids. Got to stop in and visit with a good friend and fellow PT owner and his wife for a couple days. Met them through TBN! :thumbsup: He passed away a while ago, and we still stay in touch with Mrs. PJ.

We sold it when the electronics started going wiggy.... like driving down the road on a sunny day, the windshield wipers would take a swipe or two about every 20 minutes. Half the dash lights were out and we couldn't see any controls at night. And the ABS system started complaining. That was a very comfortable car.

 

[Toomanymaples]

I will second MossRoad's advice. Do not buy a tractor without using it. Rinse and repeat. Do not buy a tractor without using it.

I think you guys are right on about this and I'm glad you are saying it. I will follow that advice.

This is my absolute worst season; we have heavy clay soil that gets "slicker than snake snot" this time of year. I just put chains on, and the traction is much better, but not as good as dry soil.

Sliding through snake snot sounds like some hard driving.

We are on a glacial landform. Nothing but potato sized rocks and the occasional void of loose soil for the top 18 in and then it is hard pan. Had to put in 500 of fence the summer we moved in and the first hole I dug, I thought I hit a concrete footing for the telecom box. Nope, hard pan. Augers do not work, had to use a demo hammer with a spade or an air spade hooked up to a tow behind compressor. I have another 900 of fence line to replace whenever I can get around to it...

I will say upfront that traditional tractors are great for plowing level land and pulling stumps. In my mind, putting a conventional tractor on a slope is Russian roulette. You may may get away with it once, or twice, but there is a cartridge in there, and you will not keep getting lucky.

You have slopes. You need a PT or a dozer. No amount of "my color is better than yours" will change that. You absolutely have to have a machine with a low center of gravity, or your number will be up.

I have lost neighbors to tractor rollovers, and while they are almost always career and life ending, they are usually farm ending as well. I have a neighbor here that mows carefully downhill, backing uphill, repeat on an old Ford with no ROPS. One badger hole and he will not going to be my neighbor, but he doesn't see the risk.

Ponytug you are echoing a lot of the concerns I have, which were solely based on the seat of my pants. That is awful to hear that people have been killed or maimed. Not worth the risk in my opinion.

I use the rototiller to turn the manure pile in a few minutes.

What a game changer, I had no idea you could do that. Right now it is all about shovels...

Unless you have no mechanical aptitude, PTs are easy to service. I knew nothing of hydraulics when I bought mine, and thanks to the great folks here, I have learned a lot. The folks here are super, super supportive and knowledgeable. A set of offset wrenches, a grease gun, an oil filter wrench and you are good to go. An air compressor and an impact driver can make life easier, but is not required.

That sounds pretty straightforward.

I have a PT1445; if you and your wife fly down to the bay area, you are welcome to try ours out.

Man, that would be amazing. My folks still have a place in Santa Rosa, we make our way down there sometimes. I might just take you up on that. Will be sure to wait until the snake snot dries out.

 

[Toomanymaples]

But in all seriousness, I've brush cut some really tall stuff with my PT425 and 48" brush cutter. So tall, in fact, that I step up on the tire, up onto the engine cover, up onto the canopy, reached as high as I could and was 2' shy of grabbing the top of the weeds.

The canopy on my 425 is 5'6". I can reach to 7'6". So that's 13' plus the 2' shy.... so about 15' weeds with the little 425.

The best part is mowing them down without having to drive over them first, or having to back into them all day. :thumbsup:

Having the brush cutter in front makes so much sense.

I think I saw a video you posted, honeysuckle if memory serves. How thick a brush does the cutter handle before bogging down?

 

[SpringHollow]

My land is heavily sloped similar to yours although I do have a few hundred feet of relatively flat driveway. I have owned 4 traditional CUTs and the PT1850. I had great luck with the CUTs - on my driveway and as long as I did not turn sideways, on my trails when the ground was frozen (otherwise, the ground was too soft and the front wheels would trench it). My PT I use everywhere on the property other than the almost vertical ravines. From your needs, my only concern would be the seeding, spreading manure and lime. It depends upon how that equipment is "powered" - if towed and ground powered by the wheels of the implement, then you are fine. If PTO powered, you will be driving backwards or driving over what you spread.

The air in the oil issue is just something you need to be aware of - it is not difficult at all to deal with. In fact in some ways, it is a plus. Otherwise you would not know your filter is properly tightened.

As far as rate of repairs, from my experience you will have more minor repairs than with a Kubota etc. The "normal" repairs are not anything that a slightly handy person can deal with. The difficult repairs are ones that you likely would not do yourself on a Kubota, such as rebuilding a hydraulic pump.

Unlike Moss' recommendation, I bought mine never having even seen a PT other than online. It did not bother me to do so because a tractor I can actually use on my land is better than all those that I can not and also there is great support from this forum and from PT.

 

[SpringHollow]

If going with PT's, a 425 would likely have difficulty with 800 lb + bales. The 1430 should handle those as well as the 1450 or 1845/50. If you have not built your horse barn, if possible make it where you can get your tractor into them - the 425 is much nicer for that.