Going to Tazewell tomorrow to buy.....

[tommott77]

...Kubota bx 1880, lol. Found a smoking deal on a used machine. I’m doing this though to sell some other tractors and free up some cash flow for a potential 2430 purchase.

I will be stopping by Power Trac to check out the 2430s Thursday morning though. Pretty sure I’ll be picking one up in the coming months. The biggest question I have it’s pulling ability for grunt work. It’ll see 80% loader work but would need to be able to pull (I guess actually push) a box blade up my driveway. The issue with my driveway is it’s about 500’ of constant 15+ degree grade. Want to make sure the 1 speed transmission and the wheel motors will be up the task. The tractor’s entire life will literally be going up and down our mountain side.

Anything specific I should try to test with the 2430 to see it’ll work for my application? I’m not sure if they’ll have any steep, constant grade to test the tractor out at their facility.

 

[RegL]

...Kubota bx 1880, lol. Found a smoking deal on a used machine. I’m doing this though to sell some other tractors and free up some cash flow for a potential 2430 purchase.

I will be stopping by Power Trac to check out the 2430s Thursday morning though. Pretty sure I’ll be picking one up in the coming months. The biggest question I have it’s pulling ability for grunt work. It’ll see 80% loader work but would need to be able to pull (I guess actually push) a box blade up my driveway. The issue with my driveway is it’s about 500’ of constant 15+ degree grade. Want to make sure the 1 speed transmission and the wheel motors will be up the task. The tractor’s entire life will literally be going up and down our mountain side.

Anything specific I should try to test with the 2430 to see it’ll work for my application? I’m not sure if they’ll have any steep, constant grade to test the tractor out at their facility.

The 2430 is kind of under powered for hills. Same engine as the 1430 and weighs about 1000lbs more. I like mine for loader work and light digging with back hoe. For just about everything else the 1430 is better.

 

[Have tractor did travel]

I'd be inclined to take one of those remote heat sensors, and take readings of various components - you mentioned wheel motors. It's electric ? Transmission fluid, engine oil. Make note of your readings. As I remember, both temps should not exceed 230 F by much. After your test drive, you can research operating temperatures of what you measured.
At the end of your test run, but the front end against a tree, and see if the engine will stall out, or if something slips in the drive line. Don't know what that will mean, but if it slips (motor doesn't stall), you can research later.
I have rarely needed to lift my FEL higher than 3 feet. That said, I use the FEL all the time.
A friend paid the extra for a galvanized trailer. It looks nice after years, whereas mine is all chipped.
I've found that sole source products (think automobile parts) are very expensive. All of your implements will be sole source. Maybe you can negotiate a clause that any implements purchase within 5 years of sale date, will be at current listed price.
And finally, my 30 hp hydrostatic tractor has a 3 range rear axle. I mostly use "medium", but I'm glad to have the other two - for road driving and for heavy duty grunt work.

 

[tommott77]

The 2430 is kind of under powered for hills. Same engine as the 1430 and weighs about 1000lbs more. I like mine for loader work and light digging with back hoe. For just about everything else the 1430 is better.

I won’t be getting the backhoe though which looks like it’s shaves 800-900# off the tractor

 

[SpringHollow]

The filters are standard items.

The PT's are not the best at ground contact. I use a box blade with mine and as long as I am not too aggressive. I certainly plow uphill on driveways steeper than that and 500' is not very long. It would likely work best to repair the driveway while driving downhill.

I can not picture PT putting in clauses to hold prices for 5 years. Many of their implements are quite reasonably priced. Plus it is very easy to adapt traditional attachments to the PT. I have 2 kinds of mini hoes, 3 snow plows, a bucket, forks, box blade, rear blade, and lifting boom that are all conventional implements adapted for the PT in one way or another.

Ken

 

[MossRoad]

I'd be inclined to take one of those remote heat sensors, and take readings of various components - you mentioned wheel motors. It's electric ? Transmission fluid, engine oil. Make note of your readings. As I remember, both temps should not exceed 230 F by much. After your test drive, you can research operating temperatures of what you measured.
At the end of your test run, but the front end against a tree, and see if the engine will stall out, or if something slips in the drive line. Don't know what that will mean, but if it slips (motor doesn't stall), you can research later.
I have rarely needed to lift my FEL higher than 3 feet. That said, I use the FEL all the time.
A friend paid the extra for a galvanized trailer. It looks nice after years, whereas mine is all chipped.
I've found that sole source products (think automobile parts) are very expensive. All of your implements will be sole source. Maybe you can negotiate a clause that any implements purchase within 5 years of sale date, will be at current listed price.
And finally, my 30 hp hydrostatic tractor has a 3 range rear axle. I mostly use "medium", but I'm glad to have the other two - for road driving and for heavy duty grunt work.

No. The PowerTracs are all hydraulic. They have hydraulic wheel motors, one at each wheel. They also don't have a transmission. Just a variable volume hydraulic pump that drives the 4 hydraulic wheel motors.

 

[Have tractor did travel]

Mossroad, thanks for education on Power Trac. Hydraulic is the way Ingersoll, and prior, Case garden tractors, motivated their tractors. I'm going to look further into this equipment.

 

[tommott77]

The filters are standard items.

The PT's are not the best at ground contact. I use a box blade with mine and as long as I am not too aggressive. I certainly plow uphill on driveways steeper than that and 500' is not very long. It would likely work best to repair the driveway while driving downhill.

I can not picture PT putting in clauses to hold prices for 5 years. Many of their implements are quite reasonably priced. Plus it is very easy to adapt traditional attachments to the PT. I have 2 kinds of mini hoes, 3 snow plows, a bucket, forks, box blade, rear blade, and lifting boom that are all conventional implements adapted for the PT in one way or another.

Ken

It’s steep! Literally on the side of a cliff of a mountain. 15 degrees or probably close to 25+% grade in spots. And that’s just the finished first half. Steep to the point where I’m having to drag up more than down.

A 2430 will weigh a bit more and have a couple more HP than the tractor currently doing the task (I’ve been wondering what the actual displacement on that Duetz engine is though). The one thing the current tractor has on the 2430 is the low range gear. The current tractor up there is literally never in high gear, even up going up and down unloaded. Hydraulics in high gear won’t hold the tractor going downhill and aren’t enough to get it up.

 

[Goose1776]

I literally just got my 1430 off the trailer, as in 30 minutes ago. So not a lot of experience with it. LoL.
But I will say, if you think you like the 2430, and are dead set on having a diesel, I would buy it ASAP.
I know they are expecting price increases across the board, just like most every other manufacturer…
Also, whatever 2430s with the Diesel engines are left, will be the last ones with the current engine in them.
All that, and will also say, that unless you absolutely have to have diesel, and lift over 800lbs, I would highly advise at least looking at the 425. It would be immensely more capable than the little BX.

 

[m5040]

I have a 1430 and a 1460. If the 1460 is in your range, try it out. It can tackle hills and roll over rocks without a grunt. The 1430 feels the hills and rocks, but I don't run mine at full throttle either, but same as the 1460.

 

[tommott77]

Don’t worry! The BX and its little 18hp will be residing across the state at my leas than 1 acre property. I have a John Deere 3025 that stays up at the mountain property. The 2430 should have a good bit more loader capacity than the 3025 and hopefully be a bit more stable especially on the uneven parts of the property. Had a bit of a scare with the Deere up there a couple weeks back.

Haven’t really considered the 1460 as that’ll be getting above the decreased capacity of my soon to be new towing setup. Good idea though and ll at least try to get my butt on one of those as well to weigh pros/cons

 

[RegL]

Don’t worry! The BX and its little 18hp will be residing across the state at my leas than 1 acre property. I have a John Deere 3025 that stays up at the mountain property. The 2430 should have a good bit more loader capacity than the 3025 and hopefully be a bit more stable especially on the uneven parts of the property. Had a bit of a scare with the Deere up there a couple weeks back.

Haven’t really considered the 1460 as that’ll be getting above the decreased capacity of my soon to be new towing setup. Good idea though and ll at least try to get my butt on one of those as well to weigh pros/cons

If your land is that hilly your not going to feel stable with the 2430. It’s really a flat land machine. Unless you need the extra loader height, consider the 1430.

 

[joshlee]

I don’t have to deal with super steep hills around my area, but I did try mowing my cousin’s yard that is super steep. Her yard has to be close to 30°, and my 1430 literally could not drive up it while mowing. So, the PT 1430 is not a machine made for steep hills. She takes her Mahindra right up over, no problem, not the 1430 though.

 

[RegL]

I don’t have to deal with super steep hills around my area, but I did try mowing my cousin’s yard that is super steep. Her yard has to be close to 30°, and my 1430 literally could not drive up it while mowing. So, the PT 1430 is not a machine made for steep hills. She takes her Mahindra right up over, no problem, not the 1430 though.

My butt doesn’t like 30deg on any tractor. Lol. The point I was making is the 1430 is more stable on hills than the 2430. I have both.

 

[SpringHollow]

I do not think you can compare a PT to a CUT of equivalent HP and expect that they will handle the same. I routinely do 20° or more with my tractor but it struggles if i am pulling a large wagon loaded with wood. The midsized CUTS I have owned (45 HP vs my 60 HP) would not have had a problem doing that except that the trails are almost always too soft for them to go on. And the CUTs could not handle going sideways on these hills while lifting loads.

I plow a neighbor's driveway that is about 800' long and I am guessing 15°. The first pass is uphill and the tractor handles it with a V-plow fine. There is no way I would be box blading uphill. If I had to, I would carry buckets of gravel from the bottom to the top and then box blade on the way down. Now maybe that driveway is much steeper than 15° - I have never bothered to check my tilt gauge when on it - and so maybe my perception of what I can do is wrong. But on that driveway, if I felt I had to box blade uphill. I would rather a 45 HP CUT than a 60 HP 1850. I suspect the 1460 is better than my 1850 due to the different tires, weight, etc.

Ken

 

[ponytug]

Just the physics of the problem make box blading downhill, carrying loose gravel up in a FEL the way to go in my opinion. I think nothing short of a crawler is going to do much going uphill, and even then I would want work downhill and carry loose material up.

For heavy ground engaging work, it isn't a PT. Dozer, yes, tractor with a crawler range, yes. Even my 1445 has a hard time pushing a 6' wide brush hog up a 30 degree hill, but it is for lack of traction as much as lack of power. I.e., I can do it, just.

All the best,

Peter

 

[joshlee]

My butt doesn’t like 30deg on any tractor. Lol. The point I was making is the 1430 is more stable on hills than the 2430. I have both.

I wasn’t disagreeing with your earlier post or anything. It was a little disappointing the day I learned that the hills a John Deere 318, Mahindra 21 or 23hp, and a Steiner 430 can drive up over, my 1430 won’t. I was definitely surprised.

 

[m5040]

I wasn’t disagreeing with your earlier post or anything. It was a little disappointing the day I learned that the hills a John Deere 318, Mahindra 21 or 23hp, and a Steiner 430 can drive up over, my 1430 won’t. I was definitely surprised.

Why won't your 1430 drive up/over like the other tractors? Do the wheels spin or motors stall?

 

[joshlee]

The wheel motors will stop, then intermittently turn it little bit, then stop. That’s the best way I can explain it. It just seems like the pump for the wheel motors is exhausted, then there will be a short outburst of power to the wheels, then stop again. It’s that sort of cycle.

The reason her yard is so steep is because the excavator done things he shouldn’t have when her home was being built. Although, if it was me I would not mow that part of the yard. Her John Deere 322 (sorry about the mixup with the 318) stopped running when she was going up over the yard years ago, and then she said her brakes quit working and the tractor went down the hill backwards. She wrecked and busted herself up pretty good, and the tractor.

 

[RegL]

The wheel motors will stop, then intermittently turn it little bit, then stop. That’s the best way I can explain it. It just seems like the pump for the wheel motors is exhausted, then there will be a short outburst of power to the wheels, then stop again. It’s that sort of cycle.

The reason her yard is so steep is because the excavator done things he shouldn’t have when her home was being built. Although, if it was me I would not mow that part of the yard. Her John Deere 322 (sorry about the mixup with the 318) stopped running when she was going up over the yard years ago, and then she said her brakes quit working and the tractor went down the hill backwards. She wrecked and busted herself up pretty good, and the tractor.

Don’t forget, if you blow a hose on the PT while on that hill you’ll take that same ride. Ask me how I know.