marrt
Platinum Member
Over the weekend, I was able to test drive a very nice 1430. The machine is 3 years old but only has a little over 300 hours. My impressions:
Good
- Noise: I expected the unit to be much louder than my 425. This was not my experience. I used the machine for about an hour. I feel both are equally loud.
- Power/Torque: My overall impression is that, with the mower running, the climbing abilities of the 1430 are better than the 425. When towing a wing mower up a (very slight) hill I will lose about 500 RPMs if I depress the tram all the way. Obviously, I don’t actually mow like this – I back off the tram to avoid laboring the machine. With the 1430, one can mow at almost top speed on a hill. A full depression of the tram does not cause a reduction of engine RPMs. Instead, it cracks the pressure release. The engine has more than enough reserve torque to deliver full pump capacity.
- Ride: I thought the ride was noticeable better than the 425. This is probably due to the slightly larger tires and longer wheelbase.
- Build Quality: the 1430 is made even stronger, proportionally, than the 425 in my opinion. Some greasable sockets on the lift arms, 50% greater lift capacity, thicker plate steel all around, etc….
- Condition: this tractor was in near perfect condition. It has been used for mowing exclusively. The owner also had an 1850 he uses for “real” work. I wanted to test drive that machine but was ashamed to ask.
Not so Good
- Speed: the 1430 was noticeably slower than the 425. I would guess it was 20-25 percent slower at the top end. This was probably due to high torque wheel motors I would guess. Since I usually mow about 75% of maximum speed anyway, this might be acceptable to me. However, I would definitely by mowing at top speed for this machine.
- Price: the owner is very firm on price. He is offering a twenty percent discount from new (were 1430’s more expensive 3 years ago?). For a three-year-old tractor with no warranty, that seemed a little high to me. He wouldn’t negotiate though as he didn’t “need” to sell it.
Overall, I came away more impressed with the 425 than the 1430. For general mowing and landscaping activities, the 425 offers a tremendous value. One could only justify the 1430 for commercial use, heavy duty bucket work, or just because one “has to have” a diesel. Is it a 50% better tractor than the 425? I don’t think so. However, I did like it and the size is near perfect.
I would love to find a 1845 or 1445 to test as a comparison. Then I would know for sure.
Good
- Noise: I expected the unit to be much louder than my 425. This was not my experience. I used the machine for about an hour. I feel both are equally loud.
- Power/Torque: My overall impression is that, with the mower running, the climbing abilities of the 1430 are better than the 425. When towing a wing mower up a (very slight) hill I will lose about 500 RPMs if I depress the tram all the way. Obviously, I don’t actually mow like this – I back off the tram to avoid laboring the machine. With the 1430, one can mow at almost top speed on a hill. A full depression of the tram does not cause a reduction of engine RPMs. Instead, it cracks the pressure release. The engine has more than enough reserve torque to deliver full pump capacity.
- Ride: I thought the ride was noticeable better than the 425. This is probably due to the slightly larger tires and longer wheelbase.
- Build Quality: the 1430 is made even stronger, proportionally, than the 425 in my opinion. Some greasable sockets on the lift arms, 50% greater lift capacity, thicker plate steel all around, etc….
- Condition: this tractor was in near perfect condition. It has been used for mowing exclusively. The owner also had an 1850 he uses for “real” work. I wanted to test drive that machine but was ashamed to ask.
Not so Good
- Speed: the 1430 was noticeably slower than the 425. I would guess it was 20-25 percent slower at the top end. This was probably due to high torque wheel motors I would guess. Since I usually mow about 75% of maximum speed anyway, this might be acceptable to me. However, I would definitely by mowing at top speed for this machine.
- Price: the owner is very firm on price. He is offering a twenty percent discount from new (were 1430’s more expensive 3 years ago?). For a three-year-old tractor with no warranty, that seemed a little high to me. He wouldn’t negotiate though as he didn’t “need” to sell it.
Overall, I came away more impressed with the 425 than the 1430. For general mowing and landscaping activities, the 425 offers a tremendous value. One could only justify the 1430 for commercial use, heavy duty bucket work, or just because one “has to have” a diesel. Is it a 50% better tractor than the 425? I don’t think so. However, I did like it and the size is near perfect.
I would love to find a 1845 or 1445 to test as a comparison. Then I would know for sure.
