Cooling Filter for Deutz (1430-1845-1850)

[BobRip]

One of the things that amazes me is the huge opportunity this discussion board represents to PT. And how diligently they ignore it.

I've spent the last 15 years building the Internet in one way or another and I know that companies pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to get sites like this started -- so they can participate in the collective wisdom of their customers and make their products better.

I sure wish there was some way to get PT to figure out what they're missing.

An excellent point. This site could be worth millions to PT or it could break them if they don't address these issues.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

I sure wish there was some way to get PT to figure out what they're missing.

Mike: Various people at Power Trac do monitor this board. I don't claim to understand the dynamics of the company well enough to know exactly what happens to the information, but I suspect that quite a number of changes, visible and invisible, have resulted from this means of customer feedback. (The bigger wheel motors on the 425 come to mind, but maybe they were in the works before.)
The frustration is that PT will not let on which complaints are being taken seriously, and the occasional word, for instance, that the diesel overheating is a "maintenance issue."
I like my 1845 so much that I'll cheerfully put up with the frustration, but I'd sure like to reduce my "required maintenance" during the big mowing season.

 

[MossRoad]

One of the things that amazes me is the huge opportunity this discussion board represents to PT. And how diligently they ignore it.

I've spent the last 15 years building the Internet in one way or another and I know that companies pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to get sites like this started -- so they can participate in the collective wisdom of their customers and make their products better.

I sure wish there was some way to get PT to figure out what they're missing.

They have orders waiting to be filled. I don't think they think they are missing anything.

 

[MikeOConnor]

I'm not surprised to hear that Charlie. But they must be losing a lot of prospective customers who do a Google search on Power-Trac and find this forum is the number-2 result, right under the PT site. Prospect comes in, reads these posts anonymously, sees not one reply from PT and decides to move on to another device.

I know that I wouldn't buy my 1850 again knowing what I know now about my machine, about the lack of support from PT for known problems, the vast amount of tinkering that we need to do, etc. I'll bet lots of prospective customers benefit from our pain by not having to endure it.

PT is nuts to sit on the sidelines and watch all this conversation that describes known problems take place without a) responding or b) fixing the problems. This be the Internet age -- that kinda behavior doesn't cut it any more.

 

[AltavistaLawn]

I'm not surprised to hear that Charlie. But they must be losing a lot of prospective customers who do a Google search on Power-Trac and find this forum is the number-2 result, right under the PT site. Prospect comes in, reads these posts anonymously, sees not one reply from PT and decides to move on to another device.

I know that I wouldn't buy my 1850 again knowing what I know now about my machine, about the lack of support from PT for known problems, the vast amount of tinkering that we need to do, etc. I'll bet lots of prospective customers benefit from our pain by not having to endure it.

PT is nuts to sit on the sidelines and watch all this conversation that describes known problems take place without a) responding or b) fixing the problems. This be the Internet age -- that kinda behavior doesn't cut it any more.

Thats exactly right. They have cust. waiting because they can't produce but so many of them with one facility which is also thier only distributor / dealer.

If another company started building something similar, PT will shut down or go back to making the mine crawler trucks. Take a look at those big outside fork trucks / man lifts, 4 wheel drive and the machine stays level by hydraulics on the axle, I don't know the slope cap. never operated one. They operate like the big JD Hillside Combines....the whole unit stays level; and I'll bet none of these machines overheat like the PT junk.

I've purposely not vleaned out the colling on th JD 4720....and it no where near overheats!! SO IT IS NOT A MAINTENANCE ISSUE. It is an issue of a pizz-poor set up, the engine does not have adequate cooling for its application, plain and simple. PT won't fix it because they do not know how, they've went thru several other engines; probably the Deutz is the only one which will take the abuse of overheating. The PT 1850 was sold as a "Slope Mower" .....well isn't a slope mower supposed to mow, and not overheat??

It wouldn't be that hard for them to redesign the hood with enough clearaance to incorporate a fresh air intake system...similar to what combines have. But they got their money, we can all go broke and starve as far as they are concerned.

 

[woodlandfarms]

[/QUOTE]


It wouldn't be that hard for them to redesign the hood with enough clearaance to incorporate a fresh air intake system...similar to what combines have. But they got their money, we can all go broke and starve as far as they are concerned.[/QUOTE]

In the Toolcat/polaris group, it appears someone threatened to sue in regards to an overheating issue. Polaris had to do a redesign to the 2007 lineup, and provided a fix to the 2005 and up series... It sounds like they (polaris) took the same stance in blaming maintenance, but a group of owners got together and made it clear it was a design flaw.

PT claims they sell most of the 1800 series to municipalities. I bet they have a list, a few phone calls and a few letter showing how frustrated those municipalities are could make PT take attention. Or not, and they just fold and go back to mining leaving everyone without service...

Carl

 

[ldabe]

Does anyone know who owns Power-Trac?

 

[pajoube]

Does anyone know who owns Power-Trac?

My understanding is that it is a family owned business.
PJ

 

[MikeOConnor]

I wonder if they'd be interested in selling us the PT portion of the business. Git th'dang things workin' we could.

 

[BobRip]

I wonder if they'd be interested in selling us the PT portion of the business. Git th'dang things workin' we could.

That's a little drastic. I wonder if a group of us could go meet them and discuss the issues and improvements. If we did a good job and not just turn this in to a complaining session it might work wonders. We could then follow it up with a yearly meeting. I think they are open to suggestions, just not through the Internet.