Interested in a Power Trac

[American Bulldog]

I believe that the 1400 series is rated at 30 or 35 degrees. Beyond that you slide first... PT has a very low center of gravity. This said, I love dualies. It is emotional much more than practical.

I run with bar tires on all 8, but my inside tires are off of a skid steer type setup, and the outside are more balloon.

on a PT they recommend lower the pressure pretty far, but then the issue of rolling off the rim comes up.

If you know how to turn a wrench and are not afraid of getting a little oil on you they are a great machine, very versatile. But if you are not mechanically inclined I would not recommend it. It is not that they are unreliable (the are not, but they are hydraulic and the factory fit and finish tend to be not well supervised), but they do not have any local support. You must do your own servicing, or find someone who would be so inclined.

Carl

That is an excellent point. I would imagine that because of this no-local-support setup, PT would be much more helpful when it comes to service and troubleshooting. With my Deere, the local shop is always willing to come fix it if needed, but does not like giving phone support. I personally am not afraid of getting a little dirty. As long as the manuals are halfway decent, I should be OK.

There are so few machines out there for sale, that people generally stick with them.

 

[American Bulldog]

Thanks for all the great feedback. I guess I will really have to test drive to figure out what I want. There are so many tradeoffs - cost, function, etc.

One thing I like doing is digging small holes for planting. How does the mini-hoe work? Is it good for trenching, planting trees, etc, or is it non-functional?

 

[woodlandfarms]

There is no manual for a PT. Really, Not kidding. You are reading the best manual I ever found.

Mini Hoe works fine, the factor version is a bit whimpy but works. For me the hoe has proven the worst purchase but it is not terrible. It digs holes just fine, and plenty of guys here can dig a trench. I cannot. I am missing some sort of skill with it (Probably because the first thing I did with the hoe was try to dig a trench and got frustrated and have not tried again.

We have a list of people by state. You should PM some people.

I know of a nice 1850 in NY State. Not for sale but you could probably see.

Maybe you don't see too many for sale because the owners don't think they can sell them. Its a small club. Kinda like Mac owners a few years ago.

 

[ernemats]

I have the mini hoe and it is great for not too large projects. I have used it for digging probably about 400 feet of trenches about 18 inches deep. It works well unless there is layers of stone or hard clay. It is not fast but it beats pick and shovel. There are probably some pt owners within a 2 hour drive of you that would let you test drive their machines. I am out near Pittsburgh.

 

[RegL]

The mini hoe is the only backhoe I know of that I can pick up, throw on the trailer and take anywhere I go. it's very handy for what it is. I have planted and removed shrubs, dug trenches and post holes, and with the thumb, moved logs and rocks. The mini hoe with thumb works great for lifting logs off the ground to saw into firewood.

 

[J_J]

Thanks for all the great feedback. I guess I will really have to test drive to figure out what I want. There are so many tradeoffs - cost, function, etc.

One thing I like doing is digging small holes for planting. How does the mini-hoe work? Is it good for trenching, planting trees, etc, or is it non-functional?

For digging small holes and planting things, have you considered the hyd planter head and auger? or the tree scoop.

 

[smartguyz]

By the way, welcome to the forum, American Bulldog.

The PT is a unique machine, with many pros, and a few cons. Most of the cons involve needing to repair and service the rig yourself, and being single-sourced on a few items, such as replacement parts for 1-of-a-kind parts. However, very very few parts fall in this category, and most could be replicated by a decent machine shop and/or welding shop. Most items can be had from a hydraulic supply store or a small engine repair place. (I'm thinking of some of the rigging for the treadle pedal or the hydroback.)

Other than that, I am extremely happy with my purchase, and frankly can't imagine getting anything else. It's cost-effective (compared to alternatives), rugged, flexible, adaptable, and very fast at getting the job done, regardless of what it is.

Most of us here are quite bullish on these little machines.

-Rob

 

[SpringHollow]

By all means, come see my PT 1850 if you like. I have a Lackender minihoe - bought that one because i can dig 6' down with it instead of 4'. I have dug 400' of trench with it and a bunch of foundation post holes through many layers of shale. It really impressed me that it could dig through 5' of that stuff. I would not have been upset at all if it had not been able to.

There are two manual attach 1850's on Ebay. $10K gets you both. (Carl, my impression is that ours are lightly used in comparison). The "good" one is from 1996 and has 1650 hours on it. I switch between implements a lot so i like the hydraulic attachment but if you do not mind and have some serious money for parts, these might be a good deal.

Ken

 

[BobRip]

That is an excellent point. I would imagine that because of this no-local-support setup, PT would be much more helpful when it comes to service and troubleshooting. With my Deere, the local shop is always willing to come fix it if needed, but does not like giving phone support. I personally am not afraid of getting a little dirty. As long as the manuals are halfway decent, I should be OK.

There are so few machines out there for sale, that people generally stick with them.

PT has outstanding telephone support. You don't talk to the factory trained expert, you talk to the factory expert. They will stay on the phone with you as much as needed. I am extremely pleased with mine and plan to get another after mine is around 12 years old. I used to say 10, but it still runs great at 10 years with about 850 hours.

 

[MossRoad]

My 2001 PT425 is only rated for 25 degree slopes because of limits in the Kohler engine's oiling system. The newer units us Robin engines and I do not know what angle they are rated for.

Also, it will go up slopes that steep, but I have to pick the mower deck up a couple inches so that all the weight of it is off of the deck tires. That transfers the weight to the front wheels of the tractor. That is because my turf tires will slip on slopes that steep.