marrt
Platinum Member
Well, I took my trip to Tazwell last week. Terry had a 425 and 1430 lined up for testing. Keep in my...I owned a 425 for 2 years (2002 model) and currently have an 1845. The 1845 has the same "front section" as the 1430 and most attachments are interchangeable.
Here are my impressions:
PT-425
The current 425 is MUCH better than the old unit. I was shocked to see wheel motors with case drains (guess I missed reading about that here). Terry said these motors perform much better when the oil gets hot (i.e., maintain their efficiency). Also, to my ear, there's a lot less hydraulic whine when putting the tractor under strain. The tractor would fairly effortlessly dig into the pile of gravel and fill the bucket...using proper technique of course. However, the tractor still strains to spin the tires if you press against a solid object. It would do it...but it didn't want to as the engine would almost stall. So there's not a lot of reserve traction torque available for digging. That said, the tractor would easily climb the gravel pile with no hesitation. Also, the longer bucket arms are very nice. As is the hydraulic tram set up. This felt much better than the cable arrangement on my current machine.
PT-1430
The 1430 is much stronger than the 425 in almost ever way. It would easily spin the wheels with very little change in engine tone. As the stats suggest, this machine is at least 50% more heavy duty. For only $6K more, you get a much better engine, draft control, much thicker metal, etc... If you need this size machine, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.
Despite my comments on the 1430, the 425 is still a really awesome value. For the price of the 1430, you can get a 425 fully out fitted with many attachments. Plus, it's almost the perfect size for many projects. It's a really nice machine now and the gap between the 425 and 1430 in less than before.
One other thing I noticed was the decline in fit and finish on the welds. On my tractor, most of the main joints are "grinded smooth." You can see an example of what I'm talking about below. There's no "shaping" of the weld anymore. It looks MUCH more home-made and "raw". It's not a big issue, just a surprise. I'm sure they save a lot of money with this approach. However, many of the welds look rough and a bit sloppy for my taste. As someone that knows the value of these machines, this would make little difference. However, for someone considering their first purchase and concerned about the lack of a dealer network and perhaps comparing this machine to a Kubota or similar traditional tractor, this could be a big turnoff.
Here are my impressions:
PT-425
The current 425 is MUCH better than the old unit. I was shocked to see wheel motors with case drains (guess I missed reading about that here). Terry said these motors perform much better when the oil gets hot (i.e., maintain their efficiency). Also, to my ear, there's a lot less hydraulic whine when putting the tractor under strain. The tractor would fairly effortlessly dig into the pile of gravel and fill the bucket...using proper technique of course. However, the tractor still strains to spin the tires if you press against a solid object. It would do it...but it didn't want to as the engine would almost stall. So there's not a lot of reserve traction torque available for digging. That said, the tractor would easily climb the gravel pile with no hesitation. Also, the longer bucket arms are very nice. As is the hydraulic tram set up. This felt much better than the cable arrangement on my current machine.
PT-1430
The 1430 is much stronger than the 425 in almost ever way. It would easily spin the wheels with very little change in engine tone. As the stats suggest, this machine is at least 50% more heavy duty. For only $6K more, you get a much better engine, draft control, much thicker metal, etc... If you need this size machine, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.
Despite my comments on the 1430, the 425 is still a really awesome value. For the price of the 1430, you can get a 425 fully out fitted with many attachments. Plus, it's almost the perfect size for many projects. It's a really nice machine now and the gap between the 425 and 1430 in less than before.
One other thing I noticed was the decline in fit and finish on the welds. On my tractor, most of the main joints are "grinded smooth." You can see an example of what I'm talking about below. There's no "shaping" of the weld anymore. It looks MUCH more home-made and "raw". It's not a big issue, just a surprise. I'm sure they save a lot of money with this approach. However, many of the welds look rough and a bit sloppy for my taste. As someone that knows the value of these machines, this would make little difference. However, for someone considering their first purchase and concerned about the lack of a dealer network and perhaps comparing this machine to a Kubota or similar traditional tractor, this could be a big turnoff.
