New PT-425's; have the bugs been worked out?

[cstamm81]

I will try and locate someone nearby to have a look at theirs first.
BobRip, that is great advice about going to the factory and testing out the exact machine at length, advice I will absolutely heed when the time comes.
They do seem like a ridiculously fun to use piece of equipment and the list of attachments seem endless. I bet I could find 1001 uses for it around my property, digging 100 yd ditches by hand and shoveling tons upon tons of dirt could be a thing of the past!

 

[MossRoad]

I would test drive the machine that you are going to buy. Drive it around for a least one hour. Look for oil leaks and anything else that you can think of. This will get around the worst of the early problems. You should not have to pay VA sales tax since you are out of state. I have had more fun and use with my PT422 than anything I have ever owned.

If you pick it up in person you have to pay VA sales tax because you are making the purchase in VA.

 

[MossRoad]

I will try and locate someone nearby to have a look at theirs first.
BobRip, that is great advice about going to the factory and testing out the exact machine at length, advice I will absolutely heed when the time comes.
They do seem like a ridiculously fun to use piece of equipment and the list of attachments seem endless. I bet I could find 1001 uses for it around my property, digging 100 yd ditches by hand and shoveling tons upon tons of dirt could be a thing of the past!

Have you clicked on my little PT425 icon yet? That is a link to my personal web page. On it you will find some videos of my 2001 model year PT425 in action. The newer ones have stronger wheel motors, higher lift, a bit different lift arm geometry, and different engine/pump layouts than mine. Mine also has a Kohler engine and a Kohler muffler exiting out the back. I love my layout. The only drawback is if the battery has to be changed I have to remove my muffler. Other than that, I think it is darn near perfect for our needs.

 

[cstamm81]

Interesting about the VA sales tax, but it makes sense. It would probably be close to a wash figuring in sales tax and gas / drive time vs. paying freight. Testing out the actual unit would be so worth it I think.
MossRoad I actually found your page first and subsequently spent a few hours on it! It is invaluable information to say the least, thanks for it. I would probably prefer the Kohler that you more, I just have good experiences with them. The other changes are all good things though.
Looks like it would be in the neighborhood of $15k with all of the attachments! Ouch, that is more than each of my cars cost me. It is hard to justify the cost, but the capabilities of this thing seem endless. I actually just bought this house so money is tight. I would need to take a loan to even get the thing. At least I have no car payments or other exorbitant things. I enjoy my old Wheel Horse and Power King tractors, but they have a lot of limitations.

 

[coolconnection]

Well I went from a steiner to a power-trac 425 and love it. Each machine has their own plus and minuses, but I love my power-trac more. Steiners are so expensive that is why my old one was a used one but steiner parts are just as expensive. I even live in the area where they use to build the steiners and the used ones are expensive too. You ought to go to Power-tracs used section and see if anything on there might suit you better than a brand new one. The only down side between my old steiner and my new power-trac is the steiner had more wheel torque. That thing sure could pull in low range. So now I just lift the load instead of drag it, works for me. All machines have bugs, I bet I had to replace belts on that thing yearly (not cheap either). Well good luck to ya, hope you get what you want. By the way I use to have a Wheel horse 314H, good tractor.

 

[TSF]

I am southeast of you near Coatesville, Pa I have a 425 purchased 5 years ago, with a Robin engine. Total hours on the machine 1,300. I replaced the engine at 700 hrs with another Robin. I have had two wheel motors rebuilt, replaced a couple hoses and put a supertrap muffler on it. No problems with vaporlock, but had problems with debris in the fuel tank. While I have a finish mower, I don't use it. I feel it is underpowered (hyd) for a 5' mower. I use the grapple bucket, forks, 4 in 1 bucket, brush hog, and mini hoe frequently. I have had poor results with the stump grinder and mixed results with the boom mower and snow blower. We have a 15 acre horse farm and I use the PT every day. I would be happy to let you try it out! If interested PM me

 

[KMA]

cstamm81,

Since you've read through these forums and know what you are getting into, you should have a leg up on most people who buy these types of machines. It's likely you'll be able to avoid some potential problems since you'll be aware of them from the start. Being comfortable with routine maintenance and fixing small issues is a big plus too.

I was in pretty much the same boat as you 3 years ago: new home, several acres of brush and field, some slopes, drainage issues, etc. I purchased a 422 which worked out fine for me. Of course I would have liked the stronger wheel motors, but the 22hp has gotten most jobs done okay. I bought the 4 ft finish mower because of the smaller engine size, but it might be a good idea to get the smaller one with the 425 too. Don't know for sure, but if you do have to mow up slopes and the grass gets tallish it might be better to have the 4 ft deck vs the 5 ft. The wide turf tires do reasonably well in the soft areas where there is poor drainage. You still have to be careful, but I believe it does better than most machines could and has a strange ability to get unstuck due to the articulation (you'll figure it out the first time you get bogged down ). I also have the light material bucket, forks, mini-hoe, brush cutter, and 2" receiver attachments. The brush cutter works pretty well. I replaced the bolts with stronger ones and added some pieces of tire retread to the ones acting as blade stops. I keep a pile of mulch around as we continue to evolve our new home's landscaping. The LM bucket comes in very handy moving that stuff around. You can use it for dirt and rock, but probably shouldn't fill it all the way up or you'll get some buckling. Digging into the ground using the LM bucket (especially without teeth) is very difficult. The mini-hoe is great and I've dug a lot of trenches. It's all clay and rock around me so it's not always smooth going, but it will get it done eventually. Forks... well you just have to get the forks. That's what everyone here told me, I listened, and now I'm passing the advice on to you.

Overall, it is not a perfect tractor but it is the best I could do for any where near the money and I'm definitely glad I got it. It's a good combination of size, cost, capability and performance. If PT could do some minor redesign to address a few issues here and there, if would outstanding... but we all know PT doesn't care to read these forums and benefit from all the terrific feedback left by the smart guys who visit here. I know I'm glad I found this place before making my purchase.

Good luck!

 

[Gravy]

Short answer to the original question: Have the bugs been worked out?

NO! Not only no but H3LL NO.

Don't let that stop you from buying one. Mine has plenty of bugs that really irritate me at times - vapor lock, almost impossible to start below 40F, too much speed/not enough torque, silly 50 hour maintenance requirement, $50 minimum on parts orders, yadda yadda yadda...

The bottom line is that there just isn't any thing else that will do what I need for a price I can afford. And besides, it's just so much FUN to operate. My wife sometimes breaks out in giggles when she runs it.

If mine got stolen, I'd buy another one.

 

[PABenz]

I am in my 6th year and have been very happy with my 422 and would also buy one again (However, I would get the 425 because it has 2 steering cylinders. The single cylinder broke off at the frame a few years back, but I had it welded and reinforced and it has been fine since.)


FYI, I had vapor lock trouble on the Robin the past 2 years, but bought a new fuel pump this spring for $40 and have not had any vapor lock problems this summer. I also have not had any starting problems in the winter months since I took someone's advice and put my battery on a trickle charger. I just leave it plugged in all the time in cold months.

Good luck.

 

[J_J]

Smart thing to do would be to ship it to an adjacent state, to a shipping dock, and drive down and pick it up. Low shipping price, and no sales tax. Just make sure you know enough about it to drive off the dock, and up on your trailer, and strap it down real good.