new to tractors, thinking about a powertrac...

[ontheweb]

I have to agree with some of the others. You have 70 acres of land with 5 to mow regularly and nearly 30 to maintain seasonally/brushog. Obviously you have hills, too. That is HUGE property. Not what the 425 was intended for, at least on a regular basis.

The 1445 seems like your beast. Wide stance with disc brakes. No problems with power or driving big hogs (PTO=15GPM@3000psi). 10MPH speed to traverse the property quickly. 6 Ply tires and 10" ground clearance. 1800lb lift up to 7' high. That is a killer machine for your property. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[stray]

I just want to say one thing. Unless you need it don't think bigger is better. If you are only going to need the larger maching for a little while when you first get it. For what i don't know? You would do well to think of haring it done and using the smaller machine from then on. I like the way my 422 parks anywhere and fits anywhere.

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> The rough cuts have multiple spindles, where I think all the brush cutters are single spindle, so the blades are heavier. (Right MR?...) </font>

Why, I just happen to have a picture of the underside of mine handy /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Click here for picture.

You are correct... one hub, two swiging blades on the 48" brush hog for the PT425.

 

[pequeajim]

Welcome to the Power-Trac forum!

I think you will find a large crowd of experienced PT users that are all willing to help. Also, there are those who are not PT owners who consistantly surf this forum and join in with very helpful suggestions. I have only had my PT for a short period of time, but count this forum as a very valuable resource, and was a factor in my decision in buying a PT.

I was really crossed up between a 1430 and a 425. My budget was around $16K, and I had some specific attachments that I wanted. That eliminated the 1430 in my mind because I felt the 425 could do what I wanted and I could afford the tractor and a bunch of attachments for the same price as the 1430 alone. If I had as much land as you do with a lot of slope mowing, I probably would have considered borrowing some money and going with the 1845.

Also, for me, the size of the machine was a consideration. Again, if I was using it on a much larger property and had a barn, this would not matter and even the 1445 would be a possibility.

Finally, if you are sure you want a PT and are debating between the 425 and some other models, you should also consider the cost of the attachments. The larger tractor attachments are more costly because they are... larger. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I would map out some information.

What I want to do, (you have done this already)
How much FEL work you want to do and what will be your lifting requirements.
How much slope mowing you are going to do, what degrees are the slopes?
How quickly you want to get your mowing done. (I like taking my time, it's an escape for me)
Does it matter what size the tractor is? (Do you need to maneuver in tight places?)
Where will you store it

Think about all of these needs now and in the future. Like MR says, as soon as you get on it and start lifting and ripping up things, you will not believe what you can do with even the smallest PT! You will want more... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Now taking all of that into consideration, what is your drop dead budget including shipping?

 

[J_J]

What part of the country do you live? Their might be some one close by for you to see and operate a PT first hand.

 

[J_J]

Moss:

Do you call your mower a bush hog, or a rough cut. I know finish mower have three spindles. Does a rough cut have three spindles or one like a bush hog?

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red"> Does a rough cut have three spindles or one like a bush hog? </font>

My rough-cut 72" has three spindles. I think it's probably the same deck as the finish mower, but the spindles have heavy stump jumpers and hinged blades, two per hub, rather than straight blades. Like three little brush hogs under a finish deck.

 

[MossRoad]

My 48" brush hog is listed on the Power Trac web site as a brush cutter. See the picture above for a view of the underside. It has two swinging blades attached to a single hub.

We also have a 60" finish mower. At has three straight blades bolted directly to spindles.

 

[ernemats]

I have a power trac 422 with a 48 inch finish mower which I use to mow our so called lawn of about 5 acres . It takes roughly 3 hours to mow that. Parts of what we mow are a little over 20 degree slope. We have had our power trac for 5 years now and it has performed great.
We own 64 acres mostly woods and very steep hills a lot over 35 degree slope. I use the power trac a lot to also mow about 2 miles of tram roads several times a year. I also have an agco-allis 5660 4 wheel drive tractor (60 hp) that I use to mow several fields we also have. I think the 425 would probably do what you want but if it is going to do a lot of rough cutting work a larger machine would probably do it a lot faster and be less strain on the machine.

 

[dukenyc]

Thank you all for replying to my post. This is a really great forum.
As you can tell, I am new to tractors. I did not realize when I bought the place that I would need such a large piece of equipment.
I will try to post some pics, but the ones I have now show the property covered in snow. All of the land is hilly, much of it with gentle grades, but quite a few steep areas also. Behind the house, the elevation changes by 50' (rise) over the course of a 250' horizontal (run). Also, the terrain is uneven.
My primary task will be to keep the 5 acres of grass cut and to cut trails 2-3times a year through the overgrown fields, Having never had a FEL, I don't know what I'll use it for, but if I have learned anything from reading old posts, its that I WILL use it, LOL.
I won't be farming the property, but I would like to reclaim some the apple and cherry trees that have been overgrown. Other than that, it's just yard and trail maintenance.
The land has a nice Barn, but the floor will not take the weight of a tractor. An atv, yes, a tractor, no. For now, I'll have to keep it in the garage. I can have a shed put up over the summer.

The 425 is tempting because of the price and the smaller footprint. If it will do they job, and not be worn out after a few years, it is probably the way to go. My biggest concern is probably the lack of brakes when I am working on the hills.

The 1430 looks good, albeit a bit pricey. I like the fact that it is low to the ground. For the price, though, it doesn't have a bigger mower than the 425 (both have a 60" finishing mower) the brush cutter is a bit bigger (60" vs 48" for the 425) with that in mind, is the 1430 going to cut the grass that much faster?

The 1445 seems like a better deal for the dollar than the 1430. It has a 72" finishing mower and rough cutter. Significantly bigger than the 425 and 1430. However, In the picture on the powertrac website it shows the operator several feet off of the ground. Much higher than on the 1430. This worries me on the hills and uneven terrain.

I am also a bit worried about what I'll do if a 3000lb machine gets stuck or breaks down on the property. It would be alot easier to tow out the 425 than the others.

I really appreciate any input. thank you.

BTW, I am currently in CT, the property is in NY, and I will be moving there April 1st.