Buying Advice PT1445 talk me off this fence

[MossRoad]

Also, when we were engaged after 6 years of dating (I'm slow to make decisions), we had to take a marriageability comparison test with the priest at the church. You go in and answer questions in topics like religion, finance, employment, family and children, gear or hydro, turf tires or R4, stuff like that. There were 6 topics. You go off to separate rooms and fill in the little circles with a #2 pencil. Come back in a week, and go over the answers with the priest.

So we go back the next week and sit down to go over the results. The priest looks at the results. Looks at us. Looks at the results again.... in three of the subjects we are 95% compatible! That's great!!!! In the other three subjects, we are 95% incompatible! Our hearts sank.

So the priest looks at us and says "About 50% of marriages end in divorce. So that means about 50% of them don't. You stand just as good a chance as anyone else as to if this marriage succeeds or fails. It's up to you to make it work. You've known each other long enough to know what you'r getting into. Let's have a wedding." :thumbsup:

So just like anyone else, we've had our ups and downs over the years. We have both changed over the years, too. We're not the same people we married. Fortunately for us, we are still about 50-50 and have learned the art of the compromise. And fortunately finance and employment are subjects we agreed on 95%.

We've been together since 1979 when I was 18 and she 17. We have a couple of pretty good kids, too. Her parents are now my parents, as mine both passed away long ago. They've always treated me like one of their own. Looking back on it all, I'm a very fortunate man.

 

[MossRoad]

Lol, i guess tit for tat on that one, but as long as you both are happy. :laughing:

Of course, I then looked at the loan officer and said "Yep. That sounds about right."

:laughing:

 

[cqaigy2]

My wife talked me in to getting that funny looking tractor. Our property is pretty hilly and she'd seen me up on two wheels, too many times while on a variety of traditional tractors, she was particularly ticked off, seeing me with the backhoe with full bucket, hanging to the side, to provide counter balance weight.

I grew up with tractors so i guess, probably a hard sell, but also it gave me an idea as to the issues i was going to keep seeing, given out place, but not going to be doing any ground engagement, so after reading and watching many video, in particular, Moss's cinematic extravaganzas. I mostly mow and use FEL and the ROPS, the ROPS has probably saved my life, as more then once have had large limbs come down on it due to my backing hard, into a tree. It's been close to twenty years now and with the engine replacement, going strong.

 

[sirmombo]

I have the 1430 that helps me with 2 horses, 2 donkeys, and some goats. I also have a 16 acre apple orchard. I wanted something to mow, haul brush, haul manure, and run a log splitter. I initially considered a CUT with a loader or a used skid steer. I got a skid steer demo for a weekend and ruled it out. There was too much ground damage, too much fuel consumption, and visibility was poor. I didn't demo a CUT, but went with the PT because of better maneuverability, ease of switching attachments, and stronger FEL. I think the PT also has better traction in mud and snow.

I was concerned with service on the PT. In 400 hours I have had electrical issues, throttle cable seized, fuel cut off solenoid failed, and the dynamo melted. I repaired all but the dynamo myself. Many tractor dealers will service the PT. I took mine to the local Case dealer. I also have a local Deutz distributor. Parts are expensive, but readily available.

 

[MossRoad]

Well, if you're concerned about PT failures so you're considering other brands, there's quite a few threads on TBN regarding engine failures of other brands, disputes with dealers, disputes with manufacturers, warranty repair, out of warranty repair, do it yourself, you did it to yourself, you suck, he sucks, they suck.... good gravy. There's a bunch of them across the spectrum of brands. It happens.

 

[ponytug]

Welcome to TBN!

I have a PT1445; if you and your wife fly down to the bay area, you are welcome to try ours out. (Private message me, if you do.) This is my absolute worst season; we have heavy clay soil that gets "slicker than snake snot" this time of year. I just put chains on, and the traction is much better, but not as good as dry soil.

I will say upfront that traditional tractors are great for plowing level land and pulling stumps. In my mind, putting a conventional tractor on a slope is Russian roulette. You may may get away with it once, or twice, but there is a cartridge in there, and you will not keep getting lucky.

You have slopes. You need a PT or a dozer. No amount of "my color is better than yours" will change that. You absolutely have to have a machine with a low center of gravity, or your number will be up.

I have lost neighbors to tractor rollovers, and while they are almost always career and life ending, they are usually farm ending as well. I have a neighbor here that mows carefully downhill, backing uphill, repeat on an old Ford with no ROPS. One badger hole and he will not going to be my neighbor, but he doesn't see the risk.

Slopes aside, I do think that the PTs are the most handy general purpose farm machines out there. (I'm talking ranchettes here folks, not 5,000 acre commercial farms.) I have used most of the competing brands, and they are all reasonable machines; they just are not safe on slopes.

We mow, haul manure, dig ditches for water lines, haul supplies, buying supplies by the pallet, repair water lines (hand digging 24" deep of heavy clay soil is not for human work), drive fence posts, fertilize, add lime to our pastures, etc. I toss a generator and electric tools in the front buck and I have a mobile work station. I have used the bucket as a man lift to help trim trees, paint, repair roofs. I have used the forks to pry try and shrubs out of the ground, the trencher to make terraces and trails. I use the rototiller to turn the manure pile in a few minutes. I think that the 1445 is a great balance of lift capacity and slope capacity.
Do I wish for an 1850 on occasion? Yes. Is it more than an occasion? No. Do I thank my stars for the 1445 lifting capacity? All the time. About the only common thing that the 1445 can not lift is a full pallet of pavers/bricks/cement. It can lift a whole pallet of 16' 2x6s, and a wet bundle of 36(?)48(?) 8x8 pressure treated posts.

Unless you have no mechanical aptitude, PTs are easy to service. I knew nothing of hydraulics when I bought mine, and thanks to the great folks here, I have learned a lot. The folks here are super, super supportive and knowledgeable. A set of offset wrenches, a grease gun, an oil filter wrench and you are good to go. An air compressor and an impact driver can make life easier, but is not required.

I will second MossRoad's advice. Do not buy a tractor without using it. Rinse and repeat. Do not buy a tractor without using it.

 

[MossRoad]

I'd forgotten you have the 1445. Sorry about that.

 

[Toomanymaples]

I have numerous implements. I fuel and grease my tractor, the Kubota dealer or the welding shop perform all other maintenance and repairs. I calculate my operating cost at $35 per engine hour.

Your Power Trac operating cost will be somewhere in that realm.


I am a retired marketing guy. In marketing it is given: "Anticipation is 50% of satisfaction."
Careful pre-purchase research will pay.

This is very helpful information, thank you jeff!

 

[Toomanymaples]

I have owned my pt 422 for almost 20 years and have over 2,900 hours on it, I just replaced the original engine this summer and had several of the wheel motors rebuilt other than that no other major repairs, overall a very dependable machine. The 1845 I bought used with over 1,200 hours on it and it had been abused. I had to have the brake system repaired and recharged when I purchased it, have had to replace hydraulic lines, rebuild wheel motors, new tires, . It now has over 2,500 hours on it and I have owned it over 10 years.

Thanks ernemats, that gives me a better perspective. It gives some hope to see that you have been keeping them running for so long. How much of that would you say is preventative maintenance verses how you use it?

 

[Toomanymaples]

Well, from that description, it really IS steep. In all honesty, most people come on here and exaggerate the slopes. When they actually measure them, they are much-less steep. But seems like you really do have slopes that do need to be considered. So, what do we do about that? :laughing:

Ahh yes. I knew it was sloped per my above description and the frequent feeling of sliding out of the seat. The wife on the other hand works with data for a living. I asked her to take the riding mower out a couple of times, which was met with silence. I've found my observations frequently need hard facts to back them up. So I went out there with a long board and a rotary protractor. There's no arguing with that.

I've never seen the slope rating for the 1445 anywhere, and I don't know if any of our current members have that model. So that's something to look into.

I spoke with Tazewell on this issue regarding slope rating, they assured me that the 1445 is capable up to 30 degrees.