Buying Advice PT1445 talk me off this fence

[ernemats]

I don't recall anyone having experience with the pt pucker other than those that have the 422 or 425

 

[agjones]

Wow... Welcome to the precipice. You really kicked a hornets nest with great questions and if we keep throwing in two cents at a time you'll be able to buy a cut and a pt.

I run tractors and pt in my land care work. Establish and maintain fields, food plots and way more.

In my experience... Disclaimer, disclaimer 2, ymmv:

On the round bale lift, 425=nope. At 1200# lift, the 1850 can lift a dry one..., Too mulch bulk, to far from CoG. I can nudge them around and load them on a bale mover (low to ground trailer/unroller).

In non-field utility work, the PT 425 will outshine the cut based on maneuverability and forward facing work. Stick a 2"receiver on the utility grapple and it's my 425's default.

A quality ground drive manure spreader can be found used. The bigger ones I've pulled required a trailer dolly attached to the PT, w spreader attached to the dolly, takes the drag weight off the PT allows traction to be maintained.

Same with the bale mover.

A cut can pull more, in flat ground, but nowhere else.

When it comes to maintaining and breakdown, you're seeing many conversations that would be directed to a dealer. We, fortunately, get to benefit from each other.... AND get unparalleled access to the manufacturer (if only by telegraph ;-) . I find that other than the robin engine, every issue I've encountered has been a result of usage. And find the components are quality, workmanship good and durability excellent. As far as I can tell, Most of us have a pt bc a tractor wouldn't get the job done safely, repeatedly.

And of course we make time to ask for help more often than we make time to praise our quirky machines.

Our pt operating parameters are far wider than the tractor and with that comes the stress of the extremes of the range. As already pointed out, extremes that would leave the cut in the barn or at the bottom of the hill.

It sounds to me like a pt is a good match for you, backed up by a stout old farm tractor with basic hay and field gear.

I've added a 3pt hitch to my pt 425, but not for field work. The salamander shape, low clearance and wheel set up are just not good at applying ground engaged power the way a field tractor needs to.

If you are considering the bigger pt to solve the bale lifting problem, that $ could be applied to a venerable farm tractor and other attachments for the smaller pt. A lot of roll feeding guys here use a pick up w bale bed (like Harper makes).

Good luck and ask away for input.

 

[SpringHollow]

I certainly have done a PT Pucker with my 1850. If it doesn't happen on super heavy things, then I know a cylinder is leaking thus limiting my lift.

Ken

 

[woodlandfarms]

Hey Too Many.

So I am happy to invite you down to our farm in Woodland WA. That would be close to Portland (21 miles north of the OR Border). I have an 1850 that is well abused. The downside of this invite is that I am gone this weekend, and will be heading out to my next project in two weeks.

The 1850 is not a 1445. I dreamt of a 1445 and in many respects regret not getting one, but am content with my 1850. I have sections of my property where I need the +30 degree slope, but for the most part a 1445 (or better yet a 1460) would have been fine. I probably would be in better shape if I had gone with the 1445 because I can practically go anywhere on my property and not get off the machine.

So I am a huge fan of the PT platform, but respect normal tractors as well. PT can do a lot, pretty much everything except serious ground engagement (Plowing a field).

Anyway, kinda rushed today, didn't read all the posts but happy to have a guest if you want to see and drive a PT.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I don't recall anyone having experience with the pt pucker other than those that have the 422 or 425

It happens on the 1850. When you lift the maximum you can and then turn the wheel, up you go. It isn't severe, I have never had the nose touch the ground but I have driven on two wheels for moments. The big thing is that due to the duals a corner will make contact with the ground.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Not being tractor owners, it would be great to hear from people who have owned both advantages/disadvantages.

Upside is that the tractor is a swiss army knife. It will do practically everyting you ask of it, none of it perfect. But in my opinion that was a better choice than a conventional tractor. The slope thing was worrisome and safety the highest need on our checkbox, and only the PT had it in the price range we could afford. Speaking of price, implements can be more expensive than a "normal" tractor. That said I own only one implement from PT, the mower. Everything else has been manufactured by myself or adapted from the tractor world. It is not hard.

With so many posts about issues, it would be great to hear from people what the longest stretch they have owned their PT without any issues.

In all honestly I think the PT is a less reliable machine than a Kubota or any of the more conventional tractors. There are a number of reasons for this, from manufacturing issues (each machine is hand made) to less expensive parts (trying to keep price points low and reliablity high is tough game) to abuse, and in this group I am probably the person who puts his machine through the most abouse. That said, the lack of reliablity is only moderately different, and for the most part, parts are easy to come by and you can do all the work yourself if you want. If not, any decent mechanic can figure out the machine quickly. We PT owners are a small but fierce community, until you have been on one you really have no clue how great they are.

How long have people owned their PTs?

11 years

Are they less or more expensive to maintain than a tractor?

Maintain? Same price. Repair? It is different, one of my wheel motors is leaking, it will be $1000. A normal tractor does not have a wheel motor but if the transmission is leaking well, that is 3 to 4K to split a tractor and repair. More than likely the engine you will get will be a Deutz engine, which is incredibly reliable but german made and thus incredibly expensive to buy parts for. Just like a BMW.

Any advice on how to get the most out of these machines is appreciated.

Buy one and use it.

 

[ponytug]

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

Let me just say that 30 degrees feels pretty high on the pucker factor. Don't forget that little rocks and gopher holes can push that 30 degree number to something higher.

BTW: it is XXdegree slope, or % grade. At low angles, degrees are half of the percent. At 45 degrees, that is 100% slope.

Yes, the silent treatment is a good indication that I need to reconsider whatever I just proposed.

All the best, Peter

 

[ponytug]

The 1445 will pucker; you just have to load it up enough, like filling the 1 cu yd. bucket with wet clay soil or rocks.

I have carried 6-700 labs of hay just in the front bucket, with the forks it is north of 1200#. I buy hay by weight so the weight per bale varies, so those aren't 100% numbers, but close.

I think that the PTs are more reliable than most of the imports for the major items, minor ones, a little less. (I have had the solenoid for the starter die twice in the first 200 hours, and now it has gone another 800.)
In 1000 hours, I have

1. Replaced a bad motor from the factory at 5 hours
2. Replaced a second motor, getting back my first at about 100 hours a year later. (Terry said that they never fail.)
3. Had the solenoids on the starter die twice.
4. Had the starter die at about 200 hours, put an after market in for $200
5. Replaced a few brush hog blades until I learned to grease and sharpen them.
6. Routine oil and air filter changes
7. I changed all of the oil after ~8 years from 15W40 to 15W50 in the hopes that it might help powering up steep slopes in the summer heat. (It didn't, and the old oil was pristine looking.)

I added front and rear LED lights. Built my own chipper. I have put in ~1800 feet of wood fence, using the post driver, not auger. Built an arena, installed underground drainage for it, trenched in who knows how many feet of pipe. Used the front bucket push in T-posts, and used the both the large and the 4N1 bucket to pull both wooden fence posts and T-posts. I mow once or twice every year for thistle and brush. I haul hay daily, manure once a week, rototill the garden and the manure pile. Used the trencher to dig holes for trees in the orchard. I clean the road gutters with the front bucket. I use the front bucket as a mobile work platform all the time; I don't worry about running the generator in there, as there is nothing to catch fire. Fire is a big deal in California, and I try not to be part of a statistic. Nothing like being able to carry 800lbs of fencing gear to exactly where you want it on the fence; the PT is the envy of the neighbors, who have to use ATVs, with greatly reduced load and slope. We also added electric fence with the PT, just drove it along adding insulators and unspooling the wire as we drove. It was a piece of cake.

Your back will really really thank you for buying a PT.

Oh, and donkeys work great with horses- they tend to be a lot more stubborn, and the small size plus the "my way or the highway" tends to equalize the interactions. There was one around the corner that we named "small and annoying", after the donkey in Shrek. He would get up on his hind legs to be able to bite his pasture mate in the neck. They would play for hours.

All the best,

Peter

 

[BobRip]

My PT422 is a year 2000. I have 1300 hours on it and put in a new engine last summer. I did have to put one rebuilt wheel motor in about 8 years ago. Also a new carburetor and ignition coil. Buying this machine was one of the best things I have ever done. It is so easy to change attachments that during one project you may make several swap outs.

 

[farm23]

I just started to read this thread so I may duplicate somethings. I have a 1430 and at the time [2004] I would have liked to have been able to buy a 1445 but could not afford. I have about 2000 hours and it is going strong with only normal maintenance. That is except when someone working for me managed to destroy both front wheel motors by driving into a tree. I took the opportunity to upgrade all motors. Since then I have had 2 hydraulic lines to wheel motors develop leaks and replaced one fuel line.I do lube and change hydraulic the filter regularly The parking break is hard to keep adjusted and I do not use. I bought the 1430 because the 425 had a limitation on how much slope the engine can operate and the 1430 did not. I have been happy with the 1430 but would like the 1445 if I could afford. I still need a conventional tractor for plowing but the PT does many things well and I would recommend it.