So... Sell me on the PT line

woodlandfarms · Nov 18, 2006

I have been waffling on the whole tractor situation and it is coming to a point where my wife will leave me if I don't decide soon (maybe this is a good thing?).

We have 40 acres of slopey to severe slope property. There are some ravines that are hard to scramble up and down, so no tractor there. I need the standard maintenance work (brush hogging) and FEL work (moving stuff) and grading (love my dirt road in the rain). I am looking hard at the 1845 or a 1430 with extra tires.

I have a compact picked out. have decided a bulldozer is not for me, but this tractor keeps coming up in my head as being stable, strong and able to do everything a compact can do.

But, here are my concerns:
1 - Service. I am in the Pacific North West. I think this is the key dealbreaker for me.
2 - Ground Clearance. my property has a history, one of timber, and one of a meth addict with a bulldozer. It has a lot of divots.
3 - Lift Height. 6' is a lot, gets me into the bed of my pickup. Not sure why I would need anything higher but...
4 - Mud Handling. I know what big ag tires can do...
5- Reliability. A few horror stories on this site give me pause.

So, love to hear how everyone feels about their systems and my concerns.

Carl

BobRip · Nov 18, 2006

In your case (and many others) it depends on how handy you are with a wrench. The Power Trac can be considered an open system tractor. It is basically made from off the shelf parts (engine, flat steel plate, custom hoses which can be made by many places locally, standard hyrdaulic pistons, standard hydraulic motors, standard hydraulic pumps, and one pump that I believe is made by PT). It you can clean a fitting, disconnect hoses, and unbolt a few bolts then you can handle the hydraulic stuff.

The test question to you is do you do most of your own car maintenace? If you do then you can probably do the PT maintenance. Stuff that you cannot do can probably be handled by local hydraulic shops and engine repair places. Verify that these can handle this kind of work prior to purchase.
I bought a trailer so that I can take my 422 back to Tazewell to PT if needed. The trailer has been useful to take my PT over to friends houses, for hay rides, and in parades, etc. I have never driven it to PT in 5 years.

Of course you hear the failures here, as this forum is a focus for PT issues. I think by and large they are very reliable. These types of question has been answered before many times. Look at many of post to help you form an opinion.

I used to have a CUT. I saw the PT at a friends house and within a few months I bought a PT and sold the CUT. I have never missed the CUT. About half of the people around me have CUTs. I have only needed their help twice (stuck in the swamp, and moving a really big stump). I have helped many neighbors with various taks. I would not trade even for a much bigger tractor and have had more fun with the PT than any other purchase I have ever made.

I hope this helps. You are a long way from the source, but others live further away.

MossRoad · Nov 18, 2006

Well, at least you are on the right track by asking yourself the right questions.

Some folks do not consider what happens after the purchase of any tractor, not just a PT. What happens when your warranty runs out? You have to take it to someone who know how to work on it or repair it yourself. With the major brands of tractors, dealers are the best place to take them for repairs due to their knowledge and parts availability. With a PT, if you cannot do the work yourself, you have to take it to a place that works on the component that broke.

Engines:
My PT has a Kohler engine. I checked to make sure there were Kohler repair shops around here before I purchased. There are and I have several great Kohler parts supply places as well as the internet. If you go with one of the diesels, I suggest you make sure there are Deutz repair shops in your area that have access to parts and trained mechanics. Talk with them. Show them the PT literature and the engine specs and see what they say.
Hydraulics:
The main pumps can be repaired by local hydraulic shops in my area or I can pull them out myself and ship them back to PT for repair. Same thing goes for cylinders... I can hunt them down on the internet or just order them from PT. Again, check with your local suppliers and repair shops and meet them before you order.

PT has very good parts availability and ships anywhere. They have always sent me my requested items in a matter of three days or less. That goes for things as small as filters and spacers for the brush hog to the tractor itself... I ordered on Friday and it arrived Monday.

Ground clearance:
I think the PT will go more places than a standard CUT. The way the tractor articulates AND oscillates between the front and rear sections keeps four tires on the ground more often than a CUT. Since the tires are the same size, you can usually be assured that if you can get any tire over an object, all four will probably get over them as well. And the rear tires follow the front tires. This means that in tight spaces, if you can get the front tires to go somewhere, the rears will follow. On a standard cut, the rear tires do not follow the front tires because they do not steer. It takes a few short hours to get used to driving an articulated unit. Once you start following the implement when going forward and following the tail when going in reverse, things just become natural. I take our PT425 into our woods often. I climb over, around and under things that a CUT of similar weight and HP could not. Our 25HP tractor with full ROPS and canopy is only 5'6" tall and 43" wide. The larger PTs are similar in design, so when compared to a CUT of similar weight and HP, they will go places the CUT will not go as well.

Lift height:
Get a unit that will lift as high as you need. That goes for any tractor.

Mud handling:
Can't help you there... I have turf tires and sand. I have never been stuck.

Reliability:
I'm happy with mine. The strongest testimonial I can give is that knowning everything I know about my unit after the last 5 years of ownership, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another one.

You will read lots of repair items here because that is one of the main reasons people come here.

You will also read these items in the rest of the brand specific forums.

As Bob said, if you are handy with your car, you will have no problems working on your own PT. If not, there are usually busineses around most towns that can work on these things. If there aren't, you may want to consider a brand with a service center that is near to you.