Thoughts on this used 425?

[MossRoad]

You might not want to listen to me, but the way I think about it is that it is $6k more, but spread that over the rest of your life (quality remains long after the price is forgotten). The reliability of a low hour machine is worth something and you may or may not want every attachment the used one comes with (or want even more!).
Are you going to keep it inside? Or leave it out in the weather? How bad do you need it? My driveway is 900' long and I am in New England which usually gets snow. As you get older these are great machines. Easy on and off as you don't have to climb up like farm tractors. Easy on the knees with no clutch, attachment changes are cake!!! etc. etc.

Thinking about it that way....

For just $3.29 per day, you can pay off $6000 in 5 years (at 0% interest).

That's 2 pops from a vending machine. Pretty easy to give up.

 

[cqaigy2]

I will keep it inside for sure. I don't "need" it, I have 30HP and 60HP utility tractors, but I am a self admitted equipment junky. It seems there are a bunch of guys here with compact and larger tractors, that say they use their little PT's more than they do their larger tractors, due to how handy they are.

You probably "need" this. But really, i find mine really handy. Like the size and quick forward back travel, articulation lets me squeeze thru areas. Quick attach with implement changes is nothing to sneeze at too.

 

[MossRoad]

Yes, the forward AND reverse speeds are both the same. When does this come in handy, you may ask?

Why, when moving massive amounts of material from point A to point B, I say.

If you fill the bucket with a heaping amount of heavy material, and try to drive at full speed forward, there's a good chance the machine will bounce, and the bucket will grind into ground, causing you to slow down, stop, etc... and/or material will bounce out of the bucket and you'll run it over.

However, if you drive full speed in reverse, the bucket will just skip along if the machine bounces and not slow you down a bit. Anything that may fall out, will be the last thing and there's no chance of running it over.

When I maintained the Little League park, this was quite evident when moving 60 yards of moon dust (granulated limestone). The little PT425 with only a 1/3 yard bucket moved more material than a Case 580 backhoe, because of the distances that had to be traveled from the stockpile to the locations around the park. And, it did far less damage to the turf.

 

[MossRoad]

And it's one reason I am forever glad that I ordered the arm rests. I can lean on one like a train engineer and look forward or reverse pretty easily while operating the machine with the other hand.

 

[spechols]

cstamm81
I am just outside State College if you want to try out a 425 this spring. I have work that need to be done so you can get a real feel for what it can and cannot do.
Thanks
spechols

 

[cstamm81]

cstamm81
I am just outside State College if you want to try out a 425 this spring. I have work that need to be done so you can get a real feel for what it can and cannot do.
Thanks
spechols

Thanks for the offer spechols, that is very generous. I may take you up on it, I'm only a couple of hours from State College.

 

[spechols]

Thanks for the offer spechols, that is very generous. I may take you up on it, I'm only a couple of hours from State College.

I am happy to put you to work on the PT-425. Lots to do here.

 

[spechols]

I am happy to put you to work on the PT-425. Lots to do here.

We also have an assortment of attachments you can try out.

 

[TwinOaks9]

I'll make you the same offer on a demo of a 425, I'm 1 mile south of Pottstown PA.

 

[MossRoad]

I've got a kid in Pittsburgh that'll be moving in the late summer. If you help me pack up her house and drive it to South Bend, IN, and help me put it in storage, I'll let you mow my lawn.

But seriously, it's always nice to hear folks so willing to let you see the machines in person. I wouldn't have bought site unseen. I was lucky that a local landscaper had two of them and let me try one out so many years ago.