Update on my 425

[greenmule]

Well as american made as is possible I guess,more american made than most on here.
Yeah read they made mining stuff,they are in prime location for that sort of fabrication.
I was kinda thinking about buying a smaller gas one myself a couple years ago,don't believe I would now either.

Maybe some one should print this out and mail it to the man down there[who ever the man is],maybe possibly it might make them realize what they could have if they would step it up? [probably wouldn't do a thing to them though].

 

[woodlandfarms]

JDA.... I think you misunderstand a lot about the PT. From how strong your response is, doubt what I am about to say will convince you to change your mind.

No tractor is infallible, read all the majors and the problems they have. Buying a Deere or a Kubota will not guarantee a better product, nor better customer service.

Customer service is rare, and with other tractors you will find the same issues. Also, and this is no comment to Chris, we do not know the full story. I believe Chris, but I will say I have had to do tons of work on my used PT and they have been there for me 100%. I consider myself intelligent, but when it comes to hydraulic machines I am like the guy calling tech support because my computer won't start and I forgot to plug it in. They tolerate my ignorance, and have helped me at every turn.

You would be fortunate to purchase a PT living as close as you do. You could test your PT before you take it (Might have saved poor Chris some misery), you can meet the guys who welded it together and bolted it up. I am sure that you meeting them face to face will get you that added double check as they now know that you know who they are.

But, enjoy your Deer or Kubota. If I had to do it again I would buy another PT in a heartbeat.

 

[ernemats]

Ihave had my 422 for 9 years (1350 hours on it) and have had only 2 minor problems 1. replaced tram cable last year and replaced hub which was my own fault. Last year I also bought a used 1845 which had been abused some and needed new brakes, hub and mower pulley . I would also buy one again.

 

[jda1961]

JDA.... I think you misunderstand a lot about the PT. From how strong your response is, doubt what I am about to say will convince you to change your mind.

No tractor is infallible, read all the majors and the problems they have. Buying a Deere or a Kubota will not guarantee a better product, nor better customer service.

Customer service is rare, and with other tractors you will find the same issues. Also, and this is no comment to Chris, we do not know the full story. I believe Chris, but I will say I have had to do tons of work on my used PT and they have been there for me 100%. I consider myself intelligent, but when it comes to hydraulic machines I am like the guy calling tech support because my computer won't start and I forgot to plug it in. They tolerate my ignorance, and have helped me at every turn.

You would be fortunate to purchase a PT living as close as you do. You could test your PT before you take it (Might have saved poor Chris some misery), you can meet the guys who welded it together and bolted it up. I am sure that you meeting them face to face will get you that added double check as they now know that you know who they are.

But, enjoy your Deer or Kubota. If I had to do it again I would buy another PT in a heartbeat.

blah blah blah, if you sell a product be man enough to back it up with out putting the customer through ****. i stand behind my comments, i'm never gonna buy one case closed.

 

[jda1961]

JDA.... I think you misunderstand a lot about the PT. From how strong your response is, doubt what I am about to say will convince you to change your mind.

No tractor is infallible, read all the majors and the problems they have. Buying a Deere or a Kubota will not guarantee a better product, nor better customer service.

Customer service is rare, and with other tractors you will find the same issues. Also, and this is no comment to Chris, we do not know the full story. I believe Chris, but I will say I have had to do tons of work on my used PT and they have been there for me 100%. I consider myself intelligent, but when it comes to hydraulic machines I am like the guy calling tech support because my computer won't start and I forgot to plug it in. They tolerate my ignorance, and have helped me at every turn.

You would be fortunate to purchase a PT living as close as you do. You could test your PT before you take it (Might have saved poor Chris some misery), you can meet the guys who welded it together and bolted it up. I am sure that you meeting them face to face will get you that added double check as they now know that you know who they are.

But, enjoy your Deer or Kubota. If I had to do it again I would buy another PT in a heartbeat.

i bought a craftsman tractor in 97, the motor started acting up as soon as i got it home. called sears, they sent a man right to my door, the head gaskets were blown on both sides, they replaced both in my yard, no charge, no stupid questions, they just did it, you know why? it had a warrantee that was worth something. no you can say what you want but that guy was done wrong and most of us know it. my craftsman is now old but never given me any more problems since. i'm sure some are good machines but on other sites they tell another story but you don't want to hear that. i'll never buy one, for 11000.00 bucks i can get a nice kioti 4x4 with a mower, or a kubota, or some other brand with a diesel engine, 4x4, loader, 3 pointhitch, and so on. why limit myself to a machine that i could only use thier implements. have a nice day

 

[SpringHollow]

I back up Woodland. I spent 6 hours today pulling out firewood from down the hill. The regular tractors i have had in the past could not have done it on those hills with the snow and ice - the duals with chains worked great. The company could be better but Chris has always helped me out by answering my questions. My tractor, like Woodland's, was heavily used. If i had similar problems with a new tractor, i might feel different. As it stands, I would buy another. It is a great tractor for my needs. A rear 3 pt hitch would be nice for dragging logs out but i think i will solve that problem by building a logging arch sometime.

Ken

 

[woodlandfarms]

i bought a craftsman tractor in 97, the motor started acting up as soon as i got it home. called sears, they sent a man right to my door, the head gaskets were blown on both sides, they replaced both in my yard, no charge, no stupid questions, they just did it, you know why? it had a warrantee that was worth something. no you can say what you want but that guy was done wrong and most of us know it. my craftsman is now old but never given me any more problems since. i'm sure some are good machines but on other sites they tell another story but you don't want to hear that. i'll never buy one, for 11000.00 bucks i can get a nice kioti 4x4 with a mower, or a kubota, or some other brand with a diesel engine, 4x4, loader, 3 pointhitch, and so on. why limit myself to a machine that i could only use thier implements. have a nice day

Dude, get a grip, This is nothing to get feisty about. You seem to have taken my defense of PT as some sort of personal attack. It wasn't... sorry...

And don't you own a DK55? Why would you want a 422 with that kind of equipment on hand?

 

[woodlandfarms]

Carl, why would you say they are american "assembled" and not american made? I do not think you can be more american made than a PT. Before a pt is built the entire frame and body is sitting in a rack of steel waiting for a fabricator to cut bend and weld. The are by all standards american made.

Kris

True... Not much comparable is more american made than good ol PT. But, I wonder if the steel they use is even american anymore. This is all me just bemoaning the offshoring of american product. I am personally struggling with it as a studio I am working for is taking its movies to Canada. Can't fault them for saving money, just hate that it is at my expense. I had a talk with someone important, stressed my firm belief that while I do not think protectionism works in the legislature, companies can make "american" decisions. His response was to tell it to the shareholders.. Viscious unbreakable cycle....

 

[Central_PA_Chris]

Experience has a lot to do with it. If I had even 10 hours of experience on a 425 before I picked mine up I would have known it had an issue when I went to load it and it would never have left the lot. The symptoms were subtle, the hydraulic motor could have been bad from the factory (or maybe that would have been visible on install?), or they could have had air in the system at PT and damaged the pump. I dunno, but I 100% understand how they would not have noticed without a bunch of testing. I got very unlucky on several fronts (engine and hydraulic motor) and I got the usual issues (cracking mower deck, wheels falling off mower deck, poorly designed exhaust, heat issues, fuel delivery issues, etc, etc.) I was prepared for some/most of the regular issues as I had read this forum before buying. What I was really unprepared for was the complete lack of feeling supported when the big things went wrong.

Obviously a lot of guys here are huge fans, reading this forum made me want one of these tractors. I'm a tool and project guy, I weld, have a good shop was willing to tinker and figured maybe I'd eventually get into the hydraulics (or at a minimum find a shop to deal with those issues). I 100% understand those who see this as one side of the story. I really have tried to communicate clearly and be as fair (from my biased view point) as I can, but any way you split it it's my side of the story as PT is not here giving feed back on this forum. That actually points to the bigger problem to me. They should be here actively answering questions, helping people figure out the systems, trouble shoot and fix these machines. They should learn from this forum what breaks and redesign it so it doesn't happen again. Having a technician/designer here helping people and providing a couple hours of tech support a week could be a very viable alternative to a dealer network. They don't want an expensive dealer network, good! Use cheap easy methods like this forum to support customers and solve issues before they become negative press.

Even with my very frustrating issues, when I look at other tractors I see a lot of downside compared to the virtues of a PT. I 100% believe that if PT were putting a bit of time and effort into quality control and quality parts and addressing problems (and customer support) that these would be the most amazing small tractors out there.

I think my current issue is one of faith, I don't really trust the machine anymore, yet to really put it to work I need to put more $ into buckets, tire chains, a plow or snow blower, and some time into fixing the standard issues. Not really sure what I'm going to do and my thoughts on that subject change daily but I am quite thankful for all the support and advise I've gotten here.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[MossRoad]

Chris,
I am truly sorry for the bad experience you had with your machine. In a way, each and every time I here about problems with new machines, I cringe, because of all the cheerleading I have done regarding my machine. I really do not know why Power Trac does the things they do regarding machines that are not correct right from the get-go. Just plain strange.