What is different about PT owners

[BobRip]

I noticed that John Deer has about 80,000 messages on their board. PT has about 32,000. Given that JD has many many more tractors out there, why do they not have more messages? I suspect that PT owners are very self sufficient and individualistic from the comments I see here. It takes some courage to buy a tractor with no local support and forsight to see the advantages. I look at conventional tractors and see that they are real good at pulling a plow. Not so good at bucket work (big tires on back and engine on the front does not give the front much lift capacity. Also not as good at many things when the attachments work better on the front. Yet many people keep to the old standard.

What do you think makes us different from other tractor buyers?

 

[Barryh]

I noticed that John Deer has about 80,000 messages on their board. PT has about 32,000. Given that JD has many many more tractors out there, why do they not have more messages? I suspect that PT owners are very self sufficient and individualistic from the comments I see here. It takes some courage to buy a tractor with no local support and forsight to see the advantages. I look at conventional tractors and see that they are real good at pulling a plow. Not so good at bucket work (big tires on back and engine on the front does not give the front much lift capacity. Also not as good at many things when the attachments work better on the front. Yet many people keep to the old standard.

What do you think makes us different from other tractor buyers?

In a nut shell?? Well I'd have to say you're a good example Mr. Bob. Your not afraid to pickup a welder and fix something yourself if it breaks. Dealer support is not, a non starter for PT owners.

For me, I've always been a Rebel. Never went the direction of the crowd. I always blazed my own path. Keeps life interesting. What does this mean?

To me owning a Power Trac is different and (unique) as the machine it's self. I rather enjoy it when people stop in the middle of road, and stare with their mouths hanging open. I like that funny look of what the heck is that thing.

Of course speaking for myself only, the 180 has a a great price. Most upper end garden tractors cost more and can't do half of what my little ugly green tractor can.

Considering what it will do in the way of utility, versatility and the small foot print. I can go places most other machines can't go.

 

[SnowRidge]

I noticed that John Deer has about 80,000 messages on their board. PT has about 32,000. Given that JD has many many more tractors out there, why do they not have more messages?

Maybe the JDs don't break as often.

I suspect that PT owners are very self sufficient and individualistic from the comments I see here. It takes some courage to buy a tractor with no local support and forsight to see the advantages.

I think that is quite true.

I look at conventional tractors and see that they are real good at pulling a plow. Not so good at bucket work (big tires on back and engine on the front does not give the front much lift capacity. Also not as good at many things when the attachments work better on the front. Yet many people keep to the old standard.

The 'small' front tires aren't small at all when compared to a Power Trac. Using a PT as the standard, the CUT has huge rear tires and standard fronts. My Branson CUT, which costs about the same as a PT-1430, has a much higher lift capacity than the 1430.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to having implements out front. Some of it is personal preference. I like my rough mower in the rear, but would rather have a finish mower in the front. The CUT, with its loader in front and 3PH on the rear, has the advantage of not requiring implement changes as often, since two can be mounted at once. The 3PH also lends itself to the top-n-tilt, something I have never heard of anyone doing on a PT.

What do you think makes us different from other tractor buyers?

You really shouldn't lay out straight lines like that.

 

[ponytug]

Well, to each his own, but I really like having the brush cutter in front.

That probably dates from trying to cut trails with an old ford, with no ROPS, and nearly getting swept off the tractor into the brush cutter by a branch that was a little low.

Thankfully, I lived through the incident, but it has made me very alive to the advantages of clearing the trail before you drive over it.

TopN tilt?

All the best,

Peter

...There are both advantages and disadvantages to having implements out front. Some of it is personal preference. I like my rough mower in the rear, but would rather have a finish mower in the front. ...

 

[SnowRidge]

Hydraulic top link and hydraulic right or left hand leg for the 3PH. They are popular on CUTs. Allows you to adjust your implement's fore and aft and left and right tilt positions from the driver's seat on the fly.

 

[KentT]

The 'small' front tires aren't small at all when compared to a Power Trac. Using a PT as the standard, the CUT has huge rear tires and standard fronts. My Branson CUT, which costs about the same as a PT-1430, has a much higher lift capacity than the 1430.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to having implements out front. Some of it is personal preference. I like my rough mower in the rear, but would rather have a finish mower in the front. The CUT, with its loader in front and 3PH on the rear, has the advantage of not requiring implement changes as often, since two can be mounted at once. The 3PH also lends itself to the top-n-tilt, something I have never heard of anyone doing on a PT.


You really shouldn't lay out straight lines like that.

1. Are you making a fair comparison, when you talk about your PT-425 in relation to your Branson CUT...

2. How would a Branson CUT package compare in cost to a 1430 package with a FEL, with at least one loader bucket, finish mower, rough-cut mower, and boxblade?

3. How would that Branson package compare to a John Deere, Kubota or New Holland package for a similarly-specced tractor and implements? IMO, you don't have a "name brand" machine with a huge dealer and parts network, rather you have one that is trying to sell based on low price (with acceptable quality -- not problematic cheap, Chinese) to begin with, and penetrate the market while establishing a dealer and parts network. No offense, just my opinion.

BTW, I'd bet that a 1430 with loader bucket would move an equivalent dirt pile or gravel pile over a 50 to 100 ft distance (let's be reasonable, here) faster than the Branson, regardless of any difference in rated lift capacities...

Alss, do you have a QA on your Branson, either on the FEL (if you have one) or on the rear 3PT?

 

[SnowRidge]

I am comparing it to the PT-1430, which is in the same price range. My Branson has a higher lift capacity than the 1430. That's a fair comparison. BobRip postulated that CUTs have less lift capacity than PT's due to their "small" front tires. I was answering that point.

When I bought my PT-425, I also priced the PT-1430. It would have cost me more to buy one of those than the Branson that I had recently purchased, with roughly the same equipment. Frankly, I think it would have cost more than an equivalent JD. I still wanted one, but it wouldn't fit between my trees.

Yes, I have a quick disconnect bucket on my Branson. It came stock with it.

The biggest problem I have with the PT is reliability. It has had far too many problems for the number of hours I have put on it. The 200 hours people are getting on the finish mower bearings is ridiculous, and they often lose a spindle at the same time. Since the only source for the spindles seems to be PowerTrac, it makes repairs quite expensive.

I don't have a problem with their warranty. I knew that going in, although I think they should go the extra mile when they put out a brand new machine and the engine blows, or such.

I do have a problem with their quality control and some of their designs, and I don't care for their holding us hostage on parts, either.