Buying Advice New Guy
- Thread starter ScoopCzar
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creekbend
Super Star Member
:tractor::welcome:
woodlandfarms
Super Member
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- Jul 31, 2006
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- 6,149
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- Los Angeles / SW Washington
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- PowerTrac 1850, Kubota RTV x900
Buy a 1430 
Can you tell us a bit more about you, your property and what you want to accomplish? 425 is a great machine.
Carl
Can you tell us a bit more about you, your property and what you want to accomplish? 425 is a great machine.
Carl
I have virtually no experience with tractors other than an old Gravely that my dad owned when I was growing up. I own a few investment properties that I am fixing up and renting or selling and plan to do more of that. My biggest property is about 50 acres on a mountain in Western NC--a family place, not something I'd ever sell. I plan to use the PT for gravel road maintenance, brush hogging, trail building, landscaping, and some mowing and gardening. I have made the pilgrimage to Tazewell and demo'ed a 425 with mini-hoe, brush cutter set up with finish mower head, and 10 cu bucket. I've been reading up and watching videos online for a couple of years. Next summer, most likely, I plan to buy one (unless I get convinced something else would be better). I decided to go ahead and sign up on TBN so I could run some of my ideas by you guys to see what you thought of them. Thanks for the welcome!
Specifically, as a starting collection, I'm thinking of buying
the 425 with bar tires,
the mini-hoe plus thumb,
the 5 cu rock bucket plus teeth,
the brush cutter plus finish mowing head,
and the forks.
Also on my list is the snow/dirt blade with cutter bar and wheel kit, but stuff adds up fast and I have a good drag for the road made of steel rails and tractor blades, so I may hold off on the PT blade setup for a while.
I'm also planning to buy the following 5'x12' trailer from Lowe's:
Shop Carry-On Trailer 5' x 12' Mesh Floor Utility Trailer with Gate at Lowes.com
I'm thinking that I can do a lot of things with those attachments. I may add a post-hole digger before long also.
Any advice based on what I've laid out so far? Carl, I'd be happy to hear your pitch for the 1430.
the 425 with bar tires,
the mini-hoe plus thumb,
the 5 cu rock bucket plus teeth,
the brush cutter plus finish mowing head,
and the forks.
Also on my list is the snow/dirt blade with cutter bar and wheel kit, but stuff adds up fast and I have a good drag for the road made of steel rails and tractor blades, so I may hold off on the PT blade setup for a while.
I'm also planning to buy the following 5'x12' trailer from Lowe's:
Shop Carry-On Trailer 5' x 12' Mesh Floor Utility Trailer with Gate at Lowes.com
I'm thinking that I can do a lot of things with those attachments. I may add a post-hole digger before long also.
Any advice based on what I've laid out so far? Carl, I'd be happy to hear your pitch for the 1430.
woodlandfarms
Super Member
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As my mopar friends would say there is no replacement for displacement. There is very little a 425 can't do. It is just how long do you want to do it. I have 40 acres and I know from clearing my land it would have been a long long time with a 425. There are some nice used 1430 around. My opinion is that a 425 is good for 5 acres and general maintenance but to get into land clearing a larger machine would be a better bet.
But remember that the pt is pretty marginal in ground engagement. It doesn't really plow or bull doze.
But remember that the pt is pretty marginal in ground engagement. It doesn't really plow or bull doze.
woodlandfarms
Super Member
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- 6,149
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- Los Angeles / SW Washington
- Tractor
- PowerTrac 1850, Kubota RTV x900
I looked at you order...
You are going to want a grapple. I would reconsider the back hoe. And get a bigger trailer.
I have had my pt for 5 years now and still have 3 attachments I lust for. No problem taking your time to get what you want. Look at Craigslist for implements. You can adopt many to the pt pretty easily.
Oh also I am not sure about the fine cut heads.
You are going to want a grapple. I would reconsider the back hoe. And get a bigger trailer.
I have had my pt for 5 years now and still have 3 attachments I lust for. No problem taking your time to get what you want. Look at Craigslist for implements. You can adopt many to the pt pretty easily.
Oh also I am not sure about the fine cut heads.
Thanks for the feedback.
I think you're right -- I should get a bigger trailer. I'm going to consider the 6'x12' from Lowes but I'll also see what's available used when the time comes.
I don't think I need a true backhoe and would rather opt for the lower center of gravity with the 425. My mountain land makes safety an bigger factor re tipping. One of my longer term investment properties is also 4 hilly acres. Plus I like the idea of moving the mini-hoe easily from one digging spot to the next without setting up a stationary backhoe.
The thumb is a cheap addition to the mini-hoe that will grapple stuff. So I'm thinking I'll see how far that takes me before I consider a grapple bucket.
I'm not planning to do massive clearing, so I think the smaller machine will work well for me. You can buy a number of attachments for the $6k difference between the 425 and the 1430.
You mentioned doubts about the fine cut heads. Do you think the hinged blade of the brush cutter does a good enough job on grass?
I think you're right -- I should get a bigger trailer. I'm going to consider the 6'x12' from Lowes but I'll also see what's available used when the time comes.
I don't think I need a true backhoe and would rather opt for the lower center of gravity with the 425. My mountain land makes safety an bigger factor re tipping. One of my longer term investment properties is also 4 hilly acres. Plus I like the idea of moving the mini-hoe easily from one digging spot to the next without setting up a stationary backhoe.
The thumb is a cheap addition to the mini-hoe that will grapple stuff. So I'm thinking I'll see how far that takes me before I consider a grapple bucket.
I'm not planning to do massive clearing, so I think the smaller machine will work well for me. You can buy a number of attachments for the $6k difference between the 425 and the 1430.
You mentioned doubts about the fine cut heads. Do you think the hinged blade of the brush cutter does a good enough job on grass?
KentT
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- Sevierville, TN
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- 1993 Power Trac 1430 w/Kubota diesel engine
I have a 425 the grapple bucket, rock bucket, LM bucket and mini-hoe with thumb... in addition to a few more attachments.
IMO, I'd get the grapple bucket and not get the rock bucket. The grapple bucket is the same bucket size as the rock bucket, and has longer teeth on it. It will dig even better than the rock bucket, and there is simply no substitute for the grapple when it comes to moving brush and debris. It's even great for clearing the old garden plants out of the garden in fall.
Because the minihoe is on about a 4 ft boom, it will not lift nearly as much weight as the grapple bucket due to the different leverage -- in addition to the fact that it can't be used to scoop up debris like the bucket.
As far as mowing with the rough cut mower, it does a decent job on long grass like fescue, if you keep the blades sharp. However, because it spins much slower than the finish mower, it wil not do nearly as good a job when it comes to fine, lawn-type grasses like bluegrass.
I appreciate all the good advice. I can see that I'll want that finish blade disk for the brush cutter. A couple questions about the grapple bucket. Are the teeth removable/replaceable? It looks like they are in the picture. Can the grapple be removed? Does it ever get in the way of what you'd want to do with just the bucket?
KMA
Gold Member
re: the trailer... definitely look around. I was able to find a much heavier duty trailer for only a little more than what Lowe's offers. They are similar sized, but if you park them next to one another you'll instantly see the differences.
The finish blade on the rough cut will not mow as well as the finish mower.
The finish blade on the rough cut will not mow as well as the finish mower.
KMA
Gold Member
I bought mine from Mike Olsefski's in Brooktondale, NY. IIRC he would drive to the manufacturers and pick up loads of new trailers in order to save on delivery costs. He was able to keep the price within a few hundred dollars of the Lowes type products, but they were much heavier duty. You may be able to find similar deals near you. Looking at the Lowe's website, the Carry-on trailers they're showing look a bit better than what they had 6 years ago, but it might be worth a trip to an area trailer dealer for comparison.
The PT does an okay job with the finish mower. It is very stable and more capable than most residential type mowers. It's very long with the mower out front, which may or may not be an issue depending on your lawn. To be honest, I didn't like putting the extra hours on my PT and it also wasn't the fastest time-wise. I had to replace the Robin engine last year and decided I wanted to use my PT for the tractor work only, so I picked up a used commercial zero turn rider for mowing. It was costly and isn't as sure footed, but I am able to mow approx 3 acres in half the time (with a better cut).
Good luck!
The PT does an okay job with the finish mower. It is very stable and more capable than most residential type mowers. It's very long with the mower out front, which may or may not be an issue depending on your lawn. To be honest, I didn't like putting the extra hours on my PT and it also wasn't the fastest time-wise. I had to replace the Robin engine last year and decided I wanted to use my PT for the tractor work only, so I picked up a used commercial zero turn rider for mowing. It was costly and isn't as sure footed, but I am able to mow approx 3 acres in half the time (with a better cut).
Good luck!
KMA
Gold Member
Price was $1880 for the 28hp EFI Robin engine from Equipatron, which included shipping and a $100 shaft size upgrade.
Here's a link to the installation thread if you'd like to see more.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/power-trac/202389-pt422-engine-swap-completed-pics.html
Here's a link to the installation thread if you'd like to see more.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/power-trac/202389-pt422-engine-swap-completed-pics.html
flattopp9
Member
On the trailer idea. I just bought a 16' tandem w/new deck for 800 bucks so I would definately go to bigger than you mentioned. And look around a little. Dale
pajoube
Veteran Member
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- Oct 11, 2001
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- Montana (Near Bozeman)
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- Former Owner PowerTrac 425 (September 2003)
Welcome to TBN and the world of PowerTrac痴.
You are definitely going about your future purchase the right way. Making the trip to Tazewell was the best advice you could have taken.
I have the 425 and 17 attachments which all come in handy for the particular project. Everything I have purchased I would purchase again.
If you get a chance look up my posted threads and you will find the thread 展hy I Bought a 425 which has many photos.
PJ
flattopp9
Member
new guy, i really like the idea of the combination haul and garage trailer as it takes the pressure off the sheh space. I always buy used as i can't afford new. Your doing a good job on your due dilengence work. Good luck. Dale
Dale, I was looking at used and found what I thought was a great 7x16 then ran across a factory that sold directly new with 5-yr W, same trailer for about the same price. I have a non-tractor use for it coming up fast, so not having to fix initial bugs on the run appeals to me too. In the end I probably will build some storage on site for the 425. But the trailer gives me a good solution fast and options later. Thanks for the encouraging words to a rookie, Dale.
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