PT 425 vs 1430 ? Input requested

[Eaglepb]

Good Morning PT Owners;

I have been watching this forum and looking at the PT family of machines for the past 3 years. My father owns the PT HuntVee.

I'm about ready to make the purchase but wanted some some more input on which unit to choose.

With money not being an issue..(to a point !) Meaning that the 425 package vs the 1430 package (package = machine and same type attachments) is only 8000.00 different from the smaller 425 to the larger 1430. So money is not a problem in deiding between the two units for me.

Here is my usage plans:

Own 10 acres (plus lots more owned by "friendly neighbors") in hilly south central WV. Soil is rocky. Need to maintain 1/2 mile of up hill rock road, drainage ditches and culverts. Need to mow 4 acres of lawn and another 4 acres of fields and wood brush areas. Move firewood. Move stone for roads. Build building site for new garage. Move large rocks..(wifes need for landscaping !) Dig trenches and ditches for water lines and power lines from time to time. (Mini hoe ok here no need for full hoe machine). maintain 3 homes on this property. Build some retaining walls. Move stone for walls and foundations.

My Main concern. Will the larger 1430 with bar tires work ok in mowing with the finish mower on my lawns ? Size of mower at 60" not a problem for me but tearing up lawn is. Lawns slope in many areas but we have no problem mowing with a sears 46" 22 HP garden tractor. Mowing with brush cutter in woods not a problem. (I own a Case 460 dozer for bigger stuff)

I like to larger lift capacity and power of the 1430.

Ok. now time for your input. All are welcome. Plesae be nice. I have been to PowerTrac twice and demo'd the 425 and viewed the 1430 in the new show room. I own a 1947 ford 2N farm tractor so I do not want to go the way of traditional CUT machines and the 3 point hitch. I'm sold on the PT concept but need to decide on which unit.

Thanks and have fun.

eaglepb...WV

 

[SnowRidge]

It's an absolute no brainer, as far as I am concerned. Get the 1430, but put turf tires on it.

The PT-425 sucks gas like there is no tomorrow. That is the nature of a gasoline powered hydraulic drive. You get to deal with a much more volatile and dangerous fuel in fairly significant quantities if you use the machine a lot, especially if you mow a lot.

I haul 30 gallons at a time, and I hate it. I had a 18 wheeler run a stop sign right in front of me, and a 5 gallon can turned over on me when I slammed on the brakes. I was lucky I wasn't torched when gas ran down over the cat.

In most places you can get local delivery of off road diesel to your own tank. Around here, it is only a 100 gallon minimum, and the untaxed fuel is almost always cheaper than taxed gasoline.

Gasoline, well you get to haul that yourself. In some states, it is illegal to haul more than five gallons of gas in portable containers at one time.

You can have your own gasoline storage tank, but the permitting process and site requirements are pretty tough. I have never seen a gasoline tanker delivering to any of the local farms, but most have their own diesel tanks. If you have gasoline storage, your insurance quotes will be scary.

I have turfs on my PT-425 and I can go just about anywhere. This past weekend I was cutting trails through the woods with the brush cutter going uphill on wet leaves on rough ground. Some neighbors said I wouldn't be able to do it, and I would get stuck. Well, I never got stuck, and they are now believers.

If you can't abide turf tires on your PT, try and find industrial tires for it. They are more aggressive than turfs, but won't tear up the ground like bars.

BTW, the only reason I got a PT-425, instead of the bigger diesel, was the width. The PT-1430 simply wouldn't fit where I needed it to go.

 

[ponytug]

First, if you can, go to Tazewell and try the units. You will be glad you did, and the discount doesn't hurt, either.

I have a 1445, and I can reassure you on the tires. They are very good about not tearing up the ground. I have the skid steer tires, which are supposedly harder on the soil than the turf tires.

For me the 425/14XX choice was about slopes. According to Robin, the Subaru engine in the 425 is good only to 20 degrees of incline (any direction) and to 25 for only brief interludes. Practically speaking, I think that the 425 has trouble motoring up anything that steep, based on watching one try a 20 degree slope at the factory. For you, it may hinge more on lifting capacity and where you want to get the tractor into.

If you don't need the horsepower, go with the smaller unit. The attachments are cheaper, it will get into smaller spaces and it is less complicated. (No draft control, diesel, etc.) I can't drive my 1445 into all of our horse stalls. A 425 would have made it in all of them.

That said, if you are considering the 14XX series, I would suggest considering the 1445. The 1430 is a lighter, less powerful tractor.

Good luck!

Peter

 

[woodlandfarms]

1430 or 1445 if you can swing it. I don't feel that the bar tires that PT sells with the tractor are that hard on a lawn. Mine are double wide and don't do much damage (unless the ground is SUPER soft, then it will make a dent.

Carl

 

[RegL]

I have the 1430 and am very happy with it's capabilities. I have never seen a 425 in person so I can't comment. As far as tires go, I have a set of each. The bar treads are like new and they just sit in the barn. I could not find any conditions, except possibly mud. where their traction was better, or even as good, as the turfs. Just my opinion. Others may have had different results.

 

[SnowRidge]

I have a 1445, and I can reassure you on the tires. They are very good about not tearing up the ground. I have the skid steer tires, which are supposedly harder on the soil than the turf tires.

The skid steer tires are the same as the industrial tires I mentioned. I think PT calls them loader tires. That is what I have on my Branson tractor, and they will not tear up the ground nearly as bad as bar tires, but they are not quite as good about it as turf tires.

 

[KentT]

I think you'll find that bar tires on the PT will do very little damage, unless you're sitting still and articulating the machine back and forth a lot. This is especially true in comparison to CUTS/SCUTS, for several reasons:

1. The machines are full-time 4wd with all four tires the same size. It pulls as much from the front as it pushes from the rear...

2. The drive system is truly fluid-drive, not mechanical, being 100% hydraulic. Fluid-drive is simply the smoothest way to transfer power, no sudden tire-spinning starts or stops. More importantly, is how smooth the differential action is in turns -- this is where conventional, mechanical drive systems (even if they have a hydrostatic tranny) will tear up turf, as the outside tire must turn much faster than the inside tire in a sharp turn. However, the weight shifts to the outside tire, and the inside tire (on limited slip axles) will often spin when the weight partially comes off it -- it's easier to spin the tire than to slip the spring-loaded clutch pads in the differential...

3. Combine this with articulation for steering and the 12-degree oscillation, and you have a system that evenly spreads the power over all 4 wheels, on-demand, constantly varying the torque (i.e. power) given to each wheel, based upon the back-pressure in the hydraulic system at each wheel, with all 4 wheels firmly planted at all times, with relatively even loads on them at all times...

4. My PT, being an older 425 with the lower-torque wheelmotors, doesn't have a tendency to spin at all, regardless of how quickly you start or reverse direction. The only time mine will spin is (a) when downpressure on the front attachment lifts weight off the front tires, or (b) when crabbing around a steep hillside -- and both can be corrected by the operator.

I haven't tried turf tires on my PT, so I can't honestly compare them, but my small garden tractors are much tougher on my lawn than my PT. One has lug tires and will spin the inside tire in a sharp turn, digging out small divots. The other has turf tires, and it will spin on wet grass or hills, "burning" the turf. The most damage I see from the PT is the "dimples" made in the ground from the weight on the lugs -- if the ground is wet...

 

[ponytug]

Dear RegL,

Terry told me the same thing prior to my purchasing the tractor, i.e. the turfs would outperform the bars in all but the very muddiest of soils. However, as soon as I said I intended to cut brush, he said "get the skid-steer tires", which are much tougher, and less likely to get cut open by the sapling stumps.

I'm thinking of getting a set of turfs just for better slope traction.

All the best,

Peter

I have the 1430 and am very happy with it's capabilities. I have never seen a 425 in person so I can't comment. As far as tires go, I have a set of each. The bar treads are like new and they just sit in the barn. I could not find any conditions, except possibly mud. where their traction was better, or even as good, as the turfs. Just my opinion. Others may have had different results.

 

[Bob999]

Dear RegL,

Terry told me the same thing prior to my purchasing the tractor, i.e. the turfs would outperform the bars in all but the very muddiest of soils. However, as soon as I said I intended to cut brush, he said "get the skid-steer tires", which are much tougher, and less likely to get cut open by the sapling stumps.

I'm thinking of getting a set of turfs just for better slope traction.

All the best,

Peter

I think the key to "toughness" in tires is the number of plys. I have never seen skid steer tires with less than 8 plys and the heavy duty ones have 12 plys. My 1845 came from Tazwell with 2-ply tires as standard equipment. I had lots of problems with them and replaced them with the heaviest turf tires I could find--6 ply. That has largely resolved my tire problems.

 

[RegL]

I think the key to "toughness" in tires is the number of plys. I have never seen skid steer tires with less than 8 plys and the heavy duty ones have 12 plys. My 1845 came from Tazwell with 2-ply tires as standard equipment. I had lots of problems with them and replaced them with the heaviest turf tires I could find--6 ply. That has largely resolved my tire problems.

I agree. When I replace my tires, I will look for the highest ply turfs I can find.
Peter, what kind of tread do you have on those skid steer tires? Most that I have seen don't look like they would be good plowing snow on pavement or frozen ground. I know the bar treads didn't work out as good as the turfs. Did you get the skid steer tires from PT?

 

[SnowRidge]

Attached is a photo of three different kind of tractor tires:

Here are some designators:

R1 -- Ag tire. Also may be called lug or bar.

R2 -- Ag tire for rice paddies.

R3 -- Turf tire.

R4 -- Industrial tire. Also called loader or skid steer tire. Also may be called lug or bar.

Note that R1 and R4 tires may be called the same thing, lug or bar. It depends on who is doing the talking. Also, the pattern of all types can vary widely depending on the maker and exact application.

Hope this helps more than it confuses.

 

[ponytug]

The tires are from PT; I have less than 8 hours on the clock due to a blown wheel motor, and life being busy.

They aren't quite as agressive as a standard tractor tire (R1), but they have only lost traction on loose gravel on steep slopes. Personally, I think I would have needed chains to hold where I have had trouble, but the lower ground pressure of turf tires would definitely be a help.

For snow plowing, they should be just fine. (The 1445 weighs in at 3950lbs, so you'll have traction.)

And, yes, I agree, it is all about ply ratings; the PT turfs are 2ply.

Attached is a front view of the tire.

All the best,

Peter

I agree. When I replace my tires, I will look for the highest ply turfs I can find.
Peter, what kind of tread do you have on those skid steer tires? Most that I have seen don't look like they would be good plowing snow on pavement or frozen ground. I know the bar treads didn't work out as good as the turfs. Did you get the skid steer tires from PT?

 

[flattopp9]

i havetried the 425and found it to be a little to small. Nice unit but i have 6 acre campground and don't have near work you have and i would not have to think twice as to which pt to get. I am sooooo!!!!! Impressed with my 1430. I am also very glad i have the four&one bucket. The mini hoe is also nice after a little time in the saddle, if ya know what i mean. For what this is all worth,Dale