PT Model Comparison

[duane]

Ed,

It sounds like you have not had time to figure out what the manuf and model #'s are for the pumps and wheel motors on your 1845. I would be interested in this at some point. I'm sure the newborn keeps you busy, or at least mother, and you chase aroung the other young ones.
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Duane

 

[marrt]

Ed,

This side-by-side testing is interesting. While one can set behind a computer and try to get an idea of how the tractor might perform in the real world based on specifications, nothing beats a real world test.

I’m still thinking about upgrading my 425 and the tractor I really “want” is the 1430. Its about the perfect size for me and I like the fact that it is diesel. However, although the 1430 has 50% more torque than the 425, it weighs 85% more! Therefore, I’m concerned that it may actually perform worse than the 425 on hills with the mower going (although, to be clear, I think the 425 performs quite well on hills…I just come from the bigger is better school). Unfortunately, PT does not have a good hill available at the factory to compare the two.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

It is hard for me to say RE the 1430 - I tested it at the factory and thought that it was smoother and had more power than the 425 - but i didn't test it on a hill - It does have a bigger pump and better wheel motors - not the same as the 1845 wheel motors but similar - I have the model number around someplace - they are Eaton not White and again more expensive motors - I also like the 1430 size - the things I don't like is - First - it does not have the brake tender system - which after now having it on the 1845 - it is something that I would never want to do without - it really is a nice system - and second - I remember the 30hp being really noisy - and clanky - I think the 45hp sounds much better and of course has more power - so basically what I am saying is that they should offer the 1845 features in the smaller 1430 size (which for me would be ideal)

Oh well - are we truly ever happy when it comes to tractors?

Then we would have nothing to write about

 

[marrt]

Any idea why the 1845 is so much more expensive than the 1445? The 1445 has the same engine, weighs about 600 lbs more, and appears to be a bigger tractor. If anything, it would have thought it would be more expensive than the 1845, not the other way around.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Marrt:
The 1845 has duals, brake tender and tilt seat. Those don't seem to me to make it that much more than the bigger, more muscular machine, particularly since the 1445 has more capable lift. I haven't asked what other differences there may be.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Oh I don't really think there really is a rhime or reason to the pricing - I really do think that they pick most of the various differences out of thin air - Take a look at some of the attachments - some pricing is cheap - some reasonable and still some prices - make no sense at all - and yet for the most part it is all made out of the same steel - As much as I love the products - I still have not figured out much about PT -

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

When Hans, John and I were there in November, I accused them of having the entire line as a loss leader so they could get rich selling us rebranded filters.
Everybody laughed -- nobody asked me what I was talking about.

 

[Bob999]

Charlie Iliff lists the differences between the machines that I am aware of. In terms of cost I suspect that the labor to manufacture the two machines is quite similar. PT prices a wheel/tire combination for the 1845 at 200 each so that might explain about $800 of the difference. The tilt seat was a $900 option last year. I have no idea about the cost of the brake tender but I suspect is is fairly expensive because of all the plumbing.

The extra 600 lbs in the 1445 is steel as I understand it and raw steel is relatively inexpensive. Since the designs are "identical" the difference is just bigger/thicker pieces of steel.

However cost is only one component of pricing for any company and PT may simply have judged that the market for mowers capable of operating on very steep slopes will tolerate a higher price.

 

[marrt]

Hmm. I may have to call them at some point. I wonder if there is a way to order the tractor w/o the tilt seat and the dual tires to save some money. I would much rather have the lighter tractor for my use.

Ed, you mentioned in a prior post that you may try to figure out a way to use some of the 425 attachments on the 1845 by fabricating an adaptor. Have you made any progress on this? I would be interested in your design.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red"> I wonder if there is a way to order the tractor w/o the tilt seat and the dual tires to save some money. </font>

Marrt: Good luck. When I bought mine, they were more than willing to talk about attachments that weren't on the price sheet. Although mine was single-tired, however, and that option wasn't yet listed on the price sheet, they wouldn't negotiate on the base price of the machine. They are quite reluctant to stray from the price sheet of the day.