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I don't think the price is unreasonable. Especially
since the product works so well.
I'm in favor of supporting small vendors who make high
quality products that fit my needs, especially when they're made in the US and
especially when they've spent development time (=dollars) on a niche market of
which I'm a part.
The only possible issues I can think of with the Alltrax
DCX-300ET are so minor as to be laughable:
- It wasn't clear to me when I ordered that I needed to
use an external diode and power resistor, but I found them in stock at Radio
Shack for about $5 total, two-to-a-pack giving me a spare of each
(which I'll probably never need). I might even have been able to use parts
removed from the original circuit, but I don't know the power rating of the
diode on the little red board I took out...
- I wish the schematic showed how to use one of the
low-current relays, the key+seat switched source, and the "momentary" position
of the PTO switch to reproduce the original "return-to-off" feature of the
PTO. I had to figure it out, and I got a minor detail wrong the first time
around. (Couldn't turn it off once I turned it on!) Anybody that
wants to know how I did that (the right way), just let me know and I'll come up
with a drawing of how I did it.
In short, I am so happy with the way the conversion turned
out. The floorboard-mounted pedal and linkage to the pot-box (see http://www.elec-trak.com/gallery/browseimages.php?c=21)
gives me foot control of speed so I can use my hands to steer and rotate the
snowblower chute and operate the lift. The reverse switch is mounted where
the dash-mount speed control came out.
As father of a bright nearly-3 year-old, I'm delighted
that the speed control is now far away on the floor rather than up on the dash
where he can reach. Not that I'm planning to leave the key in the switch,
but it's always good to have backup safety characteristics...
Anyway, my advice is take the plunge, accept that Alltrax
offered the first few units at a reduced rate maybe to get them on the market
(and who knows, maybe they were also compensating for not having much experience
with the Elec-trak platform), go out and support a small, quality, domestic
vendor that is helping keep this tractor community running. You were only
going to spend that other $200 bucks on something else anyway...
Joel
ps. snowblower performed well with 2 ft of light fluffy
stuff yesterday. Drifts to nearly 4 ft in parts of the driveway, and a
substantial pile from the street plows at the end of the drive. Not a huge
driveway (parks maybe 10 cars at the most) but got it done on one
charge.
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