Ventracs and Steiners

shelby27604

shelby27604

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Location
Efland NC
I am looking at changing up my tractor game, I have a 55hp tractor that is too much for what I need it for. I need more maneuverability for the bush hogging I do on ~35 acres of hills and slopes. We are preparing to plant trees, and the 55hp tractor doesn't have the stability or maneuverability for our long term goals.

Anyone have experience with the steiners or ventracs? They are more prevalent in the north, but there are local dealers down here. Probably going to start with a used unit, not sure if I will go gas or diesel. Will probably end up with a dual wheel kit to tackle some of my steeper slopes with a higher degree of comfort.
 
No idea about them, other than they are cool.

Fwiw, all of the seeding contractors that do the hills on the highways run dual rear wheeled tractors to do the finishing of the slopes. I think it's nuts.
 
Shreddinlettuce said:
Ventracs hydros are shite, kubota would get my vote and had lots of local dealers
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I haven't seen a Kubota equivalent, there is a 4wd mower that they offer, but it seems more geared towards, well mowing than bush hogging. I know bobcat has dropped a duplicate machine, but it looks like a repainted Steiner.

What fails on the ventrac hydros? Is it a necessary upgrade, or is the system failure prone no matter what?

This won't replace a tractor, I will likely sell the 55hp tractor and get a used ventrac and a used ~35hp 4wd Kubota.
 
I have been researching tractors a lot lately. I have heard of Steiner but not Ventrac. Quick google says the Bobcat is made by Steiner. Looks like those are lawn tractors and not what I have been looking into. From my research there are about 7 major tractor builders left. Kubota being one of the biggest. IMHO they have become like JD and priced accordingly. I've been looking into TYM.
 
justjeepin86 said:
No idea about them, other than they are cool.

Fwiw, all of the seeding contractors that do the hills on the highways run dual rear wheeled tractors to do the finishing of the slopes. I think it's nuts.
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I had looked into a dedicated, smaller tractor with dual wheels, but the mix of maneuverability, stability, and bush hogging capacity has ruled out most of the options I have looked at. I know the 55hp tractor on a steep slope is enough to make you need a clean pair of underwear when the direction of travel and gravity have a battle that you weren't expecting.
 
Here’s the crew taking a brand new Ventrac on a float trip. They dropped it off for us to try before they delivered it to the new owners.
IMG_8169.jpeg
 
I dealt with a diesel Steiner 8-wheel @ my previous employer (I was the electrical supervisor, but often helped the landscaping crew fix equipment)...when it was working, it was great...the duals are very sensitive to tires pressures (tore up the couplers if wrong).

Liked it, side-hilled like a boss, would have no problems owning one.
 
Just scrolling thrugh on lunch...

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Southern VA's premiere dealer for Ventrac, SCAG, Husqvarna & Stihl outdoor power equipment. We offer unbeatable customer service with a team who focuses on helping you with everything from sales to parts & service. The Mower Store is here for all your residential and commercial lawncare &...
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A close friend of mine slings Ventrac and others. Ask for Caleb. Tell him to price in Will Carter's brokerage fee.
 
I know a few guys with Ventrac's. To be honest, in a commercial setting I take some failures with a grain of salt. There is a lot of "aint mine, bossman will fix it" when guys run equipment. Like with any equipment purchase I would just buy whatever has the best local parts/service support unless its a screaming deal.
 
doc said:
I dealt with a diesel Steiner 8-wheel @ my previous employer (I was the electrical supervisor, but often helped the landscaping crew fix equipment)...when it was working, it was great...the duals are very sensitive to tires pressures (tore up the couplers if wrong).

Liked it, side-hilled like a boss, would have no problems owning one.
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Any idea what the cost and replacement time is on those couplers? What are you looking for to know you have your tire pressures dialed in?
 
Grab a couple of mules and go old school .......

mule mower.jpg
 
shelby27604 said:
Any idea what the cost and replacement time is on those couplers? What are you looking for to know you have your tire pressures dialed in?
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Couplers were held on with "j" plates...if the the outer tires were over inflated, the resulting leverage bent the piss/broke the couplers. Disclaimer: we had some "experts" whose chit I had to fix many times.
 
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I’ve looked at their engineering drawings they use some pretty shit hydraulic cylinders on ventrac attachments as compared to bobcat kubota etc. For reference I designed cylinders used on d3-d5 cat dozers of the k2 generation and kubota and bobcat skid steers among others. Ventrac’s cylinders are similar to the ones used by Maxon for lift gates not industrial equipment. I would have a hard time believing they have the rest of the engineering dialed.

You would be better off with a regular tractor with generic pto attachments than being branded into one companies attachments see also Toro dingo. 10mph can be had on most zero turns and they will outmaneuver a tractor any day for 10k less. Ventrac uses the same size tires as a commercial zt, so unless you go 4 wheel dually (defeats the purpose of you wanting something that maneuvers better) I can’t see a benefit
 
shelby27604 said:
I am looking at changing up my tractor game, I have a 55hp tractor that is too much for what I need it for. I need more maneuverability for the bush hogging I do on ~35 acres of hills and slopes. We are preparing to plant trees, and the 55hp tractor doesn't have the stability or maneuverability for our long term goals.

Anyone have experience with the steiners or ventracs? They are more prevalent in the north, but there are local dealers down here. Probably going to start with a used unit, not sure if I will go gas or diesel. Will probably end up with a dual wheel kit to tackle some of my steeper slopes with a higher degree of comfort.
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55 hp what kind of tractor? Have you considered a wheel kit to widen the stance for more stability? Or putting liquid in the tires ?
 
maulcruiser said:
Have you looked into any skid steers with a front mounted mower? How about remote control?
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Price point, between upfront purchase and operating costs, a skid steer isn't in the cards, as ultimately I will still need to get a smaller tractor for other maintenance needs on the property. The plan is to sell the current tractor and hopefully fund a lot of the replacement equipment.
R Q said:
55 hp what kind of tractor? Have you considered a wheel kit to widen the stance for more stability? Or putting liquid in the tires ?
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The tractor is a mahindra, and maneuverability is already miserable (it's a big heavy beast, especially for this application). Bushhogging in a relatively flat field, EASY, but the topographical layout on this property along with working around existing tree lines (and trying to reforest a lot of the property) I need something more surgical, while still being 4wd.

I don't plan on buying a new ventrac or steiner, I am shopping for a used unit. Hopefully in a couple of years the trees we start planting will take off, and shade the grasses enough that my total bushhogging acres decreases drastically. At the moment, it is a full weekend worth of work, and I feel like I have been in a car wreck for about a week afterwards.
 
You aren't far from me and our topography isn't that much different. I find it hard to believe you have enough slope that a standard tractor with a bushhog or a zero turn can't tackle. If its really that steep get some goats and let them "mow" for you.
 
jeepinmatt said:
I guess the core question is just how steep are these hills? It's amazing what you can do and how fast you can do it with a 60" Zero turn.
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When I start mowing my yard, I can't mow my ditch bank because it's too steep. 4 beers later I can sidehill it like a pro
 
Stuntman Autoworks said:
You aren't far from me and our topography isn't that much different. I find it hard to believe you have enough slope that a standard tractor with a bushhog or a zero turn can't tackle. If its really that steep get some goats and let them "mow" for you.
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The property is about 90 mins. north of me, outside of South Boston VA. You could probably mow in Efland with a tricycle and a bush hog and still feel pretty stable.

awheelterd said:
When I start mowing my yard, I can't mow my ditch bank because it's too steep. 4 beers later I can sidehill it like a pro
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The property is isolated enough (between population density, and cell service) that liquid courage doesn't mix well with heavy machinery.
 
When my grandpa had peach orchards he was best served with a dual approach.
Small mower around the tree trunks, Then get the open stuff with bushhog.

Literally one of these around the tree ..... with a sulky.

walkbehind.jpg



Once the trees reached full maturity the limbs were high enough he just used a regular riding mower around the trees.

One alternative is a 4wd mower but with a set of ATV tracks installed ...... I did see a set on MP.
 
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