Steiner Front-wheel-drive versus PT AWD

[Bob_Skurka]

I am looking for the best possible lawn mower I can find. Ventrac might be it. Possibly the 3000 and possibly not. I do not want the double tire option because the hills we mow are mowed UP and DOWN not across, my concern with the slope is simply climbing it and then going back down in a controlled fashion. We currently do it with a Cub Cadet that has wheel weights and tire chains (year round) for traction. Power is not the issue, it is more of a safety & control issue. I am willing to pay more, if I get better & safer.

 

[JackIL]

Bob,

If you are confident that you will not need to mow on a side slope then the Ventrac 3000 is probably the way to go. One other very nice aspect of the articulated 4WD turf tractor is that when making turns, the front and rear wheels follow in exactly the same tracks. Therefore, there is absolutely no possibility of tearing the turf as there would be in a front steered 4WD tractor with different size front and rear tires.

My experience with both Steiner and Ventrec mower decks is that the quality and uniformity of cut is excellent.

JackIL

 

[TBrown]

Bob, I don't mean to muddy the waters, it sounds like you've narrowed your decision down to either a PT, Steiner, or Ventrac. But in a previous post in the Buying forum I brought up the McCormick G25. Its a 4WD Subcut with the mower mounted on the front hitch, close to the tractor. It doesn't articulate, and from your signature I see you certainly don't need another machine with a 3pt hitch, but I thought I'd mention it anyways. Options are good to have.

Subcompact thread

 

[Bob_Skurka]

The McCormick C25 certainly looks like an interesting tractor, but I am really looking for a mowing machine more than a tractor. The C25 also looks like it might be taller and narrower than I would be comfortable with on the slopes. I really am not interested in any of the PT, Steiner or Vertrac implements other than the mower decks. I am drawn to these machines because of their configuration as mowers.

 

[RegL]

Bob,
I do tractor work and lawn care commercially and thought I would put in my 2 cents. I got the PT 1430 last year, have worked it hard and love it. It has pretty much replaced the CUT for any tractor work. However, I think if your getting it to mow lawns only, you would be far better off buying a good commercial mower. The PT is a great utility machine and will do many different things. Thats why I purchased mine, but it will never replace my mowers. For your property with the slopes, I would recommend a hydro walk behind and a sulky. See this site for lots of discussion about lawn care and equipment. lawnsite

 

[Bob_Skurka]

RegL. . . a walk behind is simply not practical with the amount of mowing I do and the steepness of the main hill. The service who mows my office area uses Scags with slukies and they are great machines, but not capable of the terrain I have. My valley is too rough, my hills are too steep.

At this point I am seriously leaning toward the Ventrac 3000, 4 wheel drive articulated unit. It is very similar in concept to the Power Trac equipment but designed more as a mower that will also accept a limited number of implements.

Ventrac tractors from Venture Products

I like the Steiner, but have been advised by 2 dealers that I'd need the 4 wheel drive tractor as opposed to the mower version I like. The Ventrac LT3200 is essentially a 4wd articulated mower with a tight turning radius that also climbs like a goat and is stable on slopes.

I hope to make a final decision by mid-April. Without the help and suggestions of the members on this forum, I would have never known about PT, Steiner or Ventrac. There may be even more suitable units out there? All I know is my mind has changed about a dozen times, and each time it changes it seems like the choice of the tractor keeps getting better.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red"> There may be even more suitable units out there? </font>

That's a challenge. Press Aebi and see if it interrupts your thought process. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Charlie . . . YOU SUCK!!! <and I mean that in a complimentary way> Just when I think I made up my mind, you go and throw me a curve ball and it hits me right in the skull.

OK that is ALSO an interesting concept. I have more to study.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red"> I have more to study </font>

Careful - be advised that Bubenberg's father once worked for Aebi. You may be a character in a Ludlum novel.
/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I am not so sure about the 3 wheel concept, but the little Aebi mower unit looks pretty interesting. There is actually a dealer in Indiana, although I have no idea where that town is they are located in.

I keep looking at the PT422/425s, the Ventrac 3000 and the Steiners. I have been forced to eliminate the Steiner 230 and that takes me to the 415 and the 430, which are traditional looking tractors. No real reason to get the extra attachements, etc that the Steiner tractors offer, which takes me back to the Ventrac 3000 which seems the best suited for mowing of all of them. So I guess I may have just eliminated Steiner? At least they now seem to have fallen to 2nd Choice behind Ventrac.

I have serious reservations about teh PT422 for the hill climb, but the 425 apparently has higher torque wheel motors and I presume that would do the job. Still, the PT seems like a great tractor and an average mower. And I want a mower, so that puts the PT units in 3rd place behind the Steiners. But I admit to having a heck of a lot more respect for the the PT units now than I did before. In fact, I think I could evangelize about them to people who have the use for a tractor. They really are versitile machines.

The Ventrac 3000 seems like a great mower and a modest semi-tractor-in-a-pinch-but-only-if-you-have-nothing-better tractor. And as I have other equipment handy, then the modest tractoring ability of the Ventrac 3000 poses no downside to me. In fact, I am looking at it wishing that I had one with a mower deck and a snowblower, because it would do a better (easier on my neck) job blowing snow than the 60" rear mount blower I use. But I digress. I am looking for a mower for the wife. I want the best I can find so I don't have to worry for another 10+ years.

So who has an Aebi who can tell me more about those?