Hydraulic Issue

[presnewt]

I have a Steiner 440 with mower and a Ventrac power rake. I am currently using the power rake and I notice that it is easy to steer to turn right but difficult to steer when turning left, also the unit does not seem to be picking up the rake as quickly as it used to. Any thoughts? Thanks

 

[presnewt]

Update for anyone interested. The problem was simply a loose belt. I was able to fix it myself and now the steering and lifting is as easy as when i got the tractor.

 

[johara1]

It is nice to have the separate belt driven pump. More powerful than the week kneed Ventrac set up....... jim

 

[Raw Dodge]

Dual pumps are often unnecessary ,create extra hydraulic system heat and require more parasitic horsepower to run. A hydraulic system in good shape doesn’t need them too often.I’ll take the less is more simplicity of a single pump that won’t throw or slip a belt. Being a mechanic my whole life my arms are huge and I’ll manhandle the steering every once in a while to keep it simple .

 

[Industrial Toys]

I am insanely jealous that you have the Ventrac Power Rake. I have a BIG Harley 8 foot PTO but the little one would be slick. I like the reversing feature on the Ventrac that the Steiner never had.

 

[johara1]

Dual pumps are often unnecessary ,create extra hydraulic system heat and require more parasitic horsepower to run. A hydraulic system in good shape doesn’t need them too often.I’ll take the less is more simplicity of a single pump that won’t throw or slip a belt. Being a mechanic my whole life my arms are huge and I’ll manhandle the steering every once in a while to keep it simple .

A single pump is simple, but any machine that requires hydraulic power on any implement uses more than one pump. Different hydraulic pressures require more than one pump, like in steering they use one jack. Why the pump will not support two, run the travel and the attachment like the slip scoop. The Steiner has more power than the Ventrac due to the separate pump and will out dig it hands down. jim

 

[Raw Dodge]

A single pump is simple, but any machine that requires hydraulic power on any implement uses more than one pump. Different hydraulic pressures require more than one pump, like in steering they use one jack. Why the pump will not support two, run the travel and the attachment like the slip scoop. The Steiner has more power than the Ventrac due to the separate pump and will out dig it hands down. jim

For you that’s important,for me it’s not,I use mine to mow , finish grade,trench, blow leaves and blow snow .if I am digging I’m not using the Ventrac,I use my 82 hp 8000lb Cat skid steer , and if I recall correctly the second pump is driven off a belt that you cannot change without disconnecting the driveline adapters. Other machines may have 2 pumps for various reasons, a Steiner is limited by the available space, most other machines stack the pumps or drive them all off belts or gear drives. If the Steiner is so great why is it’s resale and units sold lower than Ventrac ? Having owned 2 Steiners for 30 yrs one of them I can tell you that Steiner uses its customers for R&D , they also discontinued many parts for my 420s mower deck about 15 yrs ago....If digging power and speed is your priority you obviously have the right machine , the Steiner 440 looks mean but my dealer told me to stay away from anything newer than a 430..