Ventrac Assembly Videos

[Clumber]

Interesting assembly videos of a PT competitor:

YouTube - Ventrac Paint and Assembly Lines

YouTube - Ventrac Assembly Plant

 

[RegL]

That made me dizzy.

 

[MossRoad]

Makes me appreciate the simplicity of how few parts are in mt PT.

 

[Clumber]

Makes me appreciate the simplicity of how few parts are in mt PT.

Their equivalent of the PT Tub seems to be thinner stamped metal fasten together with small bolts...

 

[American Bulldog]

I have both the PT and the Ventrac, and I can tell you that the Ventrac is much better engineered than the PT. Not even close. PT is built much beefier though. The Ventrac will out mow the PT. Best mowers money can buy.

I can't even imagine using the VT as a loader. PT has it beat there.

 

[BobRip]

I have both the PT and the Ventrac, and I can tell you that the Ventrac is much better engineered than the PT. Not even close. PT is built much beefier though. The Ventrac will out mow the PT. Best mowers money can buy.

I can't even imagine using the VT as a loader. PT has it beat there.

I am sure the ventrac is a fine machine, but better engineered is a matter of use and opinion. (a litle humor here, but not much.)
example:

PT uses plate steel. This is easy to repair and modify. It will take a long time to wear out too.

All transmission of power is through easy to find and replace hoses.
Many parts are off the shelf and easy to find.
Etc. In other words it's engineered for self repair and easy modifications.

Is the PT Refined? In other words do all of the attachments work reliabily and do a neat job. Here I am thinking of the rough cut mower with blades that hangup and bolts that break. No. And they don't seem to bother to refine.

Some things are over engineered (not necessarily the Ventrac). By this I mean the are designed to wear out completely in a certain time and they are hard to repair. I was fixing a Trans Am and had to drill a hole in the spare tire well to remove a suspension bolt.
I am not blaming the engineer, it's usually a marketing decision to sacrifice repairability for appearance.

 

[MossRoad]

There is a fine line between better engineering VS good enough to get the job done and what people are willing to put up with.

As an example... Craig's list. It is a piece of cr#%. Yet it has managed to kill the classified advertising departments of just about every medium to large market newspaper in the country.

Harbor Freight tools. Inferior by most measures, yet the store is packed every day.

 

[MossRoad]

As for comparing the Ventrac to a Power Trac... I think it depends on what it is engineered to do.

The Ventrac is a fine machine. Better mower. Better hill climbing when mowing compared to the PT425. Better engine. That all = more cost.

Can it fit in the back of a pickup truck with an implement attached?
Can it fit through a 48" gate?
Can it lift more than a foot without additional purchase of loader attachment?
Can it lift approximately half its own weight?
Can it change non-powered implements in less than 15 seconds without getting out of the driver's seat?
Can it change powered implements in less than a minute?

Different goals for the final machine make for different engineering needs.

 

[American Bulldog]

I said the wrong thing in the wrong forum.....


I think PT enjoys when their customers get pissed off. I think they all have a laugh after they hang up the phone. They clearly don't care in the least when engineering shortcomings are pointed out. I am sure that they have had 1000 complaints that their diesels overheat when mowing, yet they do NOTHING!!!! They have probably had even more complaints about their mowers, yet they do NOTHING!!!!

This is piss poor engineering.

Ventrac, on the other hand, listens to their customers, and continue to improve their machines. Yes the VT costs more, but you get what you pay for.

 

[American Bulldog]

BTW Moss, the Power Trac was not engineered to go in the bed of your pickup truck. they just got lucky.

Also, the Ventrac non powered implements can be changed from the driver's seat in 15 seconds as well. And the powered implements are easier to change than the PT ones. Just ask Clumber how easy the PT is, lol. Don't worry Clumber, the PT engineering team is all over your problems...... should have a solution any minute.