Ventrac Question

[JohnnyDB]

The 525 that that manual came with is diesel, and what would B&S know about diesels???
Did you see that 35 degree continous rating in print? I would be interested in seeing it, because if you believe a salesman is going to tell you the truth about it...well, you will be surprised. The texts aludes to the reasons for the rating, and I don't think it has anything to do with what fuel it is running. In fact, two of the three reasons given would make me NOT want to use a diesel engine on the steeper hills, as they are coolant and lubricant sensitive, more so than a gas engine, or at least more expensive to fix when one of those reasons takes over.
I don't have to worry about it, as my yard is FLAT. I just posted it so the O/p would realize it was just a little beyond STEINERS ratings, and since they are similar machines it would stand to reason the ratings should be close.
If I needed to to a yard with a hill in excess of the ratings, I would tend to want to climb it on the easiest point and go downhill for the actual mowing, then catch a little time mowing a flat area, then do another strip on the hill. That would make it the easiest on the machine, and since they don't give them away, making it last is a good idea.
David from jax

Fair enough, maybe this will help...
I talked to the manufacturer (not a salesman) and here is a piece B&S's chart for their diesel engines (see attached). If you read my post again you will see that I had the right information "CONTINUOUS 30 degree operation, 35 degree intermittent." Never said the manufacture claimed 35 degrees continuous, I was just saying that I personally would be confident in it. B&S has some great diesel engines. Also your reasoning that since they are "similar" machines, they would have to be the same rating could use some work. Similar looking yes, but Ventracs are MUCH more robust and built for much tougher use. It is like saying that a 1/4 ton truck has the same towing capabilities as a 3/4 or 1 ton because they are 'similar'. I enjoy a good discussion or information that may make the OP think hard about their decision, that is what these forums are for, but let's make sure we get our facts straight first and not mislead them. You are correct, most people will never run 30 degrees for more than 10 minutes, that's a lot of hill, but for commercial use, or miles of highway mowing, I could see this rating to be very useful.

[Raw Dodge]

I see this is an old thread,but I wanted to chime in here,I have been running our steiner 420s on inclines of 30 degrees plus with duals on and off for over 20 yrs with no ill effects....mine are air cooled,one has the Onan 20Hp p220 and the other a Kohler Command 25...neither has starved for oil ever,I have the oil light working on the Onan ,and the oil sentry on the command,5 seconds without pressure and it dies....never had a problem...I just got a Ventrac 4231 gas this week,i dont expect and issues with it either...