4231TD

[BKBrown]

The older Ventrac was fine and did not have a contamination problem - The newer one has some different size and type of hoses and is just slightly more responsive.
I had no complaints with the first 4231 and have none with this one.
I'm a bit excessive with oil changes, but have never had any engine in any of my equipment break down because of poor lubrication.
Everyone who sees the Ventrac operate is impressed !

[Raw Dodge]

On the hoses,I understand exactly what you mean,higher quality hoses,with less swelling give a much more responsive feel...but ultimately the horspower delivered thru the hydraulic motors is the same,if it wasnt,your pump/motor may have needed to be resurfaced.Im not sure on the Ventracs,but with a Steiner,the best way to tell is with the machine hot,if your power steering and lift work good,your pump and motors are fine....if they are slow,or steering requires too much effort,your leaks in the system have exceeded the pumps GPM and its time to pull the rear motor and do it first,its usually the problem.

[American Bulldog]

I would tend to agree with you under normal circumstances,...however the 31TD is a problematic engine...its not likely to make 2000hrs at all,and not likely to make 1000 without a major repair(turbo,cracked head,thrown rod) I hope you prove me wrong...whatever the difference in gas (at 3.69 here now) and diese (4.29). It isnt worth it unless your unloading it in a few seasons,the gasser will last forever,and cost you little to keep up.My dealer doesnt recommend the 31TD and tries to get people into the 26.5 diesel,at least it will make 1000hrs trouble free and maybe even 3-4K total....he showed me a stack of heads and turbos off 31 turbodiesels in the corner and ventilated engine blocks most with under 1000hrs.....trust me i wanted the 31TD,he talked me out of it,and since then ive done extensive research and found his findings to be spot on.Google it and find out how many people have had major problems with that engine at low hrs,and were denied warranty without justification.
Ive found the 31 gas impossible to overheat so far,ive had the screen blocked 3/4 of the way with grass when cutting my field(over a foot tall) ,depending on the wind it can clog in 5 minutes,I never stopped to clean it,it runs 185 normally,and ive never seen over 190 in the most severe conditions...my dealer says even with the best maintenance and cleaning,the 31TD will overheat on hot days in heavy conditions,and most operators will not stop,they keep going...the 26.5 diesel will not overheat in the same conditions....neither will the 31gas...with a 25K machine that shouldnt be,and with multiple operators i see this as a reason Id never buy the 31TD.Way to easy to ruin a 5000 engine. I wish you the best of luck with yours,and if it were mine,Id run Shaeffers x9000,(5w40) in the engine,for added protection especially for the turbo,and Id run a bottle of redline watter wetter in the cooling system,it should help you knock 5 degrees off your peak temps...not much but it helps...

Pretty bleak picture you paint. I am only at 200 hours or so. No problems so far. Before this machine I had the 31 LC gas. It would overheat about the same as the diesel. Maybe it is more dusty where I live, I don't know. Not only do I need to clean the screen, but also I need to blow out the radiator with an air line every now and then. The diesel uses almost half the amount of fuel. Not only does this save money, but it saves time. It took two tanks of gas to mow my lawn, but only takes one tank of diesel. This saves me 10 minutes on every mow. In 1000 hours I will save roughly $6000 in fuel, so I guess if I need a new engine at that point I will break even.

[Raw Dodge]

With only 200 hrs you better not have any trouble yet.... Look on ebay... Do a search for the 31 Briggs diesel... Lots of low hour blocks for sale... Seems a common problem is pistons cracking at the casting of the front of engine arrow, ... Add to that the unpredictable thrown rod that is also very common . Not much you can do about those. I would think that you could prevent the head cracking by not overheating it and also prevent turbo failures by maintenance, synthetic oil, and adequate cool down.... I still want a diesel... But I'm settling with the gas because it's the most reliable.. That means more than the fuel savings to me.