My First Tractor will be a Ventrac 4500Y.

[John Joseph McVeigh]

John you sure make use of that Broom.. I would never have thought of that.

I was concerned because the temperature was slated to drop significantly (and it did indeed end up doing so). I feared that if I did not get the slush off of the driveway before it froze rock-hard, I would have had a devil of a time dealing with it. The broom worked excellently and the driveway had a channce to largely dry out before the temperatures plunged.

John

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

Yesterday, I fitted a 12-volt socket to the rear of the tractor. This will be for, among other things, a snowmobile helmet with an electrically heated visor. I also fitted a hydro foot pedal. As part of the same order of accessories, I got a pair of armrests for the standard seat. The arm rests did not come with any instructions. It looks like I will need to cut holes in the vinyl side panels of the seat, but I did not want to do that before consulting with the dealer. I spoke with the dealer this morning. He was surprised that there were no instructions. He had not opened the box that the arm rests came in from the factory. He said that he would call Ventrac and see what the proper installation procedure is. I am waiting to hear back from him.

In the interim, have any of you fitted arm rests to the standard seat? If so, how did you do it?

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

The broom sure does a nice job! It looks like you are having fun with your new toy!

It does do a great job. I understand that it can handle up to six inches of snow, and there is no chute-clogging to have to deal with.

John

 

[murphy1244]

Yesterday, I fitted a 12-volt socket to the rear of the tractor. This will be for, among other things, a snowmobile helmet with an electrically heated visor. I also fitted a hydro foot pedal. As part of the same order of accessories, I got a pair of armrests for the standard seat. The arm rests did not come with any instructions. It looks like I will need to cut holes in the vinyl side panels of the seat, but I did not want to do that before consulting with the dealer. I spoke with the dealer this morning. He was surprised that there were no instructions. He had not opened the box that the arm rests came in from the factory. He said that he would call Ventrac and see what the proper installation procedure is. I am waiting to hear back from him.

In the interim, have any of you fitted arm rests to the standard seat? If so, how did you do it?

How do you have time for arm rests? One hand on the spinner and other on the stick, yes?

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

How do you have time for arm rests? One hand on the spinner and other on the stick, yes?

I do not have a spinner knob yet, Murph. It's on my near-term short list, along with a cargo platform for the rear hitch pocket, a variable-height hitch bar, a cargo platform, a log splitter and a chipper/shredder.

John

 

[murphy1244]

I bought a platform for 49.00 online. Heck a spinner is only 10.00. What kind of splitter you thinking of?

 

[BKBrown]

I do have a spinner and the right side arm rest is good most of the time even using the SDLA controls. Have you checked the Ventrac web site for the instructions or pictures of the arm rests? My.Ventrac I'll look at mine tomorrow and see if I can help you out.

I do not have a spinner knob yet, Murph. It's on my near-term short list, along with a cargo platform for the rear hitch pocket, a variable-height hitch bar, a cargo platform, a log splitter and a chipper/shredder.

John

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

I now have a spinner knob installed. I went to the New Freedom, Pennsylvania store of the Tractor Supply Company chain. I had never been in a TSC outlet before. I picked up two: one a Good Vibrations Easy Rider in red, and the other a Countryline Speeco in black. I bought the both of them because I could not decide at the store which one I preferred, and because their prices were modest. After examining the two of them outside the packaging, I decided to install the Speeco.

The Easy Rider is held by a single cap screw. A metal band wraps around the bottom of the steering wheel, and the cap screw holds the metal band in place. Two molded plastic spacers of different sizes are provided for use with steering wheels of various thicknesses. The Ventrac steering wheel called for the thinner of the two spacers.

The Speeco has a top plastic piece, to which the knob is attached, and a bottom plastic piece. Viewed sideways, when installed, the bottom piece looks like a C rotated 90° counterclockwise. The lower portion of the top piece looks like a C rotated 90° clockwise. The two abut, gripping the steering wheel, which lies in the circular void between the two pieces. Two cap screws hold the two pieces together. A strip of rubber is supplied for use on thin steering wheels. It was not necessary to install the strip on the Ventrac steering wheel.

A total of four cap screws are supplied: two each of two different lengths. The thickness of the steering wheel determines which screws one uses. I used the longer ones.

The surface area of contact between the gripping portions of the Speeco and the steering wheel is substantially larger than the surface area of contact between the metal band of the Easy Rider and the steering wheel. Also, the fact that the Speeco uses two cap screws to hold the Spinner Knob assembly to the steering wheel suggested to me that the force of adhesion would be more evenly spread out, and that the Speeco would be more reliable and durable.

The Speeco Knob, when mounted, is centered between the inner and outer walls of the steering wheel. The Easy Rider can be installed so that the Spinner Knob is either slightly toward the inside or slightly toward the outside.

I'll keep the Easy Rider as a spare just in case the Speeco fails. That said, if the Speeco lasts a long time but eventually fails, I intend to get a Speeco replacement.

After installing the Speeco, I went out to take the 4500Y for a spin (pun intended). What a simple thing, but what an improvement. It is so much easier to steer with the spinner knob installed! I wish to express my thanks to a forum member for urging me to get one.

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As I mentioned above, this was the first time that I had ever been in a TSC outlet. Lots of stuff there.

John

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

I bought a platform for 49.00 online. Heck a spinner is only 10.00.

I am thinking of this carrier.

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

I do have a spinner and the right side arm rest is good most of the time even using the SDLA controls. Have you checked the Ventrac web site for the instructions or pictures of the arm rests? My.Ventrac I'll look at mine tomorrow and see if I can help you out.

Hi, BKB.

I did take a look at the Ventrac web site before posting my enquiry to the forum, but I did not see any installation instructions.

With best regards,

John