Ventrac 4500 vs Steiner 440

[BKBrown]

I don't know why Steiner does not brag about slopes, but what I have heard is that Steiner was designed by the Father of the Steiner Brothers that started and are still involved in the Ventrac line. I heard that Ventrac was started because the Brothers were not happy with what the new owners of the Steiner brand were doing with the tractor.
ON the subject of how Ventrac does in wet conditions - The tires are high flotation and especially with the Dual Wheels attached they do better than many tractors unless it is someplace no tractor should go anyway. We have red clay soil here and it gets slippery - I have taken my Ventrac places that I would never have gone with my 318 Deere (I had wide Ag type tires on the 318). The Tough Cut seems to very well on my neighbor's 4500 (even in wet conditions) !

Thanks all for your comments. We'll take them into consideration during our decision making process.

Was hoping to hear more on why Steiner doesn't brag about slope mowing capability.

Another question that just came up was how do either do with the Tough Cut mower in wet conditions? The trails we have to mow do have wet spots.

 

[Raw Dodge]

For whatever reason Steiner is seriously lacking in the marketing department. I see very little about them in fact most people still haven't heard of them even though they've been around for over 30 years. I think the Steiner Brothers under the Ventrac name have done a great job of marketing the Ventrac product. I apologize if I'm wrong here but I think it's Denver Steiner who has been doing most of the YouTube videos and work there. Whoever it is it's a great idea and those videos are very important to prospective buyers. Many people have taken part in excellent videos on YouTube including Jack il. I cannot overemphasize how important they are in today's market and I think Steiner has just totally given the internet marketing to Ventrac...by not participating on a level that shows they are a true player.

 

[Bearsden]

Thanks for the feedback. Will report back on what we decide.

 

[Bearsden]

Whoops, another question. For those of you who have purchased new Ventracs, what is the typical time between ordering and delivery, assuming the dealer doesn't have the tractor in stock and it has to come from the factory? Or do dealers also attempt to find one in stock at another dealer as do some auto brands? I see that based upon Mr. McVeigh's thread it was only 21 days between order and delivery. Is that typical?

 

[murphy1244]

I bought mine from stock as he is the biggest dealer in these parts. He stocks at least 10 Ventracs and 5 steiners plus 2 buildings of attachments. Mast Lepley is my dealer

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

Whoops, another question. For those of you who have purchased new Ventracs, what is the typical time between ordering and delivery, assuming the dealer doesn't have the tractor in stock and it has to come from the factory? Or do dealers also attempt to find one in stock at another dealer as do some auto brands? I see that based upon Mr. McVeigh's thread it was only 21 days between order and delivery. Is that typical?

It is my understanding that Ventrac builds tractors and attachments according to a certain schedule. Seasonal items are produced according to anticipated demand. E.g., there is not much demand for snow blowers in the Summer, and there is not much demand for mower decks in the Winter. Production runs of such seasonal items will be scheduled so that the items can be delivered to dealers on a Seasonal basis... e.g., mower decks in early Spring and onward, snow blowers in early Fall and onward.

When I placed the order for my 4500Y, it was the last one, or one of the last ones, coming off the previously scheduled production run, and a new run of the Y variant would not begin for some weeks. There were then-currently no rotary brooms available directly from the factory, and a new production run of brooms was not scheduled for some time. My dealer spoke with Ventrac's District Manager. The District Manager located a broom at a dealer in Virginia or North Carolina. The District Manager personally drove to the dealership that had the broom and delivered it to my dealer, who in turn delivered it to me on December 27, along with the tractor itself and the other attachments that I had ordered.

As Murph notes, large dealers often keep substantial inventory in stock. Smaller dealers cannot afford to do that. My dealer is one of the smaller ones.

At the time that I placed my order, a larger dealer about 75 minutes West of here had a 4500Y sitting on the showroom floor, waiting for a buyer. Both that dealer, and the dealer from whom I purchased my 4500Y, had snowblowers in stock.

With best regards,

John

 

[Bearsden]

Thanks again. And now another question from out Maintenance Committee. What's your experience from a maintenance standpoint? Can any provide a rough idea of what to expect for yearly maintenance cost. I know it will depend on usage. Ours will not be used in the winter. Our usage will probably be closer, but less than what one might see for a gold course.

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

Thanks again. And now another question from out Maintenance Committee. What's your experience from a maintenance standpoint? Can any provide a rough idea of what to expect for yearly maintenance cost. I know it will depend on usage. Ours will not be used in the winter. Our usage will probably be closer, but less than what one might see for a gold course.

As a new owner, I am not well positioned to answer your question as a matter of past personal experience. What I can say is that, from reviewing the Owner's manuals, the routine maintenance (motor oil and oil filter changes, application of grease to various zerks, etc.) is of a nature that a person with basic mechanical skills should be perfectly capable of performing.

So, the question that you pose leads to another question: will your organization hire the dealer (or someone else) to perform all required maintenance, or will your organization do some, most, or all of the routine maintenance in-house? If your organization will hire the dealer or someone else, you might ask that person what the anticipated charges will be.

JJM

 

[Bearsden]

Routine maintenance will be performed in house. I'm looking more at the non routine things that might go wrong and what we might expect to spend over a ten year life.

 

[murphy1244]

Routine maintenance will be performed in house. I'm looking more at the non routine things that might go wrong and what we might expect to spend over a ten year life.

How many hours are in a ten year life? What is a planned non-routine problem?