In the market for a Ventrac

[4570Man]

I have a little PowerTrac PT425 that is a small, articulated all wheel drive machine very similar to a Ventrac or Steiner. Over the years, many people have made comments about how little ground clearance I have, yet I take it places where no one would take a similar sized CUT. The articulation and oscillation keep more wheels on the ground and I just climb up and over dirt, small logs, etc... only been stuck once in 18 years, and that was brush cutting (cutter is out front) down a steep hill and I dropped the front tires off a hidden log that had dirt built up on the uphill side, making it almost invisible. I got high centered and the brush cutter was hanging out there in space from the FEL arms. I couldn't lower the cutter enough to use it to lift the front of the machine to get the center joint off of the log. So I had to walk back and get a chainsaw. Once in 18 years.

I don't think a Ventrac owner will have any problems with getting stuck.

My buddies compact loader has big tires and a lot of ground clearance but it comes at the cost of being top heavy. They’ve rolled it 3 or 4 times. I watched him nearly roll it in a drainage ditch that wasn’t over 15 degrease.

 

[johara1]

Itç—´ much easier to break a compacted pile loose from the top. Curl the bucket as far downward as youæ±*e comfortable doing and push down about a front from the edge and back up to avalanche the pile. Then move to the bottom to pick up the fresh dirt. If itç—´ a loose pile fresh off a dump truck itç—´ not a needed step.

Good thing you don't have to move dirt for a living..... wow.... jim

 

[4570Man]

Good thing you don't have to move dirt for a living..... wow.... jim

So how do you go about breaking up a hard pile of dirt. I seen you’re a heavy equipment operator but a Ventrac and compact tractors are a far cry from heavy equipment.

 

[johara1]

My 430 Diesel with 1000 hours is incapable of any kind of break out force, put pushing in and not lifting. Maybe for wood chips or non compacted mulch. The newer machines are stronger by far.

You use the travel to help curl the bucket, once you learn how you will be surprised how much power you gain. The old 992 G's were like that, you into go the dirt and pick the bucket to set the tires and kind of hesitate and curl the bucket a little and go in again and a couple of times and it is full. jim

 

[4570Man]

You use the travel to help curl the bucket, once you learn how you will be surprised how much power you gain. The old 992 G's were like that, you into go the dirt and pick the bucket to set the tires and kind of hesitate and curl the bucket a little and go in again and a couple of times and it is full. jim

I’d like to see a video of you doing this. I consider myself a pretty good operator but compact tractors just don’t have the loader strength or traction to get a full bite from a hard pile without breaking it loose first. A 95-2 Kubota skid steer yes and in good traction conditions my backhoe yes but the compact tractor can’t do it.

 

[4570Man]

My backhoe weighs 8 tons and has 9,000 pounds breakout force on the bucket and has a 7 foot bucket with teeth. The skid steer weighs 6 tons and has 7500 pounds breakout force and has a 6’ bucket with teeth and the best designed bucket of the 3. Either machine has a considerably higher breakout force and traction potential ratio to the bucket size than the tractors do. Bring your Ventrac over and see who can put 4 yards of hard packed dirt on my dump truck first using it and a compact tractor. Oh wait...

 

[johara1]

So how do you go about breaking up a hard pile of dirt. I seen you’re a heavy equipment operator but a Ventrac and compact tractors are a far cry from heavy equipment.

Yep, 50 years and I learned more till the day I retired. The only machine that starts on top is a shovel front, but your first bucket is off the ground. Cycle time. my man, weather it is a little dump truck or a 150 ton rock truck.The Ventrac is ok and it will dig original ground but not great, you have to lean how much of the 4' bucket it will handle to start with. The powertrac I had was flat as scary, it would pick the machine up if you could get it hooked in and it would carry a heaped 10 CF. bucket of modified stone that is well over a half a ton. Plus I made a ripper for it and it did everything good but cut grass.... jim

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have other loaders, so I'm not going to spend much time trying to get a scoop full with my 430 Max Diesel. It does fill a niche around here and I have learned to love it. But unless I lived in the suburbs, I would have a hard time surviving with that as my only tractor.

 

[4570Man]

The person in this video is a poor operator and parked the truck improperly but look how ineffective they were at breaking up the compacted dirt starting from the bottom John Deere tractor loading dirt into Ford truck. - YouTube.

 

[Industrial Toys]

For all that herky-jerky operation, I wouldn't let her near a shiny looking truck. She has never been taught how to dig from a pile, obviously. Still, I give this female, credit for trying though.