ventrac brush mower review?

[2manyrocks]

A buddy of ours worked as a mechanical engineer for Doosand at North Dakota's main plant. In speaking with him, we wouldn't purchase a BC.

I just saw a YT video saying dealers are now getting the Bobcat AT450 in stock and that the components all appear to be the same except for the Bobcat white color, plastic front fenders and an updated dashboard. The poster said it has a 32hp Kubota gas engine and peerless transaxle....basically looks like the same as the Steiner 450 except for what was mentioned.

He didn't mention pricing, but it sounds a lot like a Steiner 450 in Bobcat colors.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Started mowing the front yard 4pm today. Barely into the first pass, there's a 4-5' rattlesnake in the yard next to where I was mowing with the ZTR today. Bowed up at me and then slithered off into the creek.

Judge, 410

 

[Lnk]

I hardly see any used Ventrac, steiners or pt for sale in Middle Tennessee.

As for reliability, I would ask the TBN members who use these brands about their experience. The responses so far in the thread you started seem focused on what the machine will do and not about what mechanical problems they have experienced.

If buying used, it would be good to know what common troubles to look for.

Glad I was able to buy my pt425 south of Manchester TN. I also have a Steiner 230. The power trac runs out of steam with a full bucket going up hills. 8 have to weave side to side. I suspect a new one would have more power. My Steiner has a two speed gearbox driven by a hydraulic motor. Has more torque. Power trac makes larger machines that are still highly maneuverable, that have much more torque. I looked at ventrac and Steiner and the sticker shock was impressive. Found power trac and liked the front end loader and the quick attach. The Steiner has traction assist, which adds lift to the mower to add traction to the wheels. The power trac does not. You can lift the mower and achieve the same thing, just can't preset it.

The best thing about the power trac, is the ability to swap implements in seconds. Unless hydraulic lines need to be connected or disconnected. Then it takes a minute. Truly a swiss army knife. I hate swapping implements on my tractors. Which is why I have a few. To reduce the changing. We're I to start over, I would buy a 45hp power trac and used tractors for each implement.

 

[arto98607]

Could you improve the way your tractor implements are currently being stored and make them easier to access & put on tractor 3-pt?

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Question was asked about reliability and repairs. My machine had approx 2048 hrs when I bought it. Thats a lot. It needed a new hydraulic cylinder for lifting implement. It was back ordered and when it came in, Dealer put that on at their expense. I have had to replace the pto belt that connects the pto to the cutter several times but that is because of me hanging it up on stumps etc and burning the belt and making it stretch.

I damaged the hydraulic cylinder that turns the front end because I was bulldozing down thru 1.5 inch saplings on a steep hill and using the hydraulic power to push stuff around as I did it. Blew the seal out on the cylinder. Not a serviceable part , so I had to replace it. $176.
I was cutting some brush and got hung up on something and threw the main deck belt on the rotary cutter. It broke a pully and broke the belt and dented the deck cover from underneath.
That was about 175 for parts to fix. I just got off the phone with the dealer. I need to get new tail wheels (lead wheels, since they are in front?) the solid rubber wheels are splitting and have chunks out of them. Those will be 155 each just for the rubber wheel and metal hub with bearings.
Thankfully I have not broken anything else yet. But my wife runs it hard. Really hard. I told her there was an 8 foot wide drag harrow in the Weeds be the orchard and she must not have believed me. I had just sharpened the blades. She rolled right up on that drag harrow. She has run over bright orange galvanized grounding rod for the electric fence. Constantly getting into rocks. Our main driveway is #3 railroad ballast.
That reminds me I have replaced 3 blades. They are reversible and cost $35 each.
And their hydraulic oil is $79/ gallon.
Hope that helps

 

[ArlyA]

Question was asked about reliability and repairs. My machine had approx 2048 hrs when I bought it. Thats a lot. It needed a nee hydraulic cylinder for lifting implement. It was back ordered and when it came in, Dealer put that on at their expense. I have needed to replace the pto belt that connects then pto to the cutter several times but that is because of me hanging it up on stumps etc and burning the belt and making it stretch.

I damaged the hydraulic cylinder that turns the front end because I was bulldozing down thru 1.5 inch saplings on a steep hill and using the hydraulic power to push stuff around as I did it. Blew the sea out on the cylinder. Not a serviceable , so I had to replace it. $176.
I was cutting some brush and got hung up on something and threw the main deck belt on the rotary cutter. It broke a pully and brooke the belt and dented the deck cover from underneath.
That was about 175 for parts to fix. I just got off the phone with the dealer. I need to get new tail wheels (lead wheels, since they are in front?) the solid rubber wheels are splitting and have chunks out of them. Those will be 155 each just for the rubber wheel and metal hub with bearings.
Thankfully I have not broken anything else yet. But my wife runs it hard. Really hard. I told her there was an 8 foot wide drag harrow in the. Weeds be the orchard and she must not have believed me. I had just sharpened the blades. She rolled right up on that drag harrow. She has run over. Bright orange galvanized grounding rod for the electric fence. Constantly getting into rocks. Our main driveway is #3 railroad ballast.
That reminds me I have replaced 3 blades. They are reversible and cost $35 each.
And their hydraulic oil is $79/ gallon.
Hope that helps

Nice post. Thanks for adding to the thread.

 

[Lnk]

Could you improve the way your tractor implements are currently being stored and make them easier to access & put on tractor 3-pt?

I have my implements set on blocks on level ground as I disconnect them. It is still a pain in the neck. When I put the 9' flail mower on, I have to flip the mounts for the lift arms so it can articulate more. Everything else I have to flip them back. The disc mower is a heavy beast and my tractor has a turning radius of a tractor trailer. So a lot of jockeying. It all works, and I can get it done fine. Just not easy like a power trac. You get spoiled with that machine.

 

[micweb]

Ventrac is expensive - but there is a reason for it. It's the Land Cruiser of tractors. Super easy to service, very well engineered, and most importantly an amazing selection of easy to use attachments. We've had a fully decked out 4520z since 2023, and if I lost one, I'd have to buy another one. With duallies, it's very low impact on the established turf and capability of a fleet of different vehicles. We use power bucket with grapple, landscape rake, power rake, tough cut, finish mower, turbine blower, and brush all the time, v-blade in the snow, cultivator & primary seeder on new turf, and aerovator + spreader on established turf. In the fall their vaccum system is a blessing (it's the use case we originally found them for). Ability to mow into large ditches with 30+ degrees inclination is unparallel. Ability to traverse uneven terrain and get rid of blackberry bushes, including their roots is alone worth it. With Ventrac you buy once, cry once, smile often. I also wouldn't go diesel with Ventrac - their Kubota gasoline engine is more powerful and easier to maintain.