In the market for a Ventrac

[murphy1244]

With the tractor you could have the ripper on the back while driving forward to use it and have the bucket on the front cutting your implement changes down considerably. The trencher you’ll have to drive backwards to use. The stump grinder is too expensive IMO to be of any use. I know what you mean about the volunteers. Our church pretty much gave up and just hire it done. The local sportsman club tries to operate on volunteers but it’s about 10 guys doing all the work.

I have not seen a trencher that drives forward. What does your tractor weigh?

 

[MossRoad]

I want you to use one in your yard, the 425 is a yard machine and the old 422 I had was the same machine only 22 hp. I replaced the wheel motors to increase the torque and replaced the engine for more power and it was still a lame duck on the hills...... jim

Hmmm.... there's a couple folks on here that replaced the wheel motors on the 400 series with larger displacement and they are now mountain goats. What year was your old 422?

 

[4570Man]

I have not seen a trencher that drives forward. What does your tractor weigh?

A tractor mounted trencher would drive forward. Unless you’re a plumber or electrician I doubt you own a trencher anyway. The L3800 is about 2600 base tractor weight and probably 5,000 fully equipped, but why does that matter.

 

[murphy1244]

A tractor mounted trencher would drive forward. Unless you’re a plumber or electrician I doubt you own a trencher anyway. The L3800 is about 2600 base tractor weight and probably 5,000 fully equipped, but why does that matter.

I have never seen a front mounted tractor trencher. Can you give me a link to one?

 

[4570Man]

I have never seen a front mounted tractor trencher. Can you give me a link to one?

I didn’t say that. A trencher requires driving the opposite way it’s mounted so you’d drive forward with a rear mounted trencher.

 

[johara1]

You better send my Grasshopper a postcard or something and tell it it痴 supposed to suck on hills. It hasn稚 got the memo. I mowed that hill in post 10 with it. The 3 point hitch is an ancient tool that needs improvement but a lot of implements work better on the back.

you get a little steeper and put a 15 ft. drop off with a creek at the bottom, instead of a road and see how the grasshopper does, what a joke . BTW. that is a bank I cut one like that with an old 12G Graveley It is steep when you have to sit on the arm rest, but the limits of the engine won't let you work steep ...jim

 

[4570Man]

you get a little steeper and put a 15 ft. drop off with a creek at the bottom, instead of a road and see how the grasshopper does, what a joke . BTW. that is a bank I cut one like that with an old 12G Graveley It is steep when you have to sit on the arm rest, but the limits of the engine won't let you work steep ...jim

That’s a 30 degree hill. That’s far above what most machines can handle. Bring your Ventrac into the open field and let’s see who wins. And I never claimed the Ventrac wasn’t a good slope mower. That’s probably what it does best.

 

[DrTron]

Hi Guys!

Sorry for answering late, I subscribed to the thread but somehow did not get a notification, so again, sorry about that.

Here's some more details on what I intend to do with the ventrac:
- mow lawn (finish)
- occasionally distribute dirt and sand (the power bucket should come in handy here), the deer rip up the lawn quite bad sometimes
- harvest wood in the forest. I already have a half-ton cart for the wood and a gas-powered chipper to dispose of the branches. The tractor is supposed to pull both.
- fertilize and herbicide the lawn, I'll probably get myself a small spreader and a sprayer cart or something.

A zero turn mower is certainly best at mowing (as you guys already mentioned), but wouldn't cope with the rest of the tasks. I used to have a smaller tractor (40" mower and about 400lbs) with front-mounted mower and articulated steering. I loved that and will need to mow under brushes and such here as well, so I definitively want a front-mounted mower. No regular tractor I have seen has that, and then there is the weight issue as well. Most tractors I have found (like the John Deere 1000 and 2000 series) are a lot heavier because they make a good loader as well and need the weight for that. Which I won't need.

So far I think I'm going to go with a 4500P with the 72" rear discharge deck (for mulching) and the bucket. I guess I can do everything I need with this. Maybe I'll invest in a power brush sometime later.

 

[murphy1244]

I didn’t say that. A trencher requires driving the opposite way it’s mounted so you’d drive forward with a rear mounted trencher.

And you can't see what your doing like that. I own a Ventrac and a tractor and they are great for what I do.

 

[MossRoad]

Sounds like a good choice. Good luck in your search. :thumbsup: