dannyk
Silver Member
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2001
- Messages
- 179
- Location
- Northern Minnesota
- Tractor
- Kubota and John Deere tractors 20-40HP; skid steer loader
I love the articulated tractor concept for the ease of switching and servicing attachments. At this point in my life, with bad knees, it's getting harder to work with belly mowers and 3-point hitches on conventional tractors. And this past winter I realize that a walk-behind snowblower is no longer an option for me, and a reliable snowblower is a must in northern Minnesota.
So to make a long story shorter, I'm interested in chucking my Kubotas (B7500 and L39) in favor of Ventrac. (I hope this is the appropriate forum for my questions. If not, please direct me.)
I'd looked at Power Trac years ago, but because of my location in the upper mid-west and the lack of service options, I ultimately went with Kubota and a Bobcat. But recently I found out about Ventrac and a dealer in Minneapolis. The 4231 model would be my first choice (same one American Bulldog has).
As an older coot, I'm ready to forget about the bigger landscaping jobs. What I really need to survive on my property now is a good snowblower, a field mower, and a finish mower. Plus with Ventrac's so-called "excavator," I would also have a motorized wheelbarrow. It's all very expensive, but maybe worth it for the ease of use.
What worries me is that the Ventrac videos show their units on nice even ground, though slopes are apparently not a problem. In contrast, some of my property has recently been reclaimed as mowed areas from forest, and so there are rough spots with roots and stumps sawed flush to the ground. My Kubota mid mower handles this OK, but what about Ventrac? Are the attachments too light-weight relative to those for a utility tractor? Will the frames bend or will they break at the pins from too much stress as they are pushed over uneven ground?
I'm also a bit concerned about reliability, since back in 2005 Pequeajim rated Ventrac as only a 7 out of 10 for reliability. The Minneapolis dealer is 300 miles away, and I currently don't have a pickup or trailer. I'm not as mechanically inclined as Badback, but I'm good at routine maintenance and have maintained tractors for years without taking them to the dealer.
So am I likely to regret a very expensive purchase? Another possibility is the new Deere 1026R with AutoConnect for the mower, but that's a new experiment in tractor technology, and I want to do something before winter shows up again.
Thoughts anyone? Danny
So to make a long story shorter, I'm interested in chucking my Kubotas (B7500 and L39) in favor of Ventrac. (I hope this is the appropriate forum for my questions. If not, please direct me.)
I'd looked at Power Trac years ago, but because of my location in the upper mid-west and the lack of service options, I ultimately went with Kubota and a Bobcat. But recently I found out about Ventrac and a dealer in Minneapolis. The 4231 model would be my first choice (same one American Bulldog has).
As an older coot, I'm ready to forget about the bigger landscaping jobs. What I really need to survive on my property now is a good snowblower, a field mower, and a finish mower. Plus with Ventrac's so-called "excavator," I would also have a motorized wheelbarrow. It's all very expensive, but maybe worth it for the ease of use.
What worries me is that the Ventrac videos show their units on nice even ground, though slopes are apparently not a problem. In contrast, some of my property has recently been reclaimed as mowed areas from forest, and so there are rough spots with roots and stumps sawed flush to the ground. My Kubota mid mower handles this OK, but what about Ventrac? Are the attachments too light-weight relative to those for a utility tractor? Will the frames bend or will they break at the pins from too much stress as they are pushed over uneven ground?
I'm also a bit concerned about reliability, since back in 2005 Pequeajim rated Ventrac as only a 7 out of 10 for reliability. The Minneapolis dealer is 300 miles away, and I currently don't have a pickup or trailer. I'm not as mechanically inclined as Badback, but I'm good at routine maintenance and have maintained tractors for years without taking them to the dealer.
So am I likely to regret a very expensive purchase? Another possibility is the new Deere 1026R with AutoConnect for the mower, but that's a new experiment in tractor technology, and I want to do something before winter shows up again.
Thoughts anyone? Danny