My First Tractor will be a Ventrac 4500Y.

[John Joseph McVeigh]

I set mine to 16 cold. I thought you looked a tad low. When using your broom what is your weight transfer setting?

I will plug in the electrically powered air compressor and raise the pressure. And I will keep an eye on the pressure in the coming days.

I tried setting the weight transfer to maximum, and the bristles did not make contact with the ground. I then tried settings of 3, 2, and 1. I left it at Setting No. 1, but I am open to revisiting this issue. Do you have a suggestion? The Owner's Manual for the rotary broom says, at p. 14,

Before operation, perform daily inspection and engage the power unit's weight transfer.

but it does not suggest a particular setting.

With best regards,

John

 

[murphy1244]

I will plug in the electrically powered air compressor and raise the pressure. And I will keep an eye on the pressure in the coming days.

I tried setting the weight transfer to maximum, and the bristles did not make contact with the ground. I then tried settings of 3, 2, and 1. I left it at Setting No. 1, but I am open to revisiting this issue. Do you have a suggestion? The Owner's Manual for the rotary broom says, at p. 14,



but it does not suggest a particular setting.

With best regards,

John

Do you put it in float when you use your broom?

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

Do you put it in float when you use your broom?

Yes, I had the SDLA joystick in the float position when I was using the broom, and when I was experimenting with the Weight-Transfer settings.

The tire pressures are now set at 16 psi cold. I will check them in the coming days to see if the tires are holding pressure. As they all read exactly the same pressure, I think that I can rule out a selective leak. Of course, it was pretty cold when I checked them, and the NWS predicts even colder temperatures tomorrow, so I will need to keep the Ideal Gas Law in mind.

Murph, thank you again for your sharp-eyed observation and your most pertinent question!

I must say: my first working session with the 4500Y did not disappoint in any respect whatsoever. I could not be happier with the machine and with the broom. The broom is the perfect tool for dealing with a snowfall like we got around here today. (Spotter observations posted by the National Weather Service say that towns in this general area got between 2.7 and 3.1 inches of snow.) The ROPS-mounted work lights really helped during my nighttime touch-up

Before making the decision to purchase the 4500Y, starting at zero knowledge, I spent a lot of time reading about tractors, including at this forum. It was, as I recall, a thread on this forum in which I first saw a reference to the Ventrac and Steiner brands. It was more than a year ago. As I recall, someone had posted a question seeking advice on buying a tractor. As one might expect, many offered divergent opinions. One person posted a comment saying, forget the other brands that people have recommended, and take a look at the Steiners and the Ventracs. Both marques were unfamiliar to me, so I started researching them on the web. The rest is history, or should I say, personal history unfolding.

If nothing else, the expression of pure delight and total surprise earlier today on my elderly neighbor's face fully justified the cost of acquisition. She is such a sweet old lady. It made my day to be able to make her so happy, and so grateful.

(Both she and her husband are remarkably spry for their ages. I regularly see her husband out cutting and splitting wood. I hope that I am that good when I reach their age... if I ever do.)

I called the dealer today to tell him how well the machine had performed, and to order some accessories. He was very happy to hear that I was so pleased.

I also feel the need to say: I want to extend my gratitude to each of you both for the comments that you have posted, and for the threads that you have initiated, in this forum. I have learned a great from them. They were a major factor in my decision to purchase a Ventrac. I hope that, in future years, as I become more experienced, I can give back at least some of what you have freely given to me.

Sincerely,

John

 

[murphy1244]

John, you are welcome and you are already teaching me. I never knew the seat had a bar to hold up the seat.. We all teach each other things on these forums no matter what our experiences.

 

[BKBrown]

I believe you will find that 16 Lbs. is a bit high for tire pressure. It may be OK for paved driveway or road, but the ride will suffer on anything uneven and you won't be using the entire width of the tires at 16.

 

[murphy1244]

I believe you will find that 16 Lbs. is a bit high for tire pressure. It may be OK for paved driveway or road, but the ride will suffer on anything uneven and you won't be using the entire width of the tires at 16.

I use 16 for snow blowing . I find that it works no slipping. What do you use?

 

[BKBrown]

We have a paved drive and a short section of our road that is blacktop on a hill. The main road is gravel (dirt) and not at all smooth. It depends on how much weight I have on the tractor - I have the 3-N-1 hitch on the rear and sometimes have 6 suitcase weights or the sander (or both) on the back (if I have the Blower up front). Then I use around 14 PSI. Usually I keep the tires between 8 and 10 or 12. Without a great deal of weight - the tractor has a tendency to bounce on rough surfaces if the pressure is too high. The bounce is not the fault of the tractor - it is the uneven and rough surfaces. The tires are the only "suspension" on the Ventrac. With DEEP snow I have had chains on all 4 tires and the only time I had ANY problem was when I was plowing a neighbor out where their Kubota 4wD would not go and I hit a rough patch where I "high centered" the Ventrac (no big deal) I used the down pressure to lift the Ventrac and put a couple boards under the rear tires and drove off the high center. I then proceeded to pull out the Kubota that was stuck (BX series SCUT). I have actually towed another neighbors Ferguson TO30 with the front wheels off the ground and then used 15 in the rear tires to support all that weight.

I use 16 for snow blowing . I find that it works no slipping. What do you use?

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

To Falls Road and Back

During the night, a good bit of snow had come down from tree branches over the driveway, the result of winds. My wife had to go to a dental appointment. To make sure that she would not have any traction problems, I set out to do a clean-up with the broom on the sloped portions of the driveway. Please come along for the ride!

Looking around, waiting for the 4500Y to warm up.











At this point, let's get moving and concentrate on the job at hand. It is pretty cold out there, and the wind chill is fierce.

Flash forward: end of the run down to the road. We'll take a more leisurely pace going back.

Here we are down at Falls Road, looking back up the driveway.



Now let's head back up the driveway.

Approaching the first incline after the driveway apron...



Half-way up the first incline...



Approaching the peak of the first incline, you can see the second of the two houses with which we share the portion of the driveway closer to Falls Road. The first house is off to the left, outside the field of view, and thus a little closer to Falls Road. The turnoff from the main driveway for that first house is between the two dwarf evergreens in the center and left-center of the picture.



We have just passed the turnoff for the stub driveway that services the second house, and we are starting downhill.



We are starting to level out now, and are approaching the entrance gates. The storage shed that is the mower deck's Winter home is visible in the center of the picture.



We are getting close to the gates.



A slightly higher-angle shot, a little closer to the gates. There is a stream that runs roughly parallel to these first two stretches of the driveway. It is to the right of the storage shed. You might be able to make out the trunk of a large black-walnut tree whose root system failed during a fierce, windy thunderstorm several months ago. Luckily, the tree did not hit the shed, or the shed would have been history. I hope to salvage the trunk and turn it into furniture. I have already cut up most of the branches. You might be able to make out the stacks of cut wood.



Through the gates, and approaching the first (leftward) arc of the S-curve...





The shed, off to our right.



The house, our starting point, is visible at the top of the hill.







We are climbing the steeper hill.





We are now taking the second arc of the S-curve.



In the home stretch...



And now we're home.



Thank you for riding along with me!

If you're not in a rush, why not come in and have a cup of hot cocoa, tea, or coffee? Name your poison! I'll get a fire started in one of the fireplaces so that we can thaw out.

If it were evening, I'd offer you a hot toddy or an Irish coffee, but it is too early in the day for that sort of thing.

Say, in fact, if you don't have anything pressing, why not stay for dinner? We can pass the time talking about Ventracs and attachments, and we can each nurse an after-dinner drink in front of a roaring fire with a deep bed of cherry-red coals.

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

The accessories that I ordered yesterday were a pair of arm rests, the hydro pedal, touchup paint, and the rear 12-volt socket.

I intend to use the rear socket to power a heated visor of a snowmobile helmet that I intend to buy, and perhaps also heated gloves and other snowmobile apparel. The 60-Ampere alternator should be able to handle that load without any strain at all.

i may also use the rear socket as a convenient to connect a trickle charger. I will have to look at the schematic diagram for the tractor's electrical system to see if the socket will be live without the ignition key set to the Run position. If the socket is not electrically live with the key removed from the tractor, it would be simple enough to rewire it so that it is live all of the time, but appropriately fused. If the socket is electrically live, then it can either pass current from the battery to a load, or from a trickle charger to the battery. The socket does not care which way the current is flowing. It's all the same to the socket, one way or the other. The same would go for the switch that controls the rear 12-volt socket.

It would be easier to connect a trickle charger that way rather than to have to lift and prop up the seat.

 

[murphy1244]

Thanks for the ride!! It was cold but very nice views.. I use a Genius Charger.Genius Battery Chargers | Car, Boat, Motorcycle, Auto & On-Board
Mount a battery tail with clip. Connect and charge. I have these on all 3 tractors. How was the ride using higher tire pressure?