New machine

deerseeker001 · Mar 2, 2014

I have looked at them for my Tractor i think they call them a heat howser the engine is covered and you have windshield and the heat comes right up by the Driver.

J F · Mar 2, 2014

I never saw this thread originally, what a beautiful beast that Ventrac is. :thumbsup: (you've got a beautiful property there too, Murph

).

murphy1244 · Apr 2, 2014

Well the Snow Blower was removed today and I'm waiting for the ground to dry up to roll the Lawn. Any advice on this would be a help.

GolfAddict · Apr 2, 2014

Actually, I find that doing it when the ground is good and wet is better. Allows the roller to get the bumps really squished down good...

murphy1244 · Apr 2, 2014

GolfAddict said:
Actually, I find that doing it when the ground is good and wet is better. Allows the roller to get the bumps really squished down good...

Problem is I get ruts if I do it now.

hpc · Apr 2, 2014

After the ground dries, I'd aerate. I prefer the core aerator versus the spike.

murphy1244 · Apr 2, 2014

hpc said:
After the ground dries, I'd aerate. I prefer the core aerator versus the spike.

I will rent one. Can I do both at the same time?

GolfAddict · Apr 3, 2014

murphy1244 said:
Problem is I get ruts if I do it now.

The problem I have is if I wait to roll until it's dry, it really doesn't do much of anything. Of course, if it's completely soggy it would rut up and excessively compact the ground, and you don't want that either.

What made the most difference for me was the size of the roller. The first roller I bought was a wide roller made of plastic. For it to make an appreciable difference, the ground had to be pretty much soggy and then the tires left ruts. I think it just had too much "float" with that wide of a footprint. I think it is about 5 feet wide.

The answer, at least for my ground, is a narrow steel one. With the larger circumference it has about the same weight, and it puts much more weight in the smaller area at the ground. At only 3 feet wide (I believe) it won't even cover the wheel tracks but doesn't need to. With the tractor weight on the wheels, and the heavy roller covering the ground between the wheels, you can get a nice flat roll without noticeable wheel tracks. The ground has to still be wet to do a really nice job - but not soggy wet.

I then aerate later, when the ground has dried up a fair amount more to avoid wheel ruts. In my opinion, the best thing you can do for the grass is to core aerate...

JackIL · Apr 9, 2014

Be sure to install the duals on the Ventrac and set the inflation pressures on all tires to about 8 psi. (These pressures are "by the book" in the Ventrac Operator's Manual.) These low inflation pressure will create the least compaction and rutting from the tractor. Still you do not want to be out on "wet" soil with any type of machine, so restrain yourself and wait until the soil is firm but not rock hard.
JackIL