John Joseph McVeigh
Gold Member
Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your new acquisition!
I purchased my Ventrac for reasons similar to yours. I have some slopes to deal with and I did not want to roll a tractor.
I have had my Model 4500Y now for two years this month and I am very satisfied with its performance. I trust that you will derive as much satisfaction from your machine as I have derived from mine. I have a 60-inch rear-discharge mower deck, a rotary broom, a snow blower, and an electrical generator.
My driveway might be slightly longer than yours (mine is 1600 feet) and is paved, but it has several extended slopes. The steepest one, which is closest to the house, has an S-curve, and its peak slope is just under 15ｰ. It is possible to climb that slope using the higher-speed gear of the transmission, if not doing work, e.g., blowing snow or plowing, simply climbing the hill for the purpose of climbing it, but the tractor is much happier when it is in the low gear. When my dealer delivered my Model 4500Y (purchased new), he advised me to keep the tractor in the low gear. The only time that I use the high-speed gear is when I am on the flat portion of the driveway down near the road and want to cover that portion of the trip more quickly.
I have found that the gear-selector lever is much easier to use if you keep the linkage and pivot point clean, and apply silicone lubricant out of a spray can to the pivot point. Also, it is much, much easier to use the gear-selector lever after the tractor has warmed up, especially in cold weather.
Again, welcome!
I purchased my Ventrac for reasons similar to yours. I have some slopes to deal with and I did not want to roll a tractor.
I have had my Model 4500Y now for two years this month and I am very satisfied with its performance. I trust that you will derive as much satisfaction from your machine as I have derived from mine. I have a 60-inch rear-discharge mower deck, a rotary broom, a snow blower, and an electrical generator.
My driveway might be slightly longer than yours (mine is 1600 feet) and is paved, but it has several extended slopes. The steepest one, which is closest to the house, has an S-curve, and its peak slope is just under 15ｰ. It is possible to climb that slope using the higher-speed gear of the transmission, if not doing work, e.g., blowing snow or plowing, simply climbing the hill for the purpose of climbing it, but the tractor is much happier when it is in the low gear. When my dealer delivered my Model 4500Y (purchased new), he advised me to keep the tractor in the low gear. The only time that I use the high-speed gear is when I am on the flat portion of the driveway down near the road and want to cover that portion of the trip more quickly.
I have found that the gear-selector lever is much easier to use if you keep the linkage and pivot point clean, and apply silicone lubricant out of a spray can to the pivot point. Also, it is much, much easier to use the gear-selector lever after the tractor has warmed up, especially in cold weather.
Again, welcome!
