Quick question...

[devildog1]

Happy for you. You should have looked better at the BX series from Kubota, much stronger machine and more capable. Good Luck.
DevilDog

 

[MountainMomma]

Thanks! I actually did look at the BX last month, drove one, and then Thursday on the way to the Ventrac dealer, talked to the local BX dealer who knows my local terrain. He flat refused to sell me the BX machine because of safety issues on 30 degree hills. I was grateful.

We have a man who owns an excavator business just down the road. He charges only $25/hour to do bigger excavating jobs, and we've already hired him to do that ones that we NEED to start. After those, there aren't many jobs that we foresee on this homestead of ours that would need heavy equipment. Since we have hilly ground and plan to farm cows (neighbor's cows, renting out our fields and he owns several conventional tractors) and fruit trees (read: mowing an orchard on slopes) only part time, and are having our fences built by others who have the equipment at reasonable rates, this tractor seems like a great one for us when all we have left is minor landscaping needs (dragging around rocks and dirt, grading, etc.) and mowing around many fruit trees, as well as bi-seasonal knocking down of larger fields.

 

[jake98]

Good luck with the Ventrac. You're aware that they don't use commonly available attachments, right? Lots of folks recommend renting attachments, but most of us like to own them.

 

[MountainMomma]

By "commonly available" you mean "non propitiatory" right? Well, they have 30 attachments that all seem to do the functions of the sub-CUTs... and I guess for now, we don't mind renting. We MAY become tractor junkies over time (it's happened before with fish tanks to us, when we never thought it would :confused2 but for now, since we're neither handy nor have a large budget... well, I guess it seems for now that Ventrac is a rugged machine that does all we need it to AND safest, from what I know. It seems to work for us, but we may come back and eat humble pie here, ya never know.

And just for the record, when comparing prices of Kubota and Kioto attachments, the prices seemed really comparable for new... and because we are not really mechanically handy, at least, not yet, we'd be buying new.

 

[devildog1]

Well you did do your homework and obviously researched quite well, so congrats on the Ventrac, I believe it will serve you well.
DevilDog

 

[jake98]

Yeah, that's what I meant, you're tying yourselves to Ventrac attachments. With slopes, that's not a bad way to go, they're supposed to be the best for sloped ground work. Again, good luck with it! Are you getting a bucket loader for the rock/road work? (you'll need it to get the rental attachments out of the minivan too, right?)

 

[LBrown59]

1*

In addition to the Steiner and Ventrac, I'd suggest looking at a Kubota BX series.

1*So do I .

You should have looked better at the BX series from Kubota, much stronger machine and more capable.

2*That's true.

 

[Grandad4]

Congratulations, MountainMomma, on your purchase. Given the topography of your place, that should be a very capable machine. I have looked at their displays at some county fairs, and they make a very unique and well-designed product. It sounds like you've got a good dealer too! Here are a couple of suggestions or ideas; maybe they will be helpful.

1. Plan to block out some time to get familiar with how your new machine works. Don't wait until you're in a time crunch to get something done; that's when you're in a hurry and likely to make a mistake. With equipment like this, mistakes can be deadly. Learn how it operates on your terrain. Maybe your dealer will help with all this.
2. Above all, learn the limits of the machine. What is safe to do and what to avoid. As new tractor users with some rugged terrain, you are definitely in the "high risk" category right now, but with some experience, you'll soon be "pros".
3. Please keep us up to date on your progress. It would help other potential tractor owners to hear how the Ventrac works out at your place. There are lots of new Kubota, Deere, Kioti, etc., owners sharing their experiences; a new Ventrac owner is also most welcome!

All the best of success with that new Ventrac! If you'd care to share some pictures when you take delivery, they'll be appreciated.

 

[Don87]

Thanks! I actually did look at the BX last month, drove one, and then Thursday on the way to the Ventrac dealer, talked to the local BX dealer who knows my local terrain. He flat refused to sell me the BX machine because of safety issues on 30 degree hills. I was grateful.

We have a man who owns an excavator business just down the road. He charges only $25/hour to do bigger excavating jobs, and we've already hired him to do that ones that we NEED to start. After those, there aren't many jobs that we foresee on this homestead of ours that would need heavy equipment. Since we have hilly ground and plan to farm cows (neighbor's cows, renting out our fields and he owns several conventional tractors) and fruit trees (read: mowing an orchard on slopes) only part time, and are having our fences built by others who have the equipment at reasonable rates, this tractor seems like a great one for us when all we have left is minor landscaping needs (dragging around rocks and dirt, grading, etc.) and mowing around many fruit trees, as well as bi-seasonal knocking down of larger fields.

That's a good man. He didn't risk your safety, just to make a sale.

 

[TripleR]

I would be interested in seeing pictures upon arrival as well as in action; sounds like an interesting machine.