STEINER 440

[Raw Dodge]

I don't know why they went to a rear oil pickup ..my guess is safety. With my old machine when the hydraulic oil level gets a little low...you will lose everything when slowing or braking on a downhill...the pickup is at the bottom rear of the front case...so heading down steep hills it would suck air..very scarey as you cant steer, lift or stop... Newer ones draw oil from the front of the rear case. So you always have stopping and steering ability heading down hill.. If your oil level is low it will suck air when trying to climb a steep hill whereas the old machine would clomb anything with low oil level but then you wouldn't be able to get back down safely.
As for why they went from pushing oil through the rear drive motor first and then to the font then back to the pump.... 2 running oil through the front motor first then the rear then back to the pump... Again I can only guess....but right before they made the change they experienced a lot of rear motor failures... So by changing direction of flow it a little of the load off the rear motor and place it on the front which had not been failing... This was a stupid mistake my newer machine didn't have half the traction of the old 1... it got stuck easily and constantly spun the front tires when climbing hills. Steiner realized they made a mistake and returned the oil flow to the original way pump- rear motor- front motor- pump.lucky me happened to buy one from the 3 yrs they ran oil backwards.Forward traction is terrible compared to the original setup..as the front axle gets the majority of the torque and its much lighter than the rear when climbing steep hills or pulling.i ran it like that for years and finally had enough and replumbed it like my old one using new hoses....problem solved.now it feels planted to the ground just like my old Steiner.

 

[TSMMFB1997]

What good is a 13 gallon a minute pump?

 

[TIM jordan]

YOU TELL ME??

 

[TSMMFB1997]

A 440 diesel has a list price of $21,000? The last I check...the Ventrac 31HP Turbo Diesel has a list price of $21,900? That price includes weight transfer, fenders, foot pegs (which are great when operating up and down slopes), 3 year unlimited hour warranty (for residential use). So all that for only $900 more dollars...seems like pretty obvious to me. In fact, Ventrac has a 26.5HP Diesel with all the features listed above for even less than $21,000. Ventrac Compact Tractors & Attachments

 

[ggiacobb]

I just traded in my Steiner 430 diesel for the new 440 diesel. The 440 is SEVERELY UNDERPOWERED. The new tractor is about 400 lbs heavier and only has an additional 3.8 hp. I tried mowing my slopes in high gear and COULD NOT back up!!! I had to stop the tractor and change to low. In low reverse is a crawl speed, and almost didn't make it up the bank. I am going to discus this problem with my dealer and the Steiner rep.

 

[Nhook]

I purchased 4 Steiner 440's about two months ago. So far, I have had to replace 2 belts, tighten up the belt for the hydraulic motor, replace bolts that have fell out, replace the cable for the foot pedal, and the mower deck has started to crack where it attaches to the Steiner. I am highly dissatisfied with this product. The dealer is covering most everything under warranty but that isn't the point. You pay top dollar for supposedly top quality equipment and this is what I have to deal with! Im not planning on buying another Steiner. I have had ventracs in the past and I should have stuck with them. These problems with the Steiner are nic picky but you shouldn't have to deal with this crap on a brand new mower! Steiner what does this say about your latest and greatest product? Do you have quality control processes in place??? Did you test your product in the FIELD or did you just drive It some round asphalt track for 100 hrs and call it good?????

 

[eddieb1965]

Wow,Sorry to here this about the new 440.I would think it would have 1000's of hours in the field,maybe not.Lets see how the new Ventrac 4500 will compare.A few years I bought a Ventrac 4231 with low hrs. and had terrible luck with it.I guess you can get a lemon with either brand.I have had 4 Steiners(410 1 broken axle, muffler fell off,cracked and broke,415 had no problems at all,430d no problems except a small hydro leak,428 no problems so far) and 1 Ventrac(axle bearings,numerous burnt belts,rollers constantly coming off mower deck,low quality paint, Right now I am totally satisfied with my 428 Utilimax .

 

[Raw Dodge]

I just traded in my Steiner 430 diesel for the new 440 diesel. The 440 is SEVERELY UNDERPOWERED. The new tractor is about 400 lbs heavier and only has an additional 3.8 hp. I tried mowing my slopes in high gear and COULD NOT back up!!! I had to stop the tractor and change to low. In low reverse is a crawl speed, and almost didn't make it up the bank. I am going to discus this problem with my dealer and the Steiner rep.

This shouldn't come as a surprise... The 430 diesel was grossly underpowered. The 440s additional hp isn't much but it has a lot more hydraulic parasitic loss due to the new dual pumps... And additional weight to carry. The only 440 worth getting is going to be the kubota gas LC..

 

[Raw Dodge]

Don't forget everyone wanted additional hydraulic pumps so we wouldn't run out of hydraulic power so easily when steering and lifting and additional hydraulic horsepower to the drive axles as well, myself included. The extra power places an extra load on the engine. Once again steiner dropped the ball with your diesel engine options. They needed to choose a d 1105 engine as the diesel and you wouldn't be writing this post it has a lot more torque. It seems as if space limitations have once again limited the length of the engine and therefore the engine displacement and power

 

[TIM jordan]

the 902 engine that steiner is using is the same engine that ventrac will have in there tractor coming in september! the 1105 engine does not meet emissions!

 

[eddieb1965]

the 902 engine that steiner is using is the same engine that ventrac will have in there tractor coming in september! the 1105 engine does not meet emissions!

I really wonder why these engine manufacturers cant get these engines to pass emissions.With the technology we have now on over the road equipment,such as catalytic converters,catalyst injection systems,and the advances in the fuel itself.It really is a shame Steiner and Ventrac have to choose a powerplant that may not be the best application,but is the only thing available.

 

[Rara Avis]

the 902 engine that steiner is using is the same engine that ventrac will have in there tractor coming in september! the 1105 engine does not meet emissions!

Ventrac is using the Kubota WG972-GL
Kubota WG972 - Kubota Model WG972 Engines - Gas, LPG & Natural Gas Engine

 

[TIM jordan]

yes that is correct in the gas version and that is the same engines that Steiner is using. they are both using the same Kubota engines in diesel and gas!!!!

 

[Raw Dodge]

Thanks to Teir 4 emissions regulations I highly doubt we are going to see over 25 horsepower in 1 of these things anytime soon... A Ventrac owner/operator with the 84 inch deck and duals is not going to be happy with only 25 horsepower... However I believe the engine is going to perform better in the Ventrac than in a 440 Steiner due to parasitic losses being lower in the Ventrac.. I would still rather have a 25 Kubota than 21 in the current 430 Steiner.. Or worse yet.. the Briggs/Boat Anchor 31 turbo diesel... At least we would get 7
-10yrs out of the Kubota... As opposed to 3-4 if that out of the 31 TD.

 

[TIM jordan]

THE 3CYL KUBOTA GAS RUNS LIKE A SCALDED DOG IN BOTH MACHINES!! it's not really that bad on gas

 

[Rara Avis]

yes that is correct in the gas version and that is the same engines that Steiner is using. they are both using the same Kubota engines in diesel and gas!!!!

 

[TIM jordan]

we sell Ventrac and Steiner. i have seen the video

 

[JohnnyDB]

we sell Ventrac and Steiner. i have seen the video

Although using the same base engine (WG972-GL) the engine Ventrac is getting from Kubota comes equipped with some extras making it able to easily hook up to the Propane kit as an option. Don't believe Steiner has that option unless I missed that a long the line? Not that propane matters to everybody, but it is a nice option for many.

People keep trying to compare the two based on specs and what is down on paper. Specs are nice and all but they need to translate into real world results. I think you really need to get on them both to really tell the difference in attention to detail and craftsmanship that is put into one over the other.

 

[TIM jordan]

i agree! the wg972 is the exact same engine in Steiner they also can except propane

 

[DoubleDeere]

I just bought the 440 Steiner with the 25 diesel and 60" deck on it. It mows my 20-25 degree slopes without any problems. I only took a couple of runs up and down them last night in both high and low range and it does it in forward and reverse while mowing, but low is definitely the one to use.