Steiner Front-wheel-drive versus PT AWD

[KentT]

My thoughts were that in10 years he would be glad he bought a Steiner/Ventrac over a Pt due to posts I read about the PT. David from jax

My Steiner is a 96 model, used 8-10 hours a day commercially it's first ten years. Like a timex, just keeps on ticking

Bob's primary use was mowing -- on slopes at his house. The 422 that Bob was comparing is clearly described as a homeowner-class machine, not a commercial machine, nor dedicated mower...

Products

Comparing a homeowner machine with a $8500 base price to one that costs several times more, and is being used commercially is simply comparing apples to oranges, IMO.

The Power Tracs are certainly not without their quirks, weaknesses and constraints.

The flipside is that they offer the most utility AND versatility of anything out there, if you want to use the machine for multiple purposes. They are a tool-carrier, not a tractor...

PT makes dedicated slope mowers, but they're a whole different story...

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah. The Steiner is a better mower, for sure, but not as versatile as the PT and nowhere near the price. I do not have enough money to by the best of each type of tool. The PT does a good job at everything I use it for. :thumbsup:

 

[KMA]

How are those Steiners at digging? I just finished a 10" wide, 4' deep, 150' french drain with my PT422. I probably have done 400' of similar digging over the past 4 years of owning it... not to mention using it to mow 3 acres, brush cut about 1 acre, put in a small vineyard, move 140 tons of topsoil, 60 tons of crushed stone, many, many yards of mulch, and other towing, fork lifting, scraping, leveling, misc jobs.

 

[coolconnection]

How are those Steiners at digging? I just finished a 10" wide, 4' deep, 150' french drain with my PT422. I probably have done 400' of similar digging over the past 4 years of owning it... not to mention using it to mow 3 acres, brush cut about 1 acre, put in a small vineyard, move 140 tons of topsoil, 60 tons of crushed stone, many, many yards of mulch, and other towing, fork lifting, scraping, leveling, misc jobs.

Those Steiners can't dig. I had one and it could only lift 300 lb. The slip scoop was great but just don't fill it with something heavy. It won't lift it off the ground. I probably used mine to hard. Steiner does not make a back hoe for it but there are some places around here in Ohio that fabricate some for it. You push it down then you have to back up for it do dig then you curl it up and turn to dump it out. It works but not all that well and maybe for a trench or something like 2 feet deep. I used my slip scoop for mulch as well but it gets trapped between the slip scoop and the tractor grill and bends it up and messes with the power take off pulley. Everyone talks about how good they cut grass. I disagree the only thing that makes them good is the deck roller. Instead of having rear wheels it has a rolling pin type wheel the entire length of the deck which make your grass give the appearance of stripes in your lawn. The cut is the same, mine always left grass up between the blades if I was going around a curve or something. I replaced the blades and it still did it, my Power-Trac does not do this. It just leaves a wind row on the right side because it is rear discharge. With steiners crabbing is a problem when mowing on the side of hills. That rolling pin rear wheel makes it very hard to steer because so much weight is on it. You have to buy the deck lift kit for it to work right.

 

[Industrial Toys]

That makes sense now, why the Steiner maneuvers like crap with the mower.

We haven't had much growth and yet I noticed this past weekend, the Steiner's little Kubota Diesel was bogging down and I had to back off on the hydro. It's only a five foot deck and this lack of power still puzzles me.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has had miserible experience with the slip scoop. I thought, maybe the relief valve was turned way down. It simply won't lift much of anything. If you always have to back out a bit, before it will lift or curl, what good is that besides being very annoying? That machine also is so light, that it doesn't push into a pile very well without spinning the tires and chewing up the terrain.

I did use the machine to good effect this last weekend, backfilling a four foot deep trench, maneuvering in tight places. It just took longer, not being able to carry much. I could have used my wheel loader, but would have probably dug up lots of sod, so in this case, the lack of power was kind of an asset.

 

[TIM jordan]

This may be somewhat unfair to ask on the Power Trac forum, and there is no Steiner Tractor forum so I am simply going to ask that people be OBJECTIVE in their answers.

I have asked about the PT 422 in the past and am looking for a tractor to use to mow a few acres, much of which has landscaping making tight turns a requirement, there are 2 particularly steep slopes, one about 15 to 20 degrees with a 15 foot rise, one that ranges from 15 to slightly over 25 degrees with a rise of about 40 feet.

After looking at the specs of lots of traditional garden tractors and finding them as lacking as my current Cub Cadet (which I have no complaints about, but it is simply not designed to do what I use it for). That has brought me back to the articulated machines. Steiner makes 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive articulated tractors, Power Trac makes 4 wheel drive units.

The tractor I like the best is the Steiner 230, it has a 14" turing radius and will easily run a 60" mower. But it is only a front wheel drive. I am trying to find out if it will climb the slopes.

I also like the PT 422, but again am unsure about the slope climbing ability of the unit with the hydraulic drive. I like the fact that it is 4 wheel drive and I'm sure slipping wouldn't be the issue, but power might be?

Can anyone with any experience in the smaller PT machines give me some insight on my comparison, is it valid? What are the weaknesses of the PT? Is the Steiner better? Is the PT better?

AGAIN, this will be for mowing. I don't care about all the other attachements. I have two other larger tractors that I love and will not be getting rid of. So from the standpoint of MOWING a lawn with steep hills and lots of tight spaces, I'd really appreciate some additional insight.

If you are not familiar with Steiner, here is a link:

Steiner Tractors


Here is a picture of the Steiner 230

Steiner doesn't make the 230 anymore it is a 235 now. I have had the 235 on 20 to 25% grades w/72" cut and with the weigth tranfer kit, diff lock and the fact that it has a 54"w foot print it handles it quite well

 

[Raw Dodge]

That makes sense now, why the Steiner maneuvers like crap with the mower.

We haven't had much growth and yet I noticed this past weekend, the Steiner's little Kubota Diesel was bogging down and I had to back off on the hydro. It's only a five foot deck and this lack of power still puzzles me.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has had miserible experience with the slip scoop. I thought, maybe the relief valve was turned way down. It simply won't lift much of anything. If you always have to back out a bit, before it will lift or curl, what good is that besides being very annoying? That machine also is so light, that it doesn't push into a pile very well without spinning the tires and chewing up the terrain.

I did use the machine to good effect this last weekend, backfilling a four foot deep trench, maneuvering in tight places. It just took longer, not being able to carry much. I could have used my wheel loader, but would have probably dug up lots of sod, so in this case, the lack of power was kind of an asset.

The steiner 430 is very underpowered...Steiner rates it at 21hp,but in Kubota tractors at the same 3600RPM it is only 15-18hp max...my dealer says its a 15hp engine.I tried one and I didnt feel it was close enough in power to my Kohler 25s to do the work we do...without slowing to a crawl.Big difference and a 25 Kohler isnt exactly a powerhouse. if it were mine,Id try to squeeze a turbocharger onto it..lol