Ventrac Mowing Speed?

[gretnagritty]

Hi -

I have read the posts and watched the videos comparing a Ventrac with a ZTR.

Recently aquired some land. Previously, property (15 acres) was mowed with a ZTR (Scag 60"). Very hilly so I am interested in a Ventrac, and also some need for light brush clearing.

Basically, trying to decide between (i) having a Ventrac with several attachments, or (ii) having high-end ZTR and then getting a small, old tractor or mini-skid steer for those duties.

How does the Ventrac 4500 (with 72" finish or fast cut flail and duals) compare to a high end ZTR in terms of speed on the 80 percent of land that is relatively flat? What speeds do folks mow at? I demo'd the Ventrac but candidly forget to put a GPS on to see speed, and I thought others may have better, real world experience.

Thanks.

 

[prestond]

I mow several acres both with the Ventrac (72 inch finish) and a 61 inch Scag zero turn. I have both hilly areas and flat areas.

I mow the larger flat areas with the Ventrac and the 72 inch finish deck in high gear at about 8-9 MPH. Top speed is 10 MPH. In low gear, top speed is 5 MPH.

The zero turn is much better at maneuvering and turning, but the Ventrac is much more enjoyable to mow with. It is more comfortable, much better on steep hills, around ponds, and creeks. Plus you sit up a little higher than a zero turn and don't eat and inhale so much dust and grass.

The Ventrac is indispensable for me. Not only do I mow with it, but I use the power bucket and grapple to move dirt, rocks, and brush. I also aerate and fertilize with it. I have also used it to pull my zero turn out of the mud.

 

[workinonit]

Yea, a ZT isn't worth a crap in the mud or slick areas. I've pulled mine out many times.

 

[2manyrocks]

What degree of slope will you be mowing?

Besides Ventrac, some members here use Power Tracs, Kubota F3680s, and Cub Cadet Pro Zs to mow some pretty good slopes.

 

[gretnagritty]

Hi- Appreciate the advice, and you all can probably imagine the choice I am wrestling with.

About 25 acres to mow in Virginia. Below is photo of top 15, bottom 10 similar. Most is at a 5-15 percent grade, but probably 10% is around 30 percent grade. Rocks interspersed and some trees down low, but also lots of open field. The guy who has been doing the mowing has done it with a 60" Scag ZTR, but that is kind of nuts. He occasionally secures a brush hog, but without ready access to one it means staying on top of mowing more frequently. There is about 3-5 acres of woods where I would like to keep some trails open for ATVs.

I absolutely love the Ventrac and did a demo. Setting aside price, I think it is perfect as I could get attachments over time. And I love the safety/stability, though nervous about giving up some mowing speed to a ZTR.

The alternative is a CubCadet slope mower ZTR that would be perfect for the fields, and then a smaller used SCUT or CUT that I could use with a brush hog, loader, scraper, etc. That might actually be cheaper and I would have two tools that are more specialized, but also two tools that require maintenance, etc.

I do value everyone's advice and experience so thank you in advance.

And yes, I feel luckier than a kid at Christmas to have picked up this land. Nothing on it but a trailer for next few years, but hope to build down the road.

 

[plowhog]

I mow about 15-20 acres every summer. I previously used an 8ft rotary cutter behind my tractor mowing at 3mph. Now I am using a Ventrac 4500Y with tough cut mowing at 5mph. Overall, although the cut width is less with the Ventrac, I know I am at least as fast to finishing the job with the Ventrac compared to the tractor. If conditions really suck I will use the tractor since it has a cab.

I mow at 5mph with the Ventrac because I use low gear and the terrain is rough enough so that I can't realistically go any faster without being bounced out of the seat.

On flat ground there is reasonable equivalence. On slopes, below apple trees, into/out of ravines, wet and marshy areas, the Ventrac is far superior. I have the dual wheel kit and diesel engine.

I once did a "price per pound" comparison of my Ventrac and tractors. The Ventrac "price per pound" was double ....

 

[2manyrocks]

I am also trying to decide about a slope mower, none of which are cheap, that I can find.

Another option is one of the remote control Spider slope mowers. This 48" 25hp EFI unit is $37K for Black Friday. SPIDER Lawn Mower | SPIDER 2SGS EFI | Steep Slope Mower It would be terrific for a really steep, otherwise impossible to mow, slope because the hydraulic winch assist enables it to climb slopes that hardly anything else could touch. There are some smaller units that are less expensive.

Last time I looked at the Ventrac manual and specs, dual wheels are required to get the 30 degree rating and you have to pick one of the higher engine options.

The Cub Cadet Pro Z 960 that has the dual wheels has a 25 degree rating according to the manual I looked at, but my dealer can't keep them in stock.

25 acres is a lot to keep mowed, especially when it involves hillsides.

If the remote control mowers were more affordable, I would want one for the worse of my slopes, and use a normal tractor for the flatter areas, but $37k might buy a Ventrac with a rough cut mower. Is that the kind of pricing you have been quoted?

 

[gretnagritty]

I mow about 15-20 acres every summer. I previously used an 8ft rotary cutter behind my tractor mowing at 3mph. Now I am using a Ventrac 4500Y with tough cut mowing at 5mph. Overall, although the cut width is less with the Ventrac, I know I am at least as fast to finishing the job with the Ventrac compared to the tractor. If conditions really suck I will use the tractor since it has a cab.

I mow at 5mph with the Ventrac because I use low gear and the terrain is rough enough so that I can't realistically go any faster without being bounced out of the seat.

On flat ground there is reasonable equivalence. On slopes, below apple trees, into/out of ravines, wet and marshy areas, the Ventrac is far superior. I have the dual wheel kit and diesel engine.

I once did a "price per pound" comparison of my Ventrac and tractors. The Ventrac "price per pound" was double ....

This is really helpful. To clarify: is double price per pound good or bad for the Ventrac? i.e. more expensive or less expensive?

 

[prestond]

For slope mowing, my Ventrac (with the duals) is the only choice for me. I have owned it for 3+ years and I am still amazed at how wonderful it is on slopes.

 

[2manyrocks]

There's another member here who does a better job of explaining this, but his take on mowing speed is that most property is rough enough that there is a practical limitation on mowing speed of say 5 mph. Any faster, and the operator and equipment gets jarred pretty hard.

If you can only travel 5 mph because of the ground being rough, then the next option for mowing any faster is to use a wider cutting width. Wider cutting decks require more HP that costs more money. Setting aside the question of what you could safely operate on a slope, a 10' batwing will cut faster than a 5' cutter on flat ground, but takes more HP to run.

OP's property looks great in the photo, but the effective ground speed may be limited by how smooth the ground actually is on the flatter areas.