Ventrac Question

   / Ventrac Question
  • Thread Starter
#11  
BK, I am just south of you in the Roanoke/Salem area. For once I am hoping for snow :cool:

BTW, is there any trick to connecting the hydraulics on the slip scope? One hose goes on and off very easily, but the other one just will not allow the clamp to close down.

Thanks
 
   / Ventrac Question #12  
The reason the 2nd hose won't connect is because there is still pressure in the line. You can push on the center pin in the fitting on the hose (there is pressure in there so hydro fluid will come out under pressure) I usually use the space where the front fender comes together with the tractor body so oil won't hit you. To avoid the situation - before disconnecting the hoses - turn engine off and move the bucket tilt lever side to side a few times to release the pressure on both hoses. :thumbsup:
BK, I am just south of you in the Roanoke/Salem area. For once I am hoping for snow :cool:

BTW, is there any trick to connecting the hydraulics on the slip scoop? One hose goes on and off very easily, but the other one just will not allow the clamp to close down.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
   / Ventrac Question
  • Thread Starter
#13  
BKBrown,

Thank you! Thank you! That worked and was a lot simpler than I was expecting from the operational video. Just a little hydro fluid came out and then snapped on with little effort.

So with this tip I was able to use the slip scope for the first time this weekend. When I started looking at the Ventracs I didn't have a clear need for the slope scope, but knew opportunity would be knocking. We are hopefully having a new water well put in this week and had a tree that had fallen down on the well road. Having the slip scope was a big time saver. Not only was it able to move the cut up pieces of wood but allowed me to move two big rocks that I never would have gotten by myself. It was a great time and gave me some good times with my son. On a side note, I was proud of my eight year son this weekend. Since I was on the Ventrac driving the logs up the road and he was doing the loading, I kept asking him if he needed a break. After the second time of asking him, he replied "Dad, I don't want a break. I want to focus on getting this done so we can go on to the next item on the list." Simple things that bring a smile to your face.

Now I'm off to start working on the plans for a fire pit :)

Thanks again for the help.
 
   / Ventrac Question #14  
No Problem :thumbsup: -- Simple fix :D -- remember to release pressure before disconnecting those lines. If you got the 3-N-1 you can also use the scoop on the back, but you'll want some weight on the front.
 
   / Ventrac Question #15  
I am a Steiner owner, not Ventrac but wanted to post this just so you will know...This is from my Steiner 525 manual.






It isn't because the machine won't do it, there are other things that control the max slopes your machine will handle for reasons listed. Sorry about the sideways picture, but it allowed me to get the whole page part I wanted you to read.
David from jax
 
   / Ventrac Question #16  
Thanks sandman,
Does your Steiner have the same Briggs/Daihatsu engine that our 31 Hp Gas and Turbo Diesel have ?

Is your Steiner from before the Steiners sold to another company ?

Have you seen the Ventrac to compare ?

Questions, Questions ???
 
   / Ventrac Question #17  
Mine is a 1996 Steiner 525 bought used by a friend who went to an auction with a pocketfull of my cash. I sent him after a tractor, and 15 minutes later the auction ended. I asked him "via phone" if we got a tractor and he said no, but we did get a lawnmower.
He said it was listed as a "non running" item and he paid $503 for it. Me, thinking Craftsman lawnmower, said you paid $503 for a non running lawnmower? He said, yeah, but it is hydrostatic drive. (but it doesn't run!). He said it was 4 wheel drive (but it doesn't run!). He said it had a Kubota diesel engine (but it doesn't run!). He said it has an extra deck AND a leaf blower! (but it doesn't run!). He said "I can get it running!
I grabbed a trailer and went to pick it up, and he was out driving around on it when I got there. He was right, he got it running, as somebody had just left the key on and drained the battery. I went by his house the next day to pick up the manuals and he told me it was a shame I didn't have an extra $500 at the auction. Seems everyone that wanted a tractor got one, but one JD2555 didn't sell because it didn't make reserve. (reserve was trade in value by a local company) I asked him if it could still be bought and Monday he checked, and I became the proud owner of a JD2555 which is how i ended up on Tractorbynet.
The Kubota diesel engines have increased in horsepower over the years. I think mine is listed at 23.5hp. I have two of the 60" decks of the newer style and a pto blower. I later purchased a pto 10KW generator that was built exactly like the 10KW generator that Steiner offers, just without the pricetag.
From what I see on ebay, I could probably recoup my money just by selling one of the decks, but with 5 years of mowing under my ownership, it doesn't owe me anything!
David from jax
 
   / Ventrac Question #18  
Very nice!! :thumbsup: Glad to see another happy Ventrac owner, our kind are growing quickly in number :laughing:

Edit: @ sandman
That slope chart for the 525 does not apply for the Diesel Ventracs (Call B&S if you don't believe me :D). The engine itself is rated for CONTINUOUS 30 degree operation, 35 degree intermittent. I believe the Gas Ventracs (like mine) technically are rated at 25 continuous and 30 intermittent like that chart, but I run mine for hours on a 30 degree slope with no problems. My dealer said that they have never had any problems with any of the engines not handling 30 degrees continuous on the Ventrac. So the diesels are perfectly capable of continuous 30 degree operation. Manufacturers have to put some number down to cover their butt. I am sure that the diesels would have no problem at 35 degrees continuous.
 
   / Ventrac Question #19  
The 525 that that manual came with is diesel, and what would B&S know about diesels???
Did you see that 35 degree continous rating in print? I would be interested in seeing it, because if you believe a salesman is going to tell you the truth about it...well, you will be surprised. The texts aludes to the reasons for the rating, and I don't think it has anything to do with what fuel it is running. In fact, two of the three reasons given would make me NOT want to use a diesel engine on the steeper hills, as they are coolant and lubricant sensitive, more so than a gas engine, or at least more expensive to fix when one of those reasons takes over.
I don't have to worry about it, as my yard is FLAT. I just posted it so the O/p would realize it was just a little beyond STEINERS ratings, and since they are similar machines it would stand to reason the ratings should be close.
If I needed to to a yard with a hill in excess of the ratings, I would tend to want to climb it on the easiest point and go downhill for the actual mowing, then catch a little time mowing a flat area, then do another strip on the hill. That would make it the easiest on the machine, and since they don't give them away, making it last is a good idea.
David from jax
 
   / Ventrac Question #20  
If you need to go really steep, Power Trac has one rated for 45 degrees, their PT1850.

Ken
 

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