Ventrac turbo diesel questions

[masseygreg]

I'm on the verge of buying a ventrac 4231 turbo diesel with 3000+ hours. I previously owned a 4000 series non turbo diesel and loved it. A couple questions I have #1 how much life remains in this engine? #2 can anyone point me toward parts/replacement engines for the dihatsu/vanguard diesels? #3 are their any swaps for the vanguard? For example a similar Kubota engine such as the one Steiner used on their machines. Although I can afford a new Ventrac I can't bring myself to pay 30k+ for one. I am capable of paying to keep this one well maintained and repaired and feel like this is a great model that the EPA took from us. I welcome all opinions.

 

[arto98607]

I am not familiar with this particular Diesel engine, but below are couple of links to discussions from 2011 & 2012 regarding Ventrac power options.

(My Kubota F3060 has 30hp 4-cylinder Diesel with about 3800 hours and so far the engine runs like new)


Power Options

Engines etc.

 

[MountainBuck]

I see quite a bit of rust on it and the headlights look fogged so it must have been stored outside.

My odometer doesn't like to get rained on and it lost the speed LEDS because of that. I would want to confirm that the odometer even works and that the hours are real.

Your picture says "1 of 5," we might be able to tell you more if we saw the other 4 pics.

I'd be concerned about rodent damage as well so I'd try to look at all the hoses underneath with mirrors to make sure of their condition.

There doesn't seem to be any frills on it such as the upgraded chair with arms, or the light packages, no dual wheels etc. Does it have the optional 3 pt hitch?

How much are they asking and how many attachments?

 

[sandman2234]

I tend to shy away from Dihatsu engines, either gas or diesel, in Toro Workmans, so take that with a grain of salt.
David from jax

 

[MowMN]

Unless you are getting a heck of a smoking deal, I would avoid the 4231 turbo diesels. There is a Ventrac/Steiner Facebook page that has a number of posts discussing them but, long story short, lots of problems with the longevity of the engine because of the turbo. With the number of hours that are on that machine, that engine is living on borrowed time. I believe Ventrac at one point made a conversion kit for people with the 4231 turbo diesel to replace the engine with a Briggs air cooled unit because they were having so many engines failing in otherwise good machines.

By the time you factor in the time and replacement costs of a new engine, it’s likely cheaper to just buy a different machine from the beginning. If you get a 4200 series and still want the 31 HP, look for the 31 hp daihatsu gas model. They are converted diesel engines and with the lower compression pressure of a gas setup they will run forever. Unfortunately no longer manufactured because of EPA emissions requirements.

 

[masseygreg]

Well, the machine I described ended up to be a steaming pile of crap. Actually the engine was the only thing that functioned properly. The hydraulic pressure wouldn't even lift the deck fully. I took a pass on it. I did find and buy a sweet very clean Steiner 440 diesel. I'll start a new post about that.