Ventrac Assembly Videos

[Clumber]

Interesting assembly videos of a PT competitor:

YouTube - Ventrac Paint and Assembly Lines

YouTube - Ventrac Assembly Plant

 

[RegL]

That made me dizzy.

 

[MossRoad]

Makes me appreciate the simplicity of how few parts are in mt PT.

 

[Clumber]

Makes me appreciate the simplicity of how few parts are in mt PT.

Their equivalent of the PT Tub seems to be thinner stamped metal fasten together with small bolts...

 

[American Bulldog]

I have both the PT and the Ventrac, and I can tell you that the Ventrac is much better engineered than the PT. Not even close. PT is built much beefier though. The Ventrac will out mow the PT. Best mowers money can buy.

I can't even imagine using the VT as a loader. PT has it beat there.

 

[BobRip]

I have both the PT and the Ventrac, and I can tell you that the Ventrac is much better engineered than the PT. Not even close. PT is built much beefier though. The Ventrac will out mow the PT. Best mowers money can buy.

I can't even imagine using the VT as a loader. PT has it beat there.

I am sure the ventrac is a fine machine, but better engineered is a matter of use and opinion. (a litle humor here, but not much.)
example:

PT uses plate steel. This is easy to repair and modify. It will take a long time to wear out too.

All transmission of power is through easy to find and replace hoses.
Many parts are off the shelf and easy to find.
Etc. In other words it's engineered for self repair and easy modifications.

Is the PT Refined? In other words do all of the attachments work reliabily and do a neat job. Here I am thinking of the rough cut mower with blades that hangup and bolts that break. No. And they don't seem to bother to refine.

Some things are over engineered (not necessarily the Ventrac). By this I mean the are designed to wear out completely in a certain time and they are hard to repair. I was fixing a Trans Am and had to drill a hole in the spare tire well to remove a suspension bolt.
I am not blaming the engineer, it's usually a marketing decision to sacrifice repairability for appearance.

 

[MossRoad]

There is a fine line between better engineering VS good enough to get the job done and what people are willing to put up with.

As an example... Craig's list. It is a piece of cr#%. Yet it has managed to kill the classified advertising departments of just about every medium to large market newspaper in the country.

Harbor Freight tools. Inferior by most measures, yet the store is packed every day.

 

[MossRoad]

As for comparing the Ventrac to a Power Trac... I think it depends on what it is engineered to do.

The Ventrac is a fine machine. Better mower. Better hill climbing when mowing compared to the PT425. Better engine. That all = more cost.

Can it fit in the back of a pickup truck with an implement attached?
Can it fit through a 48" gate?
Can it lift more than a foot without additional purchase of loader attachment?
Can it lift approximately half its own weight?
Can it change non-powered implements in less than 15 seconds without getting out of the driver's seat?
Can it change powered implements in less than a minute?

Different goals for the final machine make for different engineering needs.

 

[American Bulldog]

I said the wrong thing in the wrong forum.....


I think PT enjoys when their customers get pissed off. I think they all have a laugh after they hang up the phone. They clearly don't care in the least when engineering shortcomings are pointed out. I am sure that they have had 1000 complaints that their diesels overheat when mowing, yet they do NOTHING!!!! They have probably had even more complaints about their mowers, yet they do NOTHING!!!!

This is piss poor engineering.

Ventrac, on the other hand, listens to their customers, and continue to improve their machines. Yes the VT costs more, but you get what you pay for.

 

[American Bulldog]

BTW Moss, the Power Trac was not engineered to go in the bed of your pickup truck. they just got lucky.

Also, the Ventrac non powered implements can be changed from the driver's seat in 15 seconds as well. And the powered implements are easier to change than the PT ones. Just ask Clumber how easy the PT is, lol. Don't worry Clumber, the PT engineering team is all over your problems...... should have a solution any minute.

 

[coolconnection]

I don't know about that. It connects the same way as a Steiner and it was PITA to change to a powered implement and if you wanted to use 2 different powered implements it was a huge PITA. You have to always adjust that stupid belt between powered implements. Sometimes you get lucky and don't have to but most times not so lucky.

 

[American Bulldog]

I don't know about that. It connects the same way as a Steiner and it was PITA to change to a powered implement and if you wanted to use 2 different powered implements it was a huge PITA. You have to always adjust that stupid belt between powered implements. Sometimes you get lucky and don't have to but most times not so lucky.

Yeah Ventrac fixed that problem that the Steiners had. This is sort of what I am talking about. Ventrac listens to the customers and fixes PITA problems. All Ventrac attachments use the same pulley, and there is a built in belt tensioner.

Hey I love my PT. I am just really dissatisfied with the way I was treated as a customer. Also, I am constantly amazed by the engineering shortcomings that I find on my machine and its attachments.

Somebody summed it up best earlier in this thread. PT is like the Harbor Freight (or Craigslist) of the tractor world.

 

[Gravy]

I have both the PT and the Ventrac, and I can tell you that the Ventrac is much better engineered than the PT. Not even close. PT is built much beefier though. The Ventrac will out mow the PT. Best mowers money can buy.

I can't even imagine using the VT as a loader. PT has it beat there.

And your point is???

Ventracs are sophisticated expensive slope mowers and PTs aren't. I think we knew that.

PT's are simple (bordering on crude) lower cost loaders that will whack some grass down. Ventracs aren't. We knew that too.

This stuff has been discussed extensively here. It's kinda like comparing a BMW to an F250.

What is the definition of "better engineered"? High-tech, sophisticated and smooth? Or strong, simple, economical and easy to repair? Depends on your needs.

The smallest PT is rated to lift more than the largest Ventrac. How would you respond if somebody posted this in a mowing forum? "I think Ventrac enjoys when their customers get pissed off. I think they all have a laugh after they hang up the phone. They clearly don't care in the least when engineering shortcomings are pointed out. I am sure that they have had 1000 complaints that their loaders are wimpy, yet they do NOTHING!!!! "

Ventracs are about having a pretty stripe pattern on your beautiful lawn, and doing it on steep slopes. They can sorta do some other things, too. PTs are more about clearing land, digging out rocks and moving dirt for a reasonable price. They can do some other things, too.

Both machines are pretty well suited to their primary missions, and both struggle when they stray too far from that mission.

Ventrac apparently offers 8 different kinds of mower attachments, but no backhoe, mini-hoe, 4in1 bucket, boom mower, forks, post hole digger, brush grapple, post driver, ditch filler, tree shear, concrete mixer, winch, etc...

And I'd bet my lunch money for a year that Ventrac doesn't encourage and help it's customers to make their own attachments and modifications. PT does.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Gravy]

Somebody summed it up best earlier in this thread. PT is like the Harbor Freight (or Craigslist) of the tractor world.

Nahhh...

PT is more like the local hometown hardware store. Ventrac is more like Restoration Hardware.

You want the Horror Fright equivalent? Just go look at the mowers at Lowe's and Walmart.

I also noticed that it's virtually impossible to get any idea of Ventrac's pricing online. I quit after the fifth page of Google results without a single price. Nothing but "Request a quote". Reminds me of the snobbish "If you have to ask, you can't afford it."

 

[American Bulldog]

Hey, I have both machines, no hidden agenda, and I tell the truth. If you don't agree, that is fine. But you don't have both machines, do you?

Like I said, I love my PT. I said what I had to say, and now I'm over it.

 

[Clumber]

Nahhh...

PT is more like the local hometown hardware store. Ventrac is more like Restoration Hardware.

You want the Horror Fright equivalent? Just go look at the mowers at Lowe's and Walmart.

I also noticed that it's virtually impossible to get any idea of Ventrac's pricing online. I quit after the fifth page of Google results without a single price. Nothing but "Request a quote". Reminds me of the snobbish "If you have to ask, you can't afford it."

Ventrac will send you a price list if you ask for for planning purposes. I have a 2010 price list. I contacted 3 dealerships in Virginia and MD. They will offer a 9% discount off Ventrac list price. See photos.

The basic difference is in the design approach, essentially high-tech vs low-tech... marketed customer areas: tailored grounds/dealer maintenance vs rural settings/utility/self-maintenance.

 

[MossRoad]

BTW Moss, the Power Trac was not engineered to go in the bed of your pickup truck. they just got lucky.

Also, the Ventrac non powered implements can be changed from the driver's seat in 15 seconds as well. And the powered implements are easier to change than the PT ones. Just ask Clumber how easy the PT is, lol. Don't worry Clumber, the PT engineering team is all over your problems...... should have a solution any minute.

It was engineered to be less than 48" wide so the implements would be wider than the tires.

I would like to see a video of someone changing non powered and powered implements on a Ventrac, just for comparison.

15 second implement change on a PT425.
http://www.mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425_15S01.WMV

Making the hydraulic connections to a powered implement in 15 seconds on a PT425.
http://www.mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425_PowerAngleHookup.WMV

 

[Gravy]

Hey, I have both machines, no hidden agenda, and I tell the truth. If you don't agree, that is fine. But you don't have both machines, do you?

Like I said, I love my PT. I said what I had to say, and now I'm over it.

Sorry AB. I get a little wound up at times.

 

[Gravy]

Ventrac will send you a price list if you ask for for planning purposes. I have a 2010 price list. I contacted 3 dealerships in Virginia and MD. They will offer a 9% discount off Ventrac list price. See photos.

The basic difference is in the design approach, essentially high-tech vs low-tech... marketed customer areas: tailored grounds/dealer maintenance vs rural settings/utility/self-maintenance.

Yeeow! No wonder AB considers them better engineered. Even with discount, the 4000 with a loader is about twice as expensive as a PT425 with your choice of bucket. That kind of price difference buys a lot of engineering and customer service.

I think you've hit the nail on the head about different design approaches.

 

[American Bulldog]

Sorry AB. I get a little wound up at times.

LOL me too. I got a little screwed over by PT, and I am never going to live it down. It is just my nature.