Farmerboy
Bronze Member
Machine = Ventrac 4500P
Engine = Kawasaki 31HP Digital Fuel Injection ("P")
Optional Foot Pedal
Optional Arm Rests
Dual Wheel Kit
Tough Cut Mower Deck
72" Side Discharge Finish Mower
Reason For Purchase: my wife and I maintain a 300 acre farm in western Pennsylvania with slightly more than rolling hills and a few swampy areas. Despite having a large Ag tractor with 8-foot brush hog, a walk-behind 24" brush hog, two gas powered trimmers with blades, and a 55" Ferris zero turn mower, there are several areas of the floor that were either not maintained or were very time-consuming and difficult to keep up. After very little searching, and a site demonstration by a local dealer, we made the decision to purchase the above identified machine.
Initial Feedback: Wow. There's not much else that needs to be said, but I will elaborate. The tough cut deck does a fantastic job of plowing through everything from thick wet grass 2 feet tall to thick brush. The quality of the cut is much nicer than a standard brush hog. As well, the deck does a great job of chewing up material and spitting it out the back.
The finish mower is just amazing. We do not have a traditional "lawn", but rather have a yard that was reclaimed from an old pasture field and never reseeded. After 3 mowings, our yard looks like a cross between a ballpark and a golf course - nicest the farm has ever looked.
Behind our house is a very steep hill (35-40 degree range). This area has typically been maintained once per year, and usually grows back thick with blackberry bushes, raspberry bushes, and other wooded vegetation. Over the course of the past three years, grass has gradually come on. After mowing the area once with the tough cut deck, there was a world of difference in the appearance. I subsequently cut the hill with the finish mower three more times. It looks simply amazing. So much so, that I've had complete strangers stop and ask how I cut the hill.
And of course, where you have steep hills on one end of the spectrum, you generally will have swampy areas at the other end. Traditionally I have cut cat tails out of a swampy area by hand once every year or two. Simply because of the amount of transient water, I do not use the Ag tractor to brush hog, but will cut it by hand (don't want to bury the tractor up to the axles in mud). I got a little adventurous with the new machine, and was able to flat out cut what normally would take two full days in about 45 minutes. I don't need to say anything else about that.
I've also moved around a hay rake and utility trailer using the rear hitch.
I could go on singing the praises of the machine, but I won't. If you have any specific questions about any of the equipment listed above, I would be happy to address them as they arise.
Optional Arm Rests = worth the money. Get the stardard seat with optional armrests and you will not be disappointed.
Optional Foot Pedal = I guess it's ok. The fact is the footpedal is pretty useless for driving the machine when mowing. It is somewhat hard to manipulate, and quite frankly is awkward when the tractor is articulating. With that said, if you want to carry a gas can or a weedeater or anything small, you can't. You need one hand to drive the SDLA (throttle) lever and the other hand to turn the steering wheel. That is where the foot pedal comes in handy as it frees up a hand to carry an object.
Objections: Despite the fact that the machine is very capable, there are a handful of things that I do not care for. In no particular order:
1. I don't care how many YouTube videos I've watched, or how easy it appears in the Ventrac marketing material, I have thrown fits trying to switch between the two mower decks; lost all kinds of religion switching decks. With that said, it does get easier with more practice, but is still not as easy as it would appear in the Videos. Keep in mind, this is also from someone who is very familiar and experienced hooking up agricultural implements.
2. This machine doesn't sip gas - no, she's a hungry ***** that has earned the nickname Fat Jenny. The 4500P probably burns the 1.2 gallons per hour in accordance with specifications. However, it seems like I am constantly filling it up. Of course, when you put nearly 50 hours on the machine in only five weeks, you will have to feed it. I'm making this point simply to highlight the fact that the other machines (Kubota in particular) must really burn fuel - so, you're going to need a few 5 gallon gas tanks.
3. My machine came new from Ventrac with a hydraulic fitting in the steering system that was not tight. I took the time to remove a few panels and snuggle everything up, which stopped the leak. However, this was not before hydraulic fluid leaked all over the garage floor and adjoining apron. I hate hydraulic leaks - let alone in a new machine.
4. Doing the service work requires a little bit more thought and ingenuity. For example, because the frame is so low to the ground, I could not get a drip pan under the oil drain. I ended up just driving the machine onto a set of 2 x 4's to lift it off the ground high enough to gain clearance. As well, unthreading screws and removing panels takes a little bit more time than I am accustomed to from other machines. Not really a big deal, but something I have not encountered in other equipment.
Punchline: Absolutely amazing machine. When considered in hindsight, I would absolutely purchase again without a doubt. My wife enjoys running this machine, I enjoy running this machine, and our property looks amazing. The final out the door price was almost $30,000 exactly, and I would absolutely say the machine was worth every single penny. The 4500P is very capable and well powered. From a safety perspective, and from someone who has rolled over a tractor, I have no reservations about my wife operating this unit on steep slopes. I have zero reservations about this machine's capability.
Again, if anyone has any questions about the equipment, or anything stated in this review, I would be happy to add additional details and explanations. As well, if you are interested in a perspective from a first time Ventrac buyer/owner/operator, I would be happy to share my experiences and decisions with you.
Engine = Kawasaki 31HP Digital Fuel Injection ("P")
Optional Foot Pedal
Optional Arm Rests
Dual Wheel Kit
Tough Cut Mower Deck
72" Side Discharge Finish Mower
Reason For Purchase: my wife and I maintain a 300 acre farm in western Pennsylvania with slightly more than rolling hills and a few swampy areas. Despite having a large Ag tractor with 8-foot brush hog, a walk-behind 24" brush hog, two gas powered trimmers with blades, and a 55" Ferris zero turn mower, there are several areas of the floor that were either not maintained or were very time-consuming and difficult to keep up. After very little searching, and a site demonstration by a local dealer, we made the decision to purchase the above identified machine.
Initial Feedback: Wow. There's not much else that needs to be said, but I will elaborate. The tough cut deck does a fantastic job of plowing through everything from thick wet grass 2 feet tall to thick brush. The quality of the cut is much nicer than a standard brush hog. As well, the deck does a great job of chewing up material and spitting it out the back.
The finish mower is just amazing. We do not have a traditional "lawn", but rather have a yard that was reclaimed from an old pasture field and never reseeded. After 3 mowings, our yard looks like a cross between a ballpark and a golf course - nicest the farm has ever looked.
Behind our house is a very steep hill (35-40 degree range). This area has typically been maintained once per year, and usually grows back thick with blackberry bushes, raspberry bushes, and other wooded vegetation. Over the course of the past three years, grass has gradually come on. After mowing the area once with the tough cut deck, there was a world of difference in the appearance. I subsequently cut the hill with the finish mower three more times. It looks simply amazing. So much so, that I've had complete strangers stop and ask how I cut the hill.
And of course, where you have steep hills on one end of the spectrum, you generally will have swampy areas at the other end. Traditionally I have cut cat tails out of a swampy area by hand once every year or two. Simply because of the amount of transient water, I do not use the Ag tractor to brush hog, but will cut it by hand (don't want to bury the tractor up to the axles in mud). I got a little adventurous with the new machine, and was able to flat out cut what normally would take two full days in about 45 minutes. I don't need to say anything else about that.
I've also moved around a hay rake and utility trailer using the rear hitch.
I could go on singing the praises of the machine, but I won't. If you have any specific questions about any of the equipment listed above, I would be happy to address them as they arise.
Optional Arm Rests = worth the money. Get the stardard seat with optional armrests and you will not be disappointed.
Optional Foot Pedal = I guess it's ok. The fact is the footpedal is pretty useless for driving the machine when mowing. It is somewhat hard to manipulate, and quite frankly is awkward when the tractor is articulating. With that said, if you want to carry a gas can or a weedeater or anything small, you can't. You need one hand to drive the SDLA (throttle) lever and the other hand to turn the steering wheel. That is where the foot pedal comes in handy as it frees up a hand to carry an object.
Objections: Despite the fact that the machine is very capable, there are a handful of things that I do not care for. In no particular order:
1. I don't care how many YouTube videos I've watched, or how easy it appears in the Ventrac marketing material, I have thrown fits trying to switch between the two mower decks; lost all kinds of religion switching decks. With that said, it does get easier with more practice, but is still not as easy as it would appear in the Videos. Keep in mind, this is also from someone who is very familiar and experienced hooking up agricultural implements.
2. This machine doesn't sip gas - no, she's a hungry ***** that has earned the nickname Fat Jenny. The 4500P probably burns the 1.2 gallons per hour in accordance with specifications. However, it seems like I am constantly filling it up. Of course, when you put nearly 50 hours on the machine in only five weeks, you will have to feed it. I'm making this point simply to highlight the fact that the other machines (Kubota in particular) must really burn fuel - so, you're going to need a few 5 gallon gas tanks.
3. My machine came new from Ventrac with a hydraulic fitting in the steering system that was not tight. I took the time to remove a few panels and snuggle everything up, which stopped the leak. However, this was not before hydraulic fluid leaked all over the garage floor and adjoining apron. I hate hydraulic leaks - let alone in a new machine.
4. Doing the service work requires a little bit more thought and ingenuity. For example, because the frame is so low to the ground, I could not get a drip pan under the oil drain. I ended up just driving the machine onto a set of 2 x 4's to lift it off the ground high enough to gain clearance. As well, unthreading screws and removing panels takes a little bit more time than I am accustomed to from other machines. Not really a big deal, but something I have not encountered in other equipment.
Punchline: Absolutely amazing machine. When considered in hindsight, I would absolutely purchase again without a doubt. My wife enjoys running this machine, I enjoy running this machine, and our property looks amazing. The final out the door price was almost $30,000 exactly, and I would absolutely say the machine was worth every single penny. The 4500P is very capable and well powered. From a safety perspective, and from someone who has rolled over a tractor, I have no reservations about my wife operating this unit on steep slopes. I have zero reservations about this machine's capability.
Again, if anyone has any questions about the equipment, or anything stated in this review, I would be happy to add additional details and explanations. As well, if you are interested in a perspective from a first time Ventrac buyer/owner/operator, I would be happy to share my experiences and decisions with you.
