STEINER/VANTRAC tractors

Is Vantrac & Steiner tractor about the same tractor? Anyone have one & do you like it ? Thanks


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65soBzQar6s

Dad has had a few of them and still has one. I think a model 4200 ? Last one he got new before you could no longer get the 31 hp diesel which he likes. They are expensive. A normal compact tractor should cost less and do the same things except the Steiner /Ventrac are VERY good on hills do to the low stance and have the easy flip up deck.
I mowed with his older one when Dad was down from his stroke. It didn't seem to like being pushed hard ! I was mowing his place and mine (with a different mower) so I was going as fast I could to get his done. My sister finally took over and learned how to run it. She had plenty of time so I just put it in low range and let her go. I'll tell you that machine really liked her as it used WAY less fuel than when I ran it ! LOL.

A little history on them. Steiner (was even his name) started building these in Orrville Ohio not far from me here and then sold off the company and it resold again I forget who owns them now ? He had something like a 10 year no compete clause. Then he restarted building Ventrac's they are a little different but basically the same and still built in Orrville Ohio. The Ventrac decks look a lot heavier built to me ?

Dad started out with a 3000 series which has a rear engine and all belt to the drives. This machine turns tighter and got around fine but we had a TERRIBLE time with it eating up belts ! Of course we were the only ones to ever have this issue. LOL ! He traded it in on a 4000 series demo and ran that for several years. We picked up a good deal on a used one with a 3pt and ran that several years after selling the first one But it did have several issues with leaking hoses. Then he traded this one in on the new one.
So DAD loves them. I frankly think I like a compact tractor better ! Dad was able to remember how to operate his after the stroke so we upgraded to a new one. His other one had like 2200 hours on it ? I do not think he would of been able to adjust to a completely different machine after the stroke so I was fine with him staying with them.

I've never operated one, but I tried one on for size at a dealer last summer. I'm a big old geezer with bad feet. It's getting harder for me to get on and off my present mower, so I was looking at various alternatives. The Steiner looked fairly low to the ground, and didn't have a mid-mounted mower deck to step over. It's an impressive looking machine, but it's certainly not built for large folks with big feet.

Either the Steiner fellow or someone in his family was in a wheel chair. Years ago I remember seeing a model you could roll a wheel chair up into it and lock it in and then still run the machine.