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I have a Steiner 420 with a 25 horse Kohler. I have a 60" flip up deck,nice for cleaning and blade sharpening. I have a rototiller, a powerbox rake, a stump grinder, and a slip scoop. Everything gets quite a workout. I would recommend a Steiner to any one. I wish I could afford to get more attachments.

List which tractor you have Ventrac Steiner
Garden Tractors
Replies 19 Post by Mike Herman

Dear doggman:

I worked at a Steiner dealership for a while so I have seen a lot of them. I do now and will continue to own one. They are fantastic machines. I have a 420 4wd with a 25 horse Kohler. I bought mine in 97. I have moved mountains of dirt, I have rototilled everybody and their brothers garden, I grind tree stumps, I have a Harley rake and am landscaping my 5 acres and I mow lots and lots of grass for myself and many other people. I couldn't be happier with it.

You are right the 220 doesn't have the best traction in the world. I don't know if anybody showed you but they have a positraction pedal on the left floorboard. This helps but it is still just two wheel drive.The articulating tractor has much better traction and will climb a steep enough hill that the front wheels will come off the ground. (not recommended) They articulate in all directions so that all four wheels remain in contact with the ground all the time. There is virtually no wheel spin ever.

I don't know what kind of beating you are going to put yours through but I have never seen any thing go wrong with the steering. On real old high mileage ones that are very tired the heim joints will be loose but that is an extreme example. They just don't have problems if you keep things greased.

The Onan is an unbelievably durable engine. With proper care (notice that phrase, proper care) they will last just about forever. People don't know how to clean air filters or change oil. This is not the engines fault. There is a rubber gasket that seal the gap between the engine shroud and the filter, if this is left out the cooling air blows out around the filter and that side of the motor will over heat, then the valve seats fall out. This does not happen if the gasket is put back when changing oil. There is a screen on the flywheel where the cooling air is drawn in. The purpose of the screen is to keep grass out of the cooling fins. If this gets plugged up the engine will overheat. I don't want to scare you as these items apply to any air cooled engine. Working at a dealership you would be surprised at the things you see. The problem you are describing sound like a bad fuel pump or a partially clogged fuel filter. The pump should push fuel out when you take the line off and roll the motor.

The hydro systems are bulletproof. Change the oil and filter once in a while and you will be ok. On units with a zillion hours on them the hydro pressure gets low because things loosen up but this can be fixed fairly easy.

I don't understand your resistance to the articulated unit. At first they feel funny but you get used to it real fast and it is a non issue. What do you mean "this is all that it will do". The Steiner has 34 or so attachments. That is the beauty of it.They will do so many things.

Not having a dealer around does present a problem. All machines need parts to keep them going. They have a website, see if you can find a dealer in your area. I live in Medina, Ohio about 45 minutes from the factory. I have been there many times. They have a lot of good people willing to bend over backwards to help out.

The Grasshopper is a very nice unit BUT it will not climb hills any better than the Steiner and it only has 2 or 3 attachments so you are short changing yourself on versatility.

I hope this helps, e mail me if you have any questions
Mike

Steiner and Ventrac Articulated 4WD Tractors
Articulated Tractors
Replies 44 Post by Mike Herman