Ventrac Blog Ventrac Compact Tractors & Attachments

Ventrac’s export growth was recognized during a ceremony on May 20, 2013 in Washington, D.C.  Ventrac was honored to receive the 2013 Presidential “E” Award for Exports documenting the company’s achievement in making significant contribution to the increase of U.S. exports.  Accepting the award was the President of Ventrac, Dallas Steiner. 

In photo, left to right – Ken Hyatt, Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Rhoda Steiner, Dallas Steiner, Ventrac President, Rebecca Blank, U.S. Acting Secretary of Commerce

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 On May 2^nd Ventrac held an open house to celebrate the completion of phase one of their new Venture Drive manufacturing facility in Orrville, Ohio. The event gave Ventrac employees and their families a first look at the facility and gave Ventrac the chance to thank the various individuals and organizations who assisted in the construction of the facility. Guests were invited to walk through a self-guided tour covering everything from fabrication and welding to engineering and warehousing. A unique highlight of the tour included a historical display featuring over 75 years of products designed by the Steiner family.  Mark Steiner, Vice President and Facilities Manager for Ventrac said, “It is humbling to look back and see all the innovation that our family has been blessed to be part of over the years.” He adds, “It’s exciting to see how our products have evolved from year to year to become an industry leader in the compact tractor world today.”

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Ventrac was honored to have Ron Amstutz, from the Ohio House of Representatives, stop by to congratulate them on this accomplishment. Ohio Senator Frank LaRose stopped in to present an official Ohio Senate document honoring Venture Products on this great achievement. LaRose stated, “This open house is a justifiable source of pride and an outstanding reflection not only on the business itself, but also on the astute management of the Steiner family, on its hard-working employees and on the Orrville community.”

Pictured left to right – Dallas Steiner, Senator Frank LaRose and Mark Steiner

Dallas Steiner, President of Ventrac, with his brother, Mark and Randy Kitzmiller, Director of Operations, personally greeted guests as they arrived. Dallas said, “I feel blessed to have such wonderful support for Ventrac from our employees, community, dealers and the City of Orrville.” He adds, “We wouldn’t be where we are today without all of them.”

For more information about Ventrac visit www.ventrac.com.

We were honored to have our President, Dallas Steiner, be the featured guest on John Allin’s radio show “Managing Snow and Ice with John Allin.”  Managing Snow and Ice is a one hour weekly radio program dedicated to covering issues and topics that affect snow professionals.  The host of the show, John Allin, is the original founder of the Snow & Ice management Association (SIMA) and has been a leader in the formation of the Accredited Snow Contractor’s Association (ASCA).  With over 30 years in the snow management industry, combined with his vast experience, Allin is recognized as the foremost snow and ice industry consultant in the country today.

John’s interview with Dallas covers a variety of topics ranging from Dallas’ role with Ventrac, International sales and how Ventrac is an ideal piece of sidewalk snow removal equipment for snow contractors.  You can hear the interview with Dallas now by clicking on the live recording link below.

Interview with Dallas Steiner Only
Full Show – Managing Snow & ICE with John A Allin. 4/2/2013

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has recently qualified Ventrac’s 4500Z bi-fuel ready tractor for the Propane Mower Incentive Program. This incentive program gives eligible new owners of a 4500Z, equipped with a propane kit, a $1,000 incentive to use this propane powered compact tractor.  In return, program participants are asked to report to PERC on the equipment’s performance and usage for one operating season.

Ventrac is a unique addition to the PERC propane mower incentive program as it is the first compact tractor to be approved for the program.  Ventrac is also the  first propane powered tractor that does more than just mow.  Ryan Steiner, Director of Engineering for Ventrac, says that “Over the last few years, there have been a number of manufacturers introducing propane powered mowers, as propane is one of the fastest growing alternative fuels in the US.”  He adds, “Ventrac is proud to be the first manufacturer to give commercial users the opportunity to power over 30 different attachments with propane.”

PERC has been conducting research on propane and propane powered equipment since 1996 and has found that propane-fueled commercial mowers can offer lower operating cost, fewer emissions, proven performance, easy on-site refueling and less downtime.  Jeremy Wishart, Project Manager for PERC  says, “Propane is a domestic fuel and supply is at an all-time high, as propane is abundant in the natural gas deposits throughout the nation. Propane as an engine fuel in the lawn and landscape industry is beginning to become widely accepted.”  Wishart adds, “Products like the Ventrac 4500Z propane and others becoming available, combined with the economic and environmental factors facing lawn and landscape professionals today, it’s not hard to imagine propane becoming the preferred fuel in the turf industry.”

Get details on PERC and the $1,000 incentive program at www.poweredbypropane.org. For more information on the Ventrac 4500Z see www.ventrac.com/propane.

This holiday season, managers and employees of  Ventrac were challenged to step up during a company wide food drive to help families in need, and step up they did! Employees supplied 4800 lbs. of food and toiletry items that were assembled in to gift baskets.  Everyone came together for the assembly process and in just under 30 minutes, 100 baskets were put together and ready for distribution. Talk about team work!

A portion of the baskets were donated to Family Promise of Summit County, Ohio, where they were graciously received by families with children that are or have recently been homeless.  The remaining baskets were distributed to families in our local area.

Family Promise of Summit County picking up food baskets for their families.

From the entire Ventrac family, we wish each of our dealers, distributors and customers a very blessed holiday season and a happy and successful new year.

Packing every basket for easy handling

A make shift assembly line in the plant serves us well

Here is another round of photos highlighting some of the latest developments in our building progress. The floor is being prepped for the concrete, and the insulation and roofing are going up.

Maybe you have heard, and maybe you have not!  Ventrac is now in the process of building a new manufacturing facility! The new location is in our current town of Orrville, Ohio, fairly close to where our plant is now. Over the next several weeks and months, my plans are to keep you posted on the progress with a photo blog of sorts.  Pictures are sometimes better than words!  Since our groundbreaking event on June 26th, 2012, there has been major progress on the construction of the new facility. Earth movers and excavators moved in quickly and in no time there was a shell of the new building. Week by week as the construction continues, it has been exciting to watch the development.

The building will be 116,700 sq ft and once complete, will allow all manufacturing processes and offices to be housed under one roof. We currently operate out of two facilities, a few miles apart from each other. Not always convenient, but we make it work. The new offices and production plant will streamline so many processes. It really is such an exciting time for all of us here at Ventrac.

Read more about the groundbreaking and see computer rendered drawings of the new building on our Ventrac Press page.

I just got some new photos in this week, so stay tuned for our next installment!

A few of us in the office just arrived back from a couple of days in Chicago (which is a beautiful, fascinating city, by the way!) where we attended a Snow Strategies Forum presented by the great folks of SIMA (Snow and Ice Management Association). Ventrac was proud to be one of the sponsors for this event. Forums of this kind help provide SIMA members an opportunity for continued networking within their industry. They also allow members a chance to gain Certified Snow Professional credits to further their business knowledge.

SIMA organized a terrific event and it was evident that lots of hard work and attention to detail was put in to planning for all to run smoothly. The event had a very educational, interesting, and even entertaining lineup this year. The first day was organized with more of a personal twist focusing on growth at a personal level that feeds over in to the business side of things. Day two focused more on the customer side of things and how snow contractors and clients can work together for mutual results.

Attendees of the Snow Strategies Forum

Day one featured Steve McClatchy, founder of Alleer Training and Consulting. Steve’s wit and humor, coupled with his highly motivational time management solutions, made for a very fun day and entertaining session. His presentation had a focus on productivity, finding more time in a day, building better relationships, and reducing stress in the workplace as well as our daily lives. His unique style of thinking went beyond the normal paths our brains operate to offer very effective solutions to some old habits or ruts we get in to. Steve’s website is at www.alleer.com. If you find that some personal growth and organization is in order, check out what he offers. I can say that I walked away with many new ideas on how to manage time, balance life and stay more organized than I would have imagined.

Day two was facilitated by Innovation Games, who led a highly interactive approach to connect the end consumer with the snow contractor. The creators of Innovation Games set up a panel of consumers that included Facility Directors, Account Managers and VP of Operations for businesses such as Walgreens, OfficeMax and ARAMARK.

The consumer panel discusses business with snow contractors during the Innovation Games

The panel of consumers engaged with snow contractors in a series of exercises designed to share their needs when it comes to what they expect from each other. The exercises allowed both the consumer and the contractor to interact in a way that is not normally done in every day business. The distinctive approach of Innovation Games allowed each side to discover market problems and opportunities in the industry while finding ways to work better together in the future. This kind of interaction was the first of its kind offered to SIMA members. You can read more about their collaborative play format at the Innovation Games website.

Ventrac is proud to be a continuing sponsor and partner to the SIMA organization.  SIMA is a valuable resource for snow contractors through their networking and educational events.   If you are not already aware, the resources and networking opportunities on www.goplow.com is  a great place to start learning what SIMA offers for snow industry contractors. We are slowly approaching the winter season and now is a great time to check the SIMA website and learn more about their membership. For more information on Ventrac snow clearing options for sidewalks, compact areas and more, visit our site at www.ventrac.com or see our snow management equipment at www.ventrac.com/advantages/snow/.

Ventrac unveiled a new Model 4500 tractor at a recent International Dealer Sales Meeting. The sales meeting was held in Canton, Ohio where Ventrac dealerships were invited to get the first look at the new tractor. Over 10 different countries were represented in the dealership attendance, with some traveling from as far away as Japan. The meeting culminated with a hands-on demonstration held at Malone University, where dealers operated the new 4500 tractor and experienced the features and benefits of the new model. Dealers tried their hand at stump grinding, trenching, edging, tilling, mowing, aerating and, much more.

Tim Jeffries, Director of Sales, said dealers were excited about the meeting. Tim added, “It was awesome to have our dealers together for a few days. They are excited about the new benefits and features of the new tractor and the direction that Ventrac is heading.”

The New Ventrac Model 4500

The new 4500 is the perfect balance of building on the company’s past while redefining the future. With new powerful engine options, more safety features, enhanced technology and easy, comfortable handling, the 4500 will soon become a customer favorite in Ventrac’s lineup.

New Engine Options

New multiple engine options offer powerful performance choices in the Briggs and Stratton, Kawasaki and Kubota models. The new 4500 will provide a propane ‘green’ engine option with the Kubota WG972-GL. When adding the optional propane kit, this Bi-Fuel Ready tractor offers gas and/or propane fuel operation for fuel savings and cleaner burning emissions and can reduce your carbon footprint up to 90%.*

Ease of Use and Comfort

Ergonomically friendly controls include an easy to reach automotive style parking brake, and a conveniently located PTO belt tensioner. The relocated weight transfer lever allows operators to easily adjust for increased stability on slopes and for increased lift capacity.

The sealed electrical system protects fuses, relays and terminals from corrosion and outdoor elements. A new automotive style wire harness allows a quick ‘plug and play’ feature for ease of connecting optional tractor accessories.

The optional digital slope indicator with warning light integrates into the dash, providing easy visibility, and allows operators to continuously monitor the degree of slope operation.

The extra large premium comfort seat with adjustable slide rails will provide many hours of riding comfort for operators.

Added Features

The tractor features an enclosed muffler for greater visibility and minimized exhaust exposure. Operators of the new 4500 are kept informed of operational temperatures, oil pressure or low voltage levels with the enhanced instrumentation of the new 6-function warning gauge.

New technology can be seen in the electronic instrument panel on the newly redesigned dash. With tachometer, speedometer, fuel gauge, hour meter and temperature gauge, operators stay well informed.

A battery disconnect switch feature fully disables the electrical system and includes a fail safe disconnect.

Ventrac 4500 with the Tough Cut Mower

Features of the Ventrac 4500 include:

Multiple Engine Options
Propane “Green Industry” Engine Option
Enclosed Muffler
Enhanced Weight Transfer Lever
Pre-Wired Plug and Play Wire Harness
Fold-Down ROPS- standard
Premium Comfort Seat- standard
Optional Digital Slope Indicator integrated into dash
Advanced Electronic Instrument Panel
6 Function Warning Gauge and Alarm
Conveniently Located PTO Belt Tensioner
Onboard Diagnostic System
Sealed Electrical System
Thermostat Controlled Oil Cooler
Battery Disconnect Switch
Automotive Style Parking Brake
Universal PTO Switch
Enhanced SDLA Operator Controls
Optional Horn
3 Tire Options -Standard All Terrain Tires, or optional Turf and Bar Tires
Over 10 Accessory Options
3-Point Hitch Accessory
3-N-1 Adapter for towing and rear attachments

Showing off the new Ventrac 4500 with Power Rake and Tough Cut Deck

With the release of the new 4500 tractor, Ventrac continues to build on their solid reputation of providing durable, quality equipment that serves many industry markets.

Ventrac compact tractors and commercial grade attachments are designed and manufactured at their Orrville, Ohio facilities utilizing the latest in 3D cad software, laser-cutting technology, robotic welding and a powder paint system.

Ventrac tractors are designed with an articulating frame, front end attachments and all wheel drive traction in a compact design that offers unmatched versatility. Ventrac serves a wide variety of markets including golf course turf management, municipalities, schools, universities, snow and landscape contractors, hobby farmers, homeowners and estate owners.

Ventrac compact tractors and attachments are sold and serviced through a network of authorized dealers in the USA, Europe, and Canada including South Africa, South Korea, Chile, Japan, Sweden and more. Dealers are supported by the company’s corporate headquarters, Venture Products, Inc. in Orrville, Ohio.

For more information visit: http://ventrac.com/4500

Watch Video Introduction: http://ventrac.com/QR/4500

*source – http://www.epa.gov