Won't ever have another Bob Cat anything, had a zero turn I got in 2021 and had nothing but trouble out of it. Bob Cat themselves would not do anything to help me with it. Too many issues to list here, but all the problems I had were before 100 hours on the unit!! Ventrac has this particular tractor on point and I don't think anyone else can outdo it. I LOVE MY VENTRAC!!!
We have 2 Ventracs and 1 Steiner. I prefer the Ventrac with the Kubota gas. Although the 2004 Ventrac with the Kawasaki was a faster machine than the new machines.
Thanks for the video! My buddy runs all Steiner and I really hate to see them phase em out and replace them with Bobcat. He’s made a lot of money over the years with the Steiner. But that definitely looks like the direction they are headed…
I liked both colors. It’s not the color of the tractor that makes it good or bad. It’s the machine that does the work not the color. Thank you for your video.
What’s the difference between Steiner & Ventrac. I was looking at the company’s history and I’m pretty sure they were both started by the same Steiner family.
They were both started by the Steiner family. I think after the non-compete agreement ran out after the family sold Steiner to a large company. they came up with Ventrac. The Ventrac company has now sold to a large company, but for now, they are allowing Ventrac to keep innovating on the tractor and attachments. Steiner corporate ownership has never done that. Perhaps this will change with Bobcat using the Steiner design as part of the large corporate family. HOWEVER, Ventrac is the superior tractor in most cases.
Fun fact, the Steiner pictured in this video was at our booth at Huron County fair. The new steiners use the same dash. There is a new tractor in the works, but the release date keeps getting pushed back and bobcat wanted to get a product out so that's where the AT450 came into play until the new tractor comes out.
I was hoping that the parent company would a start innovating and upgrading the Bobcat and Steiner in order to be more competitive with Ventrac. If they are just going to clone Steiner, then Ventrac will remain on top for a long time to come.
I was hoping the very same. Have a steiner 450 but attachments are limited compared to ventrac...hoping Bobcat will step up their game and offer more variety of attachments. Especially for hobby farming.
Post Bobcat (Doosan) purchasing Steiner, does Steiner still have a factory to manufacture the 450 or has the production of the Steiner brand and now this Bobcat version been fully integrated into Bobcat manufacturing facilities?
I assume the front attachment mount is the same as the Steiner as well? The one thing I hate about the Ventrac/Steiner machines is mount system. If you arent on a perfectly flat surface you are going to need someone to help you connect an attachment. Not sure how they’d do it but would love to see a universal mini skid plate (or similar) type mount.
It can be a pain if you detatch on unlevel ground then go back to hook back up. I am not sure if they would ever change it due to all the attachments are now universal. I usually just try to find the most level spot I can when I detatch.
The engine showin is a 32.5 HP Kubota gas model WG972. There is coil packs on top of the engine. The only engine avalable for the Bobcat AT450 is the Kubota gas at this time. Why they have not offered a diesel yet like the Steiner still puzzles me.
I am sure they would have. I was just wanting to check it out. There was lots of talk on options that were diffrent than Steiner. It is as far as I can tell a Steiner 450 painted white. I talked to a saleman for about 5 minutes, But I did not want to waste there time driving it around.
Correct. Bobcat purchased Steiner around 2019. The original founders of Steiner now built Ventrac. Steinr has bewn sold many times in the past 30 years now being owned by Bobcat.
