Profile: Ventrac’s 4520 all-terrain compact tractor

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Ventrac’s 4520 all-terrain compact tractor and multiple attachments is the ideal versatile machine for end of season course renovations. With over 35 different attachments, the range of tasks it can perform on a golf course are many.

At its core, the Ventrac 4520 is a compact tractor, but it is very different to what most greenkeepers are used to seeing. The purpose of a tractor is to perform tasks more efficiently than manual tasks. The Ventrac 4520 plays on these advantages, then takes it to the next level. When coupled with the extensive range of Ventrac attachments, this tractor is a versatile machine for the greenkeeping team.

When you look at the attachments dedicated to end of season renovation tasks, the list is impressive:

• Mowing in wet conditions due to its minimal ground pressure of just 6 psi and multiple cutting units

• Stump grinding

• Trenching

• Blowing leaves and debris

• Reinstating buggy and machinery paths

• Creating seed beds

• Carrying sand, aggregates, woodchips, logs, heavy stones and boulders

• Aerating

• Seeding and overseeding

• Brushing

• Turf cutting

• Edging pathways

Peter Pattenden, the golf courses and estates manager at Carden Park, was one of the early adopters of Ventrac in June 2017. He now has five 4520’s with numerous attachments and says: “We do a lot of woodland management, removing trees and scrub and this means travelling across fairways to reach particular areas. The light footprint of the Ventrac, which I believe is just six psi, allows us to go in with either the Stump Grinder attachment or the Tough Cut deck to maintain these sites, without leaving wheel marks around the courses. Also, I’ve purchased a Trencher attachment, which is used over the winter months to help us install additional drainage bands.

“Every piece of equipment we buy has to earn its keep and these Ventracs certainly fall into this category. I’ve been operating equipment since 1991 and buying machinery since 1996, and can honestly say this is one of the best machines I have ever bought! Summed up in three words, it’s exceptional, versatile and robust.”