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Cold Start and Swamp Navigation Test

11:44
18:24
474.6K views

At 11:44 in

Ventrac Review - "HOW NOT TO TEST A TRACTOR" because Franky is Nuts

What happens here

Back in the snow, Frankie attempts to start the Ventrac 4500Z, which has not been used all winter. The first attempt is unsuccessful due to a safety switch. After activating the switch, the Ventrac eventually starts and Frankie immediately drives it into the deep, snow-covered swamp. The tractor struggles through the fluffy, deep snow, eventually getting stuck in the thick reeds.

Goal: Test the Ventrac's cold-weather starting reliability and its ability to navigate a deep, snowy swamp.

Tools and materials

  • Safety Switch Ventrac — Prevents accidental starting
  • Ventrac 4500Z Ventrac — Tractor being started and driven through the swamp
  • Deep Snow N/A — The challenging terrain for the swamp crossing

What they say

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won't pull it. But All right. What are you going to do, Frankie? Yeah. All right. So, this is going to be this is going to be the cold weather start test, right? Yeah. Cuz you haven't started this thing in forever. No, not because there's snow. Will it start? Take your best guess down below. The one thing about Ventrak is it's always been a coldblooded unit. Always. Always always got to pull the choke. Oh, look. It won't even fire. That was the kill switch. Did it? Yeah. So, the safety switch. So, it has a a safety switch that will automatically trigger as soon as it feels the batteries being drawn down, it'll shut itself off, won't it? Yep. That is really a cool feature. Yeah, it is. I mean, as long as you know about it. Remember the first time we didn't know about it, Frankie? We didn't know what to do. We thought it was dead. [laughter] I mean, we tried jumping it. We had jumpers on it. Nothing. It wouldn't respond. Ah, holy crap. I can't believe it's trying. And so, one of the other things too that you mentioned before we started this video was the the the battery saver switch, which I didn't know existed. And they told me about that first time. He's like, "The only problem you're ever going to have with the Ventra is if it doesn't start is the battery saver switch." There's a computer in here, you guys. It's constantly running, right? It's checking the system over. If you leave it on for like 2 weeks, 3 weeks, it'll kill the battery. So, right down here is a battery switch that just completely disables the unit. So, now I'm getting no draw. When I come to the unit, I flip it on, I got a full charge cuz I thought I needed a battery for a while until I thought about that and I'm like, "Oh, I forgot you told me about that." Plus, it's all kind of a theft deterrent. I had no clue about it. Yeah. And it happened and it took me like a half hour to figure out. I'm sitting out like, "What? What?" And then I remembered the battery switch, you know, which is kind of ingenious. And that cool uh thing that they put on the front, the computer, that's another thing. When you're broken down in the field, if you get broken down in the field, that you can just go and it'll tell you seat switch [music] or it'll tell you this sensor. What computer? What? You never saw a computer in front of this thing? I'll give you some B-roll to throw over it, but it has a computer. That's the whole reason. Yeah, that right there. Right. So, like, see, right now it's got the red…

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