NRV Ride: AWD Tractor

Design Ingenuity and Practical Engineering

Brush Mountain outside Blacksburg – down Glade Road on the way to McCoy – is known for its rugged terrain and beautiful vistas. Even though it’s close to town, it feels a world away. That’s part of what attracted Bill Reasor to the area. An accountant and gardener, he owns a farm on Brush Mountain. The first thing he bought after acquiring the farm was a Ventrac 4500z, a compact all-terrain, all-wheel drive tractor. “It’s great for maintaining steep land. There’s some here on the farm which was quite overgrown,” Reasor states. “With the Ventrac, I am able to keep everything under control.” The Ventrac has an articulating frame, with separate rear and front sections, connected at the middle. That design permits the unusual vehicle to make sharp turns. The 4500z model has an impressive 50.6 foot-pounds of torque. “It’s geared very low. It crawls.” But it also has double rear wheels, which permit the machine to maneuver on steep slopes – up to a 58% grade. In fact, even though Reasor bought the machine for his farm, he’s finding his gardening clients clamoring for him to use it to mow their steep and hard-to-manage lands. He’s already used it around barns and stables and other rough ground in the New River Valley.

Text by Karl H. Kazaks Photos by Tom Wallace

area, settled in Blacksburg last August, bringing with him his two businesses, The Village Bookkeeper and The Village Gardener. While his accounting business keeps him busy year-round, it’s particularly busy in tax season in the early months of the year. That means when tax time passes and the weather gets warmer, he’s ready to get outside, working the land for his gardening business customers. “I like going back and forth between office work and my outside jobs.” It’s hard to resist using his new tractor, too. Reasor can use the Ventrac to bush hog slopes many people would find difficult to traverse by foot. At first it’s remarkable to watch

him maneuver the machine over steep terrain, but he is an expert operator and makes mowing steep slopes look easy.

In addition to a 72” bush hog, Reasor has a finish mower and blower for his tractor. There are other attachments available like blades, brooms, snow blowers, an edger, a stump grinder, trencher, tiller, rake, bucket, and many more. In addition to being versatile, the machine is also well-engineered, built tough and meant to last. This Ventrac has a 32.5hp 3-cylinder gas-powered 962 cc Kubota engine. The machine is still new, but when it needs servicing, Reasor will take it to a Kubota dealer. The machine is run off hydraulics, including its brakes and transmission. It also has safety features, like an auto-shutoff in the seat, which turns the engine off when the operator comes up out of the seat. Reasor likes using the tractor to help make the farm enjoyable for his wife Roxann and daughter Mia as well as for his gardening customers. The farm is a place for him to reflect on his life, too. After leaving the military, he embarked on a career in international finance, which took him to Iquitos, Peru; Damascus, Syria; and Moscow, Russia. Even with his global travels though, there’s no place he’s happier than in the New River Valley, working in yards, working on farms, helping to make landscapes more beautiful. “I’m just so happy with everything going on in my life,” he says. A happy gardener, a happy bookkeeper – that sounds like someone to have on your side.

Live the Life!

The community welcomes you!

Join us in a variety of apartment options for 55+ with convenient Town Center amenities catered to those looking for an active, independent lifestyle at Richfield’s Salem Campus. Call for a tour today at 540.380.4500.

RichfieldLiving.com

Need Assistive Technology? Connect with TAP!

The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) offers telecommunication equipment and assistive technology to qualified applicants as a solution to their communication needs through the Technology Assistance Program (TAP). From equipment information to usage demos, TAP provides access and help with assistive technology to keep you connected.

To get started, call or visit a regional office near you. To find the closest office or learn more, call 800-552-7917 (Voice) or visit vddhh.org