4x4 Lawnmower?

[DHD]

The video of the Husquvarna made me squirm when I saw him make a U-turn and he planted the inside front tire and just twisted it. That usually leaves torn-up sod but maybe not if you have very gentle turf tires on it. I noticed they did not zoom in on that area. With a ZTR you certainly can do this but it is very easy to not do this and still turn a tight corner - in fact I am sure a U-turn is much quicker on a ZTR and mowing time is often directly relative to amount and quickness of turns. Straight out speed of cut is only useful in large open areas.

It's hard to see in that video how that inside front tire reacts in a tight turn.
Therefore, I found this video that shows a better shot of making tight turns. It's of the 2wd version, which is the Husqvarna R220T articulating mower, and the video shows how the inside front tire does rotate forward, in a small circle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4eSb3pJBBg

We have two Husqvarna R322T AWD and used them during last years mowing season and we had no turf damage using the R322T.
However, we use to get turf damage when using our two Wheel Horse GT with mid-mount mowers. We would often loose traction on some steep slopes, and the spinning tires on the grass would cause turf damage.
We do not have traction loss on those same steep slopes with the R322T AWD, and doing U turns with R322T has not caused any turf damage on our lawn either.
We also have soft areas of lawn and at 570 pounds, the R322T is light enough not to cause any noticeable tire depressions in the turf.

These R322Ts have worked out great for our situation and we've also noticed a reduction in our mowing time compared to our Wheel Horse mowers and attribute that time savings, to the increased maneuverability of the R322T around objects.
Another reason we chose the R322T was it's ability to accept other attachments, and have a 2 stage snow blower attachment for it, as a back up snow removal platform to our Kubota B7800 with RM snow blower.

Husqvarna R322T AWD with 2 stage snow blower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6aZFpjuCLU

 

[truckdiagnostics]

I have similar issues and ZTR i don't think is going to make it. Prior to seeing the R322t awd i was looking at one of these. you can find them 4 wheel drive pricey and harder to get. My issue with the R322t is the deck size. It is a deere f735

 

[ruffdog]

I bought a used X744 with 320 hours for $6900 and love it. Then I saw a used X749 with a plow with low hrs and my dad bought that one. They are so easy to use my wife and mom are the ones that use them the most. The AWS and 62" deck allow for a 6" uncut circle which saves a ton of time.

 

[TheGoose]

I was specifically referring to the rough terrain and steep but small ditches. The ditches I mow are about 5-8 ft in width and 3-5 ft deep. The bottom is usually tight, about 1-1.5 mower decks wide. I used a Landpride ZTR a few times and it got stuck really easily in the ditches. I don't remember if it was front mount or mid mount deck. I just think that I would feel much more comfortable letting my kids use a regular mower vs. a ZTR.

I am not sure what you mean by "will not do as good of job". I do not see any difference in mowing quality between the two - that is a function of the deck and float. Maneuverability - the ZTR is far better. Steep angles or rough terrain - the 4wd would probably be better. I do not know the ditches you are talking about but on side angles I much prefer a ZTR over a regular tractor in ditches around here. I have used both.

I do not know what type of ZTR you are thinking about but I am not a fan of the mid-mounts. I prefer the front mounts for the ability to trim around bushes and other obstacles plus better under deck access. If I had to use a mid-mount on my property, I would swear every time I used it.

 

[RKJeepXJ]

I have a similar situation. 2 area, hills, ditches, 600' of creek bank. I get along quite well with a JD x500 on turf tires. If I went with the rougher rear tires that are available it'd be almost unstoppable unless it were high centered.

 

[Creamer]

I have a ditch that is about 10' deep and is normally wet in the bottom. I can mow most of it but there is one place that I could not keep the mower on the sidehill until I changed the drive tires. At some point every mower is going to slip or roll and mine slips which I appreciate. This ditch is so steep it is very difficult to walk up the side when it is dry - put a little dew on the grass and forget it. I am not sure what the angle is but there is no way you would get on their with most mowers - the Ventrac with duals would work but after viewing the Husky videos above I think the wheelbase is too narrow for the sidehill and due to the wetness in the bottom going up and down would be a pain. The good thing is that I could always back out of the ditch when I slid in.

I see from the pavement demo in the video how the front wheel does not absolutely plant and twist but there is a lot of twisting going on to turn that short. When it is wet and I go around a tree the twisting of the tire will pull up some grass. I know this is a lighter weight unit but I cannot believe that if you mow once or twice a week under wet conditions in the spring the that you will not see grass damage going around a tree like that. When wet I usually to a general four corner 360 where I overdrive and back it up a little at each corner. It takes a little more time but I do not damage the grass.

The only real advantage of see of the 4x4 unit is that the lightweight with the 4 wheels is probably easier on the grass in wet conditions. Still the lack of the ability to control the damage to the grass in certain circumstances is a problem for me. Again, understand that I have a front deck ZTR which, like the 4X4 takes up a little more space in the shed and tend to cost a little more than a mid-mount, has some real advantages with regards to trimming under my lilac or fruit trees, maneuverability in tight places, and deck access.

This is what I have: Deines Manufacturing | Mowers I have the orange one with a 60" deck but if I was going to buy another I would get the 4 wheel version for a smoother ride. The problem is that in 17 years I have done virtually nothing to this machine until this year - my main hydrostat drive belt and blade clutch went out - a total of $260 in parts - not bad for 17 years. So am not planning on replacing it anytime soon.

BTW - I leased the property with the ditch and so a commercial guy is mowing it - he uses a string trimmer on the ditch sides because his JD mid mount ZTRs won't hold the hill.

 

[TheGoose]

Well, my Big Box Store mower crapped out again yesterday (broken spindle on the mowing deck caused by a piece of metal designed to be a deflector coming loose). This is on a two year old ~$1400 Husqavarna/Sears mower with a 46" deck.

I loaded up my trailer and headed to the deere dealer. I wanted to look at a 500 series but they didn't have any. I ended up buying the X304 with AWS. For some reason I thought this mower had diff. lock but the salesman corrected me. I bought it anyways. It was $3700+tax. I am a little leery of the smallish 18.5 HP motor but I used it yesterday and thought it had plenty of power. I am extremely impressed by the AWS function. The no-mowing in reverse is a huge PITA but I'm going to figure out a way to fix that. I wanted the smaller deck (42") due to the fact that I feel it will do a better job in the ditches and rough terrain that I have to do and also will fit between trees/etc better. The next size up AWS was about $800 more.

I am very impressed by the overall quality of the mower/deck and how smooth and quiet it is. It mowed my yard very well yesterday and did OK in the ditches. I really wanted a 4x4 but it just isn't in the cards financially. I'm hoping this mower can last 15+years.

 

[RollingsFarms]

Congrats on the new mower! I don't think my Deere dealer has ever carried any mowers larger than the x300 series. None that I've ever seen on the lot anyways. That all wheel steer should be the cats meow! Hope to hear a review of the mower after you've had it and gotten a feel for it after some use.

 

[crazyal]

I have an older Heritage aws mower that was given to me. It's very well built, the deck is extra thick and it has a v-twin Briggs. But it's hard to steer unless you are moving. Very useful feature but it'll give you a workout. Has the Deer engineered it so that's not an issue?

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

IIRC, the 304 is the AWS version of my LT180 basically. I have the 42" deck under mine. I mow about 1.5 acres. Just got yard done Saturday before the rains. Mine is a month shy of being 10 years old and I have a tad over 410 hours on it. Has been basically trouble free except for my booboos. I had to rebuild the deck spindles with new sealed bearings. There is a thread that gripes about the transmissions. Like I said, mine has been trouble free but I now know I can rebuild the tranny if need be. These are not meant for hills or pushing snow banks. That is what will bring on tranny problems.

Good luck.