JD SX335 on 3acres of hilly land

gwmullins · May 26, 2004

As I continue to try and decide on a purchase of either a JD SX335 with bar rear tires and differential lock or a Kubota BX1500 with turfs I am wondering what I might be able to expect out of the Deere where traction on hills is concerned. Most of my property is not overly steep but some areas are pretty tough for me to cut with my Craftsman garden tractor (which has wheel weights), even when it is dry.

fgross335_2210 · May 26, 2004

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the BX 4WD? If so it will go all over stuff that ANY 2WD GT will struggle with. I have a 335 with turfs and wheel weights, and a 2210 with turfs. The weights helped the 335 quite a bit, and bar tires would help more, but nothing beats 4WD.

gwmullins · May 26, 2004

Your correct the Kubota Bx is 4wd and I do realize that it is certainly the best traction option! However I think the Deere 335 with bar tires and differential lock should suffice for most situations that I should find myself in. Was just wondering how others with experience with the Deere might enlighten me.

cowboydoc · May 26, 2004

I think you will be just fine. I have a JD 455 with turfs and alot of hills. The only time I have any problem is when the grass is wet. When that's the case it wouldn't matter if you had 4wd or not. I used to cut this with my 4600 and a finish mower. When it was wet the 4600 wouldn't spin but it would slip and just tear the devil out of the lawn in 4wd.

If most of what you are going to do is mow the 335 will work great for you. Yes the kubota is more machine but it's more $ as well. Another option would be to look at a used model. They are all over around here. Even the 455 diesel with a couple hundred hours on them only run $6000-7500. The 335's quite a bit less than that.

Bob_Skurka · May 26, 2004

gw . . . I don't know anything about the SX series tractors and didn't see them when I looked on the Deere website. Maybe I just didn't look in the right spots.

But I have a Cub Cadet with 75# wheel weights and snow chains that I used to mow my lawn, which has several steep hills. If not for the chains, the tractor would not make it up the hills in the middle of the summer.

I still use the Cub, but now it is at my office on flat land. I switched to a 4wd lawn tractor (Ventrac) that has turf tires and it just climbs up the hills with absolutely zero slippage. The difference between 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive simply cannot be compared. If you want to put bar tires on a 2 wheel drive tractor and climb steep hills, I think you will end up spinning the turf off your steep spots leaving you with bare dirt. I have that in several places on my property and this year I'll be putting in sod on those spots now that I see that the 4wd mowing tractor doesn't spin its tires at all.

You MIGHT be fine with the 2 wheel drive tractor if you add weight to it and if you add bar tires. But I think it is very safe to say you WILL be fine with a 4 wheel drive tractor. I tend to agree with what Fred posted above, and as he has a 335 that seems to me to be reason enough to doubt the 335 on your property.

The problem we all have when we give advice is we don't know what one person means when they say hills versus what another person says. In the long run, I think you will find that you might want to error toward a 4wd than a 2wd, even if it means finding a slightly used unit so you can stay within budget.