I have real steep hills on my property. At first I had a RWD Mover with agriculture tires in the rear. It still was tricky and the tires were a pain for the grass. So I decided to go AWD and got a Husqvarna Rider: https://images.app.goo.gl/PkEFwHqgox87pQeC6 I installed a hitch, so that I can pull a trailer or equipment like a seeder, or a lawn sweeper (great in Fall for picking up the leaves). Don’t know though, if those models are available in US. The mowing deck can be replaced by a snow thrower in the Winter. I do not have one, as we do not get enough snow to justify the investment.
I bought a used "dealer Deere" and it's been a good piece. Replaced the bearings on the front spindles and the steering gear and it's done a great job. 48" deck with a hydro "trans". The rocker foot pedal is great. I might also recommend, if you can find a well maintained one a Simplicity Sunstar. They are absolutely awesome built pieces with a lot of implements available.
With my 4 wheel steering I can go around a bucket. Making a turn at the bottom of the hill and going back up is no problem.
The problem is that almost all of the smaller lawn tractors with hydrostatic drive use the tuff-torq rear drive axle, which weakens and goes out (sometimes in a season or two). If you decide to go that way anyway, I would look at a Joihn Deere, as the foot pedal control is really a lot easier to use than the hand speed control on other brands. I have about 2-1/2 rough acres to mow, and I beat the snot out of my John Deere with the Kohler engine for 10 years before it finally gave up. Even then it was repairable, but I didn't want to put the money into fixing it, as the drive was weak (big money to fix). The Husqvarna I have now is a decent tractor too, but the belt tensioner gives me problems, and the hand speed control is awkward to use if you have a lot to mow around (I like trees, and my yard reflects that).
I have an 8 year old Australian ride on mower, but as many have said they are all pretty similar in design and parts used. What I can advise is be careful of the motor. Mine has a 21Hp Briggs motor. That I did not realise but has a well known habit of blowing the head gasket. There is a part of the gasket that isn't designed well between the 2 cylinders. Using it on slopes tends to make it blow faster (oil gets into the gasket and it deteriorates over time). I have a couple of bike humps in my back yard and used to run over them all the time. Till I blew that gasket. No I don't do that anymore and haven't blown one since. I've not heard any issues with the Kohler engines.
The Kohler "courage" engines are somewhat notorious for failures. When I was shopping for mine, I had multiple folks warn me to make sure I get one with the "command" series engines, they're supposedly solid pieces. They said the big box stores Deere's often had the cheaper courage series kohlers, the dealer models had commands.
How big do you want? They don't make the small (38 inch) JD's any more so you will have to buy used if you want something that small. I have a STX38 for 2 acres and its been going strong for 20 years. You can find them with a bagger for around $500 or less. Also agree on the dealer vs the HD version. Big box units are NOT the same. Go with a dealer deal!
Purchased mower.New John Deere x350. Four year stem to stern warranty/300 hours. I considered purchasing a used JD mower but the difference in price (for this series )between new and used was counterbalanced by the warranty. Spent some time price shopping and the high-low difference (delivered/new/full of gas/ready to go)between dealers in my area was $700.00. Mebbe should have just gotten some goats,but,we''ll see. Thank you all for the advice,comments and suggestions. Archie
