High vs low rear wheels

[jmshumakersr]

Hope I'm in the right forum. I need to buy a new mower and I have a yard that has a few inclines on it but some of the flat area is rough. I don't know whether to go with high or low rear wheels. My current mower is high wheeled/front wheel drive and I have some problem with traction on the inclines, especially if there's some soft dirt there, which is why I was leaning towards rear wheel drive. However, I hear rear wheel drive, which is normally low rear wheels, can have trouble with "scalping" the grass in rough spots. I guess there are some rear wheel drive high wheel mowers but on top of everything else, I would like electric start as I have developed arthritis and have bursitis in my right shoulder - it's not fun pulling that starter rope. Maybe the new mowers are easier to pull start than the old ones? Thanks to anyone who can help me.

 

[lewb]

High wheels I believe the only benefit is they roll easier. I suppose the larger wheel could not drop into a hole where a smaller wheel might.

I would look at a Honda with hydrostatic drive with electric start. Will pull you up the hill. Trobilt makes a rear drive high wheel if you want a high wheel. Not sure if they offer electric start.

You could also look at a toro 4wd with electric start.

 

[primerbulb120]

High wheel mowers don't get stuck in sandy soil like low wheel mowers do. They also don't dig holes when you're turning in a sandy area.

 

[RhettWS]

Hello,

I don't have an opinion on which would work better. However, I think if you could add some weight over the drive wheels this would solve you problem to a large degree. I could easily see a front wheel unit slipping while going up a grade due to the fact the the weight is transferred towards the rear of the unit. You might temporarily load a 5 or 10 lb weight over the front wheels just to see if it makes any difference for you before you make your final purchase.

Rolling ground, hills, mountains are really nice to look at but working on slopes does offer up some problems unless you are a goat.

 

[primerbulb120]

If you add weight to the front of the mower, it's going to be harder to pick the front up when turning around.

 

[RhettWS]

Yes, that would be obvious. Again, that is to test with only.