I finally got my R322T with a 48-inch side discharge deck the other day. After having a heck of a time getting the drive belt on, I was able to get in my first mow.
PROS: It can handle my hill with ease. I was even able to mow a circle around a small tree that is located on the steepest side of the hill (I know, not the smartest thing to do, but I wanted to put it through as much as possible to see what it can do). It does tend to slow down a bit going uphill on the steepest portions, but that is fine with me. Also, I was able to run the mower parallel with the hill. There is definitely some leaning, but I never felt too uncomfortable and it felt much more stable than a garden tractor. Going downhill is fine, just some getting used to (slow and steady wins the race).
I will have to figure out how to properly adjust the deck, but the initial cut was still very nice. I even had some professional landscapers (mowing the neighbor痴 house) tell me that my mower was very interesting and the cut looked awesome. It only bogged once when I tried to run over a massive clump of clippings.
Cutting around trees and tighter areas is great. I can see where I want to go and as long as I take it a slow, I can get around almost anything I want. I am able to get to areas I know a ZTR or a garden tractor would never be able to get.
I love the fact that can have the mower blades still run when going in reverse.
CONS: Nothing too big, but going in reverse with an articulating AWD mower is definitely taking some time to learn. This issue isn稚 bad for a simple back-up on the ground, but when I am trying to come off a trailer with a steep ramp, it痴 almost like trying to direct a go cart with a trailer attached.
Another thing is the lack of power steering. I have absolutely no problem with it (since it as AWD, it sometimes feels like I do have power steering), but I can see it maybe being a problem for some.
The owner痴 manual is very vague about some aspects, like putting the drive belt on. After some searching, I managed to download an exploded-view parts list off the Husqvarna website since the manual didn稚 come with one.
The cutting height adjustment has a scale of 1-10, but it is not in any defined measurement like inches or centimeters. It痴 a guessing game as to how high you are cutting.
My first cut; while learning all the controls and figuring out the lay of my land, it took me about 1.5 to 2 hours for my 1.1 hilly, bumpy, obstacle filled, high grass lot. I am sure after a few more mows I will be able to get it around an hour or under.
So far, I am pretty pleased with my purchase. I have yet to use the flip deck option due to the belt was so hard to get on. Hopefully, over time, the belt will loosen up and I can start cleaning out the deck with some ease.