[drglinski]

Here is what my history is with a similar situation.

My dad bought a property (the house I grew up in) that is 1.5 acres on a hill. He bought a 125 with turf tires to mow it with. Granted the hill was not very steep at all, but it would not climb it. It required chains, until he got fed up with those and put on ag tires (bar tires.)

I've mowed with it for 17 years or so with the ag tires and did not have an issue. This being said, dad then bought a 782 about 10 years ago with turf tires (that climbs the hill stubbornly and likes to slip a lot compared to the ag. tires on the 125) and I never noticed a difference in the lawn- I could not tell which one had mowed there. Keep in mind water does not stand on the property as it is very rocky under the soil.

We used the 125 for tilling our garden too; the ag tires worked good for this, plus they made the soil look great.


Fast forward to this spring. I bought a 147 with turf tires for my yard of .38 of an acre and my yard is swampy under heavy rainy conditions. I am hesitant to run ags in my yard under wet conditions as I am afraid of it tearing up my lawn.

I like your option on purchasing another set of wheels that way you can decide easier. I've thought about doing that for my 147; having a set of AGS and a set of turfs so I can work more effectively depending on what the job is or ground conditions are.


As far as the hydro/gear combo is concerned; all of the Cadets I've mowed with have been hydros, although I have run a few of my friend's off brand gear drives and I'd prefer a hydro any day, IMO.