Deere 997 or 1445

sacarmic · May 16, 2014

I need to new mower that cuts 72" I have a lot to cut around ,so I was looking at either the 997 or the 1447. We currently have an older F725. It doesn't get around the best if it is wet or on the hills. Has anyone owned either of the two and have opinions as to how they get around on hills and damp grass?

For the 1445 owners , do you the 7iron deck or the hinged deck?

Thanks,
Scott

Scooby074 · May 16, 2014

Any ZTR like the 997 is sketchy on hills. Thats not to say they cant be used on hills, particularly if you upgrade the tires. I should ask just how steep your hills are. I have a ZD326 which is about the same class as the 997. I take it on 22*+ hills but let me say that it can go bad in a hurry if you lose traction, and that can happen in the blink of an eye.

The 1445 is in another class, particularly with 4wd. Its also considerably more expensive. If you were mowing acres, on steep slopes, the 1445 would be hard to beat.

sacarmic · May 16, 2014

Thanks for the input.

hpc · May 18, 2014

I own a 997 and we simply do not cut the steep slopes when wet. Having tried this a few times, the 997 slid down the slope into the water below.
Thank goodness for having a tractor handy to pull it out.

I demoed a 1565, 4WD/AWD, with a 72" 7-Iron on the same slopes when wet. I figured the AWD would keep it stable...nope, the back end started sliding
a bit and continued until the 1565 was in the water. Managed to get it out under its own power by lifting the deck slightly.

So far, the Grasshopper D928 with tandem rear wheels was the best on wet slopes. It never slid down more than maybe an inch, if that.
But, the PowerLift deck and sloppy wiring routing made me trade it in for the 997.

Looking at a Ventrac 4500-Y to replace the 997 and the 3520 tractor.