No more SST?

DmansPadge · Oct 26, 2004

I heard that JD quit producing the SST series. Is this correct, and why?

Thanks

Dutch445 · Oct 27, 2004

Ever drive one on a hill?

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DmansPadge · Oct 27, 2004

No, but I have heard that they do not perform well on slopes. However, my yard is flat like the day is long.

yellowsocks93 · Oct 27, 2004

They sure did not sell well for us. I dove a few and one thing that was kind of pointless was how slow you had to be travelling to so a full zero degree turn.

rdln · Oct 27, 2004

I could never had used one on my less than smooth yard with those small front tires. But I dont understand what the issue is with hills.

dmp437 · Oct 28, 2004

On the SST both front wheels swivel so to go in a straight line both rear tires must turn at the EXACT same speed and be the EXACT same diameter. That's on level ground. When on a hill the front end wants to go down (gravity) and the rear wheels are still seeing level ground, although it's sloped. The front end slowly starts to go downhill requiring corrections by the operator.With the production tolerances that are run to meet an agressive pricing point, putting the technology in the tractor to give it side slope ability is next to impossible.
What the SST did do was once again show Deere's ability to think outside the box which they've been doing sucessfully since 1837. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Tractors4u · Oct 28, 2004

I have an SST18 and have mowed 2 seasons with it. Hills are a problem. Going straight has never been a problem though. One thing I did notice is that the dealerships that I talked to weren't very eager to sell them. They would ask you if you had hills and would explain that a ZTR works different than a regular mower. They even had a trade in deal that if you didn't like it after 30 days you could trade it in towards another Deere. I like mine with the exception of trying a hill from time to time. WHen possible I just go straight up and down instead of across. It did cut my mowing time in half though!

Dutch445 · Oct 29, 2004

They really were full of technology. I wouldn't want to fix one 10 years from now!

Had a customer mow along his pond... oops.. in the drink it went. He went for an LT instead.

They are a neat idea, and the turning speed can be changed. There is a kit to change the drive pulley so you can make the zero turn at higher speeds. That helps. The ones I have sold are well liked, and if people have slopes, they learn pretty quick what they can and can't do. There is a traction kit that can be added to the back of the machine for slight slopes.. it does help by adding more weight to the rear wheels to keep their grip on the side hill.

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