Yes, geared transmission tractors will be better for hilly areas and lawns, than a Hydro.
I can't understand what the great attraction is for Hydro-static transmissions. If you have a geared tranny tractor, there should never be a shift-on-the fly usage of it! Set it and forget it! And, when did we get so lazy that hand shifting of a lawn tractor got so arduous?
I think hydros were designed to make the un-learned think they were smart if they bought one. But, the long term usage of a hydro tranny doesn't hold up as well as a geared tranny! JMHO: RustyJ

Rusty,

I'll disagree at least on lawns and the like. For my money hydrostat is the way to go. The technology is sound and it's just plain easier to use. For snowblowing with a garden tractor it's much easier to match ground speed with auger feed.

I'm running across a lot of old timer farm and compact tractor jockeys that are getting a chance to run a hydro tractor and are lovin' it. They're telling me that they should have switched years ago... there must be something to hydrostats or these guys would walk away from them.

As far as longevity... there are an awful lot of 30+ year old John Deere and Wheelhorse hydro garden tractors still pullin' and mowin'. Looking back 3 or 4 decades those guys seem pretty SMART.

I think that the worst thing that can be said about the current crop of low end hydrostats is the arrogance of the OEMs in treating them as a disposable component instead of providing them with a means of changing the oil and featuring replacable, external filters. It's like they want you to either be forced to fork over big bucks for a whole new transmission when a simple oil change would bring it back to life (in a lot of cases). Or else replace the entire tractor by buying a new one. Just being able to change the oil with the same ease as you can do the engine oil would make the transmissions much longer lived.

mowie,

Agreed with the caveat that by the numbers there are many entry level lawn tractors with hydros out there that provide reliable service for many owners.

I had a Scotts (Murray) from HD with a Peerless VST (hardly a paragon of reliability) that mowed 2 acres, pulled cart, and blew snow for 12 years. When I sold it, it ran just like the day I got it and the trans worked fine.

Seems that lots of people who rant about entry level hydros ask too much of them and push them too hard and bought too small a tractor to begin with.

On the other hand... a drain plug wouldn't hurt ;)

I love my 1999 Sabre 16/46 hydro. Still! Used it Wednesday this past week to mow my mother in law's lawn in town. I just love the way I can do a 3 point turn at the end of the turn row. In 2001 I took the trans axle off the mower with instructions from this site. Drained the 10w 30 oil out of it, and refilled the trans with 5w 30 Mobil 1. The rest is history.

I wonder if it's time to do that again?

It's a whole lot faster to do turn around than a geared trans. For me any way.

Oh! It's one of those levered operated hydro tranys. Nice cruse control for my 500 foot turn rows.

Hell! My wife even likes it after she got use to it. I think it's a K51, if I remember right. If someone calls me on it I'll look it up.

MS

OK! I looked it up. It's a K51. It's smooth, responsive, and fun. I pull a garden cart with limbs and grass from time to time. But mostly I just mow grass. I love the lever control. The Hydro changed the way I mow. No more going around in circles. A 3 point turn. Then back down the turn row. I love the stripes in straight lines. I don't think I could stand a petal control. The thought of shifting from forward to reverse to forward just wares me out. If I had harder work to do. I'd get a garden tractor with a bigger hydro. Or a utility tractor with a hydro trany. Nice and easy ground speeds with easy direction changes having the engine rps never changing. Thanks to this site for the way I think!

MS

My mid 80s Eaton hydro failed after about 15 years on my Wheelhorse. My sloped property didn't help, ranging from 0% to 30%. I tried to save the hydro and got an extra two years out of it by changing oil, going from 20W to eventually 90W Synthetic. I just didn't feel like spending the $800 for a new one.

I think Rusty's idea of a manual would be a better choice for my property, but, as was mentioned, the hydro can't be beat for snowblowing.

On the other hand, my JD 316 with hydro, doesn't even know it's pulling a hill.

So, I would say for the OP, if you get an entry level rider for your yard, you're better getting a gearbox.

The craftsman with HS I have now has done nothing but treated me good I beat on it pretty good more then I'd like to but it's been a horse I'm actually buying another and swapping the transmission from a failed "stick" to another HS from a parts mower I have. I will be looking into changing fluids as that should be done on either. They try to make them disposable. Ill drill and tap a hole if needed I do realize some don't have the means but the company sure does

I have a 20 year old JD LT155 with a Hydro static transmission that I have used to mow lawns between 0.5 and one acre. While the first 10 years of its life was mowing very flat lawns for the last 10 years it has been used to mow a lawn that has a general slope of about 20 feet in 100, with areas much steeper. .

The tractor's transmission has never let me down. I use it for mowing, towing, and similar jobs. Many cars with automatic transmissions do not go that long without major transmission work.

As for use, my yards have always had a lot of trees. The hydrostatic transmission makes it easy to mow in and out of the trees and around the flower beds. NO SHIFTING, just push down on the foot peddle to get the speed needed to mow that part of he lawn. To reverse move your foot from one peddle to the other. When mowing up a hill I do not have to change gears, no need to worry about rolling down hill when you have to stop on a hill.

I now have a Polan Pro with a hydrostatic transmission that will not move in reverse and very little in forward. It's less than 4 years old and the repairman said it has a plastic transmission and will need to be replaced for $750. I am furious that I now have to buy a new mower. I am thinking about buying a gear drive ( 7 speed) mower and that is why I am here on this site. After the last hydrostatic transmission, I don't trust any of them now. I like the way the hydromantic rides but I don't want to have to buy a new one in less than 200 hours.