Originally Posted By: SLCraig
I dont understand why front wheel drive mowers are made.. On my Troy Bilt, all the weight is on the back wheels when the bag is on, and it gets perfect traction.
There are a few reasons, actually.
Firstly, I think the FWD mowers were marketed as easier on the grass. Most RWD mowers didn't have differentials, and the inside wheel would tear up the grass when the normal home owner would spin it around trees and such. When I was younger, we never had that problem, but we had a Lawn-Boy also, and that mower was very light.
Secondly, most FWD mowers now are not variable speed, but a single speed, where you push a lever forward to engage the drive, and release the OP bail a bit to disengage it. It's a rather cheap and easy way to build it, but would present a problem on a RWD mower (as it does on my 2001 Honda HR215), having to always let the OP bail up a little to stop and turn around at the end of the yard. With the FWD mowers, you can let the wheels keep turning. Push down on the handle, rotate the mower around on the idling rear tires, let the front back down and keep going. It's pretty easy, for the average homeowner. And even when bagging, I never had a problem with traction on the front tires on my 2003 Craftsman FWD that I used to have.
All that said, I still much prefer RWD. My 1999 Lawn-Boy 10330 has a single speed RWD, but you can slip the tensioned drive belt, so you can easily "clutch" the system to produce a slower walking speed. I always walk at full pace, but will often slip the system around corners or tighter spots in the yard. My Honda has a 3-speed RWD, but it's not a clutch-able system. You pull the drive bail up, and it's either engaged or it's not. I don't like that aspect of it. I usually mow in 2nd gear, but it's a pain in the tight sections because when you have to stop and turn around, you can't smoothly start the mower again. When you engage the bail, the mower lurches forward and goes from zero to "top speed" in that gear instantly (or at least the tires do).
Another interesting thing: I find it easier to mow a straight line with RWD. You can keep some slight resistance on the mower and let it pull you. It'll drive straight every time. With the FWD, you have to let it drive straight, but it'll tend to wander left-right much more than a RWD mower will.