I'm not sure about cost to fix, but I would go with front wheel drive from an ease of use standpoint. For a 1/4 acre lot you will be having to turn frequently and it is a pain to have to disengage the real wheel drive every time you make a 180 turn.

If you have any hills, get the rear wheel drive!

'I'm not sure about cost to fix, but I would go with front wheel drive from an ease of use standpoint. For a 1/4 acre lot you will be having to turn frequently and it is a pain to have to disengage the real wheel drive every time you make a 180 turn.'

Get RWD. FWD is great on a car but awful on a mower. FWD just tends to spin the wheels most of the time. Next chance you get, take a look at any used FWD mower and you'll find bald tires. RWD digs in when going uphill and/or carrying a loaded grass bag. Also, turns are no more difficult than with a non-powered mower - approaching the turnaround, you let go of the drive bail and pivot on the rear wheels as usual. As you push off, you pick up the drive bail again. After five minutes you'll be doing it all in one motion. If you get a Toro or Lawn-Boy with Personal Pace (Sens a Speed on LB), you don't have a drive bail so it's even easier.

RWD is definitely better for most people and it is true most of the FWD have bald tires from spinning too much. You will be replacing tires. Also FWD tends to use plastic gears mostly and will strip out fairly quickly. Some RWD are alos plastic though and can break too. Personal pace does work well on small flat yards but for hills I prefer a true drag you up the hill RWD such as a snapper. Good luck.

A better question would be to ask whether RWD or FWD would do the job better. Once you have established the better design then ask about which one is more reliable. Hint: RWD is the way to go.

my question is with less than 1/4 acre LEVEL LOT, why even bother with the extra expense/hassle of a self propelled? by the time you back out the house, drive, and landscaping you ain't talking much left to cut. sure it is nice, but unless you get one that matches your speed you will either be pulled or you will try to push it and that will be as much or more of a work out than just using a non-propelled unit!

but if you just want or need a self propelled, FWD is best for level flat lawns.

I have a front propelled, with high wheels.

I prefer this over a RWD as its tougher to turn with all mulch beds I have.

I can't comment on cost of ownership or depenability.

I would question why you need a self propelled for 1/4 acre lot as well. Unless its a square lot with a tiny tiny house and no landscaping.

If you're tempted to buy a Toro FWD at HD, don't. My dealer tells me that those models have a plastic geared drive and it breaks after about a year.

Being a home owner and maintaining a lawn for 35 years, I favor the RWD. I have had several mowers over the course of the years, all RWD except one, a Troybilt FWD that back then was still made by Troybilt. I used the mower two years and got rid of it, I hated the way it handled. The slightest bump would throw the mower off course and I was unable to mow straight lines.

I currently have a RWD 9 year old Toro Personal Pace (regular not SR) and love it. I hope to replace it soon with the Toro Super Recycler and get away from bagging.

""If you're tempted to buy a Toro FWD at HD, don't. My dealer tells me that those models have a plastic geared drive and it breaks after about a year.""

I am (was) tempted. That's one of the things I intended to inquire about, the use of plastics in the moving parts. Wonder if the same is true of the RWD 20066/20332. I'll see if I can reach Toro and find out.

As for getting a self-propelled for a small lot, my knees protest any activity beyond an easy, careful walk and don't even like that sometimes. Otherwise, there would be no consideration whatsoever of anything but a push mower for even a much larger lot. I always liked the workout.

A note about HD's pricing. I was surprised to find that they are selling the discontinued model 20066 for the same price as the replacement 20332. Would not make any adjustment to the price at all. So those who are uninformed will be buying less mower for the same money if they get the discontinued model.

re:
If you're tempted to buy a Toro FWD at HD, don't. My dealer tells me that those models have a plastic geared drive and it breaks after about a year.

How can we find out if this is true. My sister just bought one and loves it. I have a delaer bought one thats 8 - 10 years old. I know the wheels are junky on the HD models and they are of course steel not aluminum....did not know aboutthe gear drive...I'd question that and would not be surprised if it were true on BOTH HD and dealer models. Get a PP model though, rear drive.

BTW....dealer models have a 5 year warranty, HD models a 3....so you will have at least 3 years coverage. Also my guess is that the local dealers who are still in business (sad) likely look forward to HD repairs to cover lost sales.

Straight from the dealer and also a mechanic.

""If you're tempted to buy a Toro FWD at HD, don't. My dealer tells me that those models have a plastic geared drive and it breaks after about a year.""

Okay, here's what I got from a Toro rep at their '888' number. In both the front 20064/20331 and rear 20066/20332 drives, the internal pinion is metal, but there's also a plastic gear molded into the wheel hub. Not being mechanically inclined, I'm not sure what that means, but some of you on here probably will.

From the sounds of it, should that gear in the wheel wear out, the whole wheel assembly would have to be replaced.

Yes, and I think the wheel is about $20.

Before we get too carried away and over-analyze the gear-train, lets take a closer look at the quote that started it:
Quote baymee: "If you're tempted to buy a Toro FWD at HD, don't. My dealer tells me that those models have a plastic geared drive and it breaks after about a year"

Lets think about that for a moment. The Toro mower sold at HD comes with a three year warranty, so Toro must be replacing hundreds of thousands of those components year-in and year-out. I just don't think that Toro would continue to produce such a money loser year-after-year.

I think it is worth recognizing that with lawn mowers and most all other consumer products you will get what you pay for. The Recycler series will likely run for several years with no significant problems, but they will not last as long as the Super Recyclers.

RWD is the only way to go.
Personal Pace is great and will allow you to change speed without even thinking about it (great for you so you don't have to try to "keep up" with the mower).
I had mine for 5 years and mowed 1/2 acre with no problems and it would always start right up (bought a used rider to mow quicker). Great mower. When I bought mine they were offering 5 year warranty upgrades for free at HD.

so....the unit at HD has some type of plastic in there...does the better unit sold at the dealer?

According to Toro, the same model numbers whether sold at HD or an independent dealer, are identical.

Quote baymee: "If you're tempted to buy a Toro FWD at HD, don't. My dealer tells me that those models have a plastic geared drive and it breaks after about a year"

Lets think about that for a moment. The Toro mower sold at HD comes with a three year warranty, so Toro must be replacing hundreds of thousands of those components year-in and year-out. I just don't think that Toro would continue to produce such a money loser year-after-year. (QUOTE)

Update:

Speaking about the cheap HD models. About 2 years ago, Toro offered a special 3 warranty for about 2 months and withdrew it after losing their shirt. The 3 years warranty that may be causing confusion is the "gauranteed to start" warranty.

The plastic gears on the wheel wear out quickly, the gearbox uses powdered gears and where the axle enters both sides of the gear box wears out the bushings in that area.

Even the better quality HD types that the dealers also sell, now have a 2 year warranty. My dealer won't carry the lowest end model with the front wheel drive.