The Steiner 230 is a small mower compared to the Toro and the Jacobsen. It has a 28 hp Kubota diesel, and ours has a 60 inch deck. So it's not much bigger than most peoples garden tractor so it's fairly easy to use and most anyone can. It does take some getting use to because of the rear wheel drive, which almost throws the mower when turning. The 230 is only two wheel drive, so it doesn't have the capabilities of the other mowers I've reviewed. And since it has turf tires, it can't go up anything with a lot of slope. With the deck in float mode, it leaves the weight on the riding wheels that are attached to the front of the deck. So if you try to go up a hill, there isn't much weight on the front drive tires, therefore they spin. If you lift the deck up some, the heavy deck redirects if mass to these drive wheels, so it has better traction, and can climb some hills easier. But this isn't exactly what this mower made for. It's more for mowing around buildings, which is what we try to do with it. We mow around the apartments and dorms, along with spaces we can't get to with the bigger mowers.
The 230 does a good job with level ground and making nice strips in the grass because it has a roller that runs the length of the deck. It can get around tight corners and maneuver through cars and other obstacles. And it has different attachments that can be put on it depending on the situation. For instance, when it's fall, and the leaves are coming off the trees, you can put a blower on the front or a sweeper to push them out of the way. Then when it becomes winter and the snow falls, this sweeper can be used as a snow blower to get rid of snow on the sidewalks. So it's like having two machines in one, which saves us money. When it does snow, we put on the cab to keep us out of the element.
There is one major problem with this mower. Since it's constructed of sheet metal, it rattles almost non stop. They say that they don't shake when they are new, or if they are taken well care of, but this one can make you sick from all the noise and movement. Unless you run it at full throttle, it will make lots of noise, and this is a very aggravating problem we face when driving this mower. With this being said, I give it a 6 out of 10, since it does a good job with flat surface, but between the constant rattling and the inability to go up most any slope, I have to be rough on this mower. It cost around 15,000 dollars so it's quite expensive itself.
1 comment:
These units diesel units shake at idle but you are supposed to work the tractors at 3200 rpm or so. That's where you get your power in a hydro... And, these are fantastic mowers on slopes if you use the weight transfer lever and/or the axle lock on your left floor board. We are in the heart of Steiner country and you would not believe the places that the 230 will mow. I'll take this over any rear drive compact tractor any day for mowing. At 5 acres an hour, few Z's can keep up.
One note in your post, the tractor is rear steer, not rear drive. Cool site. Later.
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