Here is a report from an A300 owner: I love it!
... I don't care what they say, every machine out there puts damage on grass, its just a matter of how much. As far as the A300, I just don't trust the four wheel steering in a heavy duty environment. What the repair costs would be, I don't want to know. There was a S300 with both tires and over tracks for pretty cheap on ebay. Bobcat would be my first choice.
No, my A300 DOES NOT put damage on the grass. At least if you are careful and use the floatation tires. 0, nada, none, and nothing. When I first got it, we removed a tree using a neighbors
freshly overseeded yard. No damage, no complaints, but we were
very careful.
Keep in mind that this is a BIG machine: it weighs over 8500 lbs. Even with floatation tires it will cause soil compaction, just like any truck. If you haul heavy logs over soft ground, of course you will leave depressions or ruts. Turf damage with torn crown, bare dirt: NONE. That is why I bought it, and it does a nice job. If you are a moron operator, and steer right-left-right-left without moving, it will mark little divots where the wheels are pivoting. Even then, it is not any worse than some guys do with zero turn mowers.
Repairs: over 1200 hrs on mine, no repairs yet, although we have replaced several front windows and a whole bunch of hydraulic couplers.
