There are a lot of factors when picking the right tool to do the job and Riding Lawn Mowers are no exception. In this HowTo we will look at some of the features that make a big difference in your selection process and hopefully give you enough information that you can ask better questions of your sales person before you make a buy.
The first consideration is the size of your property. Most residential and even light commercial mowers are designed for properties of 5 acres or less. The size is really a matter of how much area can be cut in a reasonable amount of time. You could push mow 25 acres if you had to but it would probably take you a couple months. No one really wants to be cutting their lawn for more than a couple hours maximum per week so this is where this choice comes in.
Riding Mowers For Smaller Properties
For smaller properties of 2 acres or less you can use pretty much the smallest riding mowers on the market. Those mowers come with about a 30 inch blade width and may come in gasoline or newer models come with Lithium Ion Batteries. Honestly when you are talking about battery operated riding mowers you really should only go with them if your property is less than 1 acre. Yes you could mow a larger lawn with a battery operated mower but at the time of writing these mowers don’t have enough life in their batteries to cut a lawn that might have a number of bushes, trees or other obstacles that can increase your cutting time. You could buy additional batteries but they tend to be very expensive. Maybe in a few years this will improve. For the gasoline powered smaller riding mowers you normally have a 30 inch cutting blade area and a 15 horse power engine. The smaller blade diameter can be an advantage for people that have complex lawns with lots of bushes and trees to navigate while it is still much larger than an average push mower. If you have a property of 2 acres or less then you can expect your cutting time to be a couple of hours.
Riding Mowers for Medium Sized Properties
For medium sized properties of 2 to 5 acres then you want to go with a larger blade size. Normal blade selection for a medium size property would be in the 42 to 48 inch width and may be either a single or double blade deck system. It is good to remember that the complexity and additional parts of a double blade or even triple blade system can increase your cost to maintain your equipment. Often simple is better when picking any tool and its a good thing to keep in mind when you are looking at Riding Lawn Mower Options. After you have decided on the size of your blade you will need to match it with an engine. The larger the riding mower and blade size means the larger engine you will need to operate it well. Riding Mowers of this size normally come with engines up to about 21 horse power. The style of mower is also an option and you can go with either a conventional front engine design or a zero turn design. A mid size zero turn model is normally at the bottom range of zero turn mowers and if you have a good sized property you might want to move up to a Larger sized Riding mower because the price difference is not too much and the quality should normally be better.
Riding Mowers For Large Sized Properties
For properties over 5 acres in size you really need a powerful mower or you will be spending a very long time cutting your grass. If you are talking about managing a field then you should probably go directly to small to medium sized tractors that have rear pull mowing decks. However if you have a large property of managed grass that is normally kept under a foot in height at all times then you are still in the area of Riding Lawn Mowers. As we stated previously the most important part of your mower will be your deck size and the path width that a single pass of your riding mower can cut. You are really looking at 48 inches or 4 feet wide as your minimum deck width and larger will just be better. Commonly a 54 inch can be found on a conventional front engine riding mower but for larger decks you are going to be looking at zero turn or commercial style riding mowers. Your engine size will also increase from 24 to 35 horse power and commercial mowers might run off of diesel and not gasoline. It will depend on your manufacturer and what your needs are but for larger riding mowers you should expect to pay a much higher price.
Riding Mower Engine Manufacturers
There are a variety of different manufacturers of engines that are used in riding lawn mowers and the manufacturer of the riding mower normally won’t be the same as the manufacturer of the engine that powers it. For smaller to medium sized engines the Briggs and Stratton brand is very popular. They are a very old manufacture that has been building small engines for lawnmowers for many decades. Larger sized engines are normally provided by Kohler. They are relatively new when compared to Briggs and Stratton but they have been around for a very long time and they manufacture other products like faucets. Honda Engines can be found on their own products and on a number of other products. They are considered to be one of the better brands of riding mower engines but they come with a premium price. In addition to these three top brands there are a half a dozen more that you may or may not know the names of.
When picking a riding mower you can normally pick the brand of mower and then you will be locked into their selection of engine. If you would like to go with a different brand engine then you will need to pick a different brand riding mower and sometimes the choice is very difficult. Do you go with a mower that you like or an engine that you like. The type of engine can often be a deciding factor over the base mower.
Purchasing A Used Riding Lawnmower
We have tried to touch on some of the factors that are most important to your selection of your next riding lawn mower.
The biggest considerations will be the size property vs the size of your cutting deck. After that other considerations such as engine brand and size will be important and then what might be the biggest consideration is the cost.
For many people cost is the deciding factor and they will choose to purchase a used riding lawn mower over a new one because they just don’t have the money to spend. If this is the case in your purchase then you must also consider that any used riding mower will likely require servicing either immediately before use or within a short period of time. Some things that should be done immediately is changing the Oil and filter if your engine has one, your spark plug, changing the air filter and gas filter, changing the belts and sharpening or replacing the cutting blades. You may also need to replace bearings and spindles used in your deck much sooner than if you purchased a new riding lawn mower. These costs can add up especially if you won’t be doing the work. However basic parts must be replaced when you first get your used riding lawn mower because it is part of the inspection process and will make sure your riding lawn mower is ready for safe use.
When pricing a used riding lawn mower you should subtract 10% for each year of its life so if your riding lawn mower has a retail price of $1,850 then you want to subtract $185 for each year it has been used. If there are any known problems with it then you should subtract the total cost of making those repairs. So if your $1850 riding lawn mower is 7 years old and needs the belts replaced you should subtract $1,295 for its age and $60 for belts for a minimum of $1,355 deduction for an offer price of about $495 if there is any other damage such as a torn seat, worn tires, worn blades or whatever it might be you should take it into account and offer less. Unfortunately sellers don’t want to accept what is a fair price for their riding lawn mower because they think its worth more. Maybe it is worth more in your area because there are so few used ones to be purchased. On the other hand if you are going to pay more for something than it is worth you better be sure it is what you want and in good condition.
Final Notes
Whether you have a small property or a large farm, whether you are buying new or used, the most important thing about a riding lawn mower is your ability to use it safely. If you have never used one before the amount of noise they put off can be disturbing and depending on how your mower’s transmission works it can be an easy or extreme transition in trying to cut your own lawn.
For that reason its important to test your riding lawn mower before you purchase one and decide if you can feel comfortable operating it safely. Its like driving a stick shift car or a motorcycle but the thing is there are a lot of different options out there so everyone can find a good match.
Ask a neighbor to let you drive theirs first or make sure you get enough training by your seller so you know how to operate your riding mower safely.