Riding Lawn Mowers
There is nothing that says "overkill" like somebody with a small urban lot and a 22 hp riding mower.
Mower Decks
They are available as mid cut (the cutting blades are below the center of the mower) or front cut (the mower deck sits in front of the tractor)
On large lawns, particularly if not in the South, grass cuttings are usually not collected, but cut so fine they are left as a mulch.
Advantages of Each Kind
Front cut riding mowers are easy to maneuver around contoured beds, trees and any other obstacles in your lawn.
Mid cut mower decks are ideal for long swathes of straight grass or multi-purpose machines (blowing snow etc)
Buying Considerations
Horsepower
The ride on lawn mowers advantage in horsepower is directly related to the type of mowing that needs to be done. The bigger the lawn, the more horsepower you'll need. The bigger the mowing deck, the more horsepower you'll need (bigger lawns require bigger decks) If you want to blow snow, then by all means move up to the larger units that will easily handle a two-stage blower.
If the job calls for cutting of tall grass and weeds the bigger horsepower can make a real difference in time and results.
Try to keep horsepower in balance because ride on lawn mowers with a lot of horsepower doesn’t guarantee a smooth cut of your lawn.
In my case, I cut an acres of nursery lawn and pulled nursery carts with a 16-hp lawn tractor and that machine lasted over 25 years. It was a high-end machine to start with (an older Wheel Horse) and when it finally died, it was a sad day around the gardens.
My current unit is a 23-hp Deere but I have 9 acres of developing gardens to operate and this does the main amount of heavy lifting as well as big mowing areas. I use smaller push mowers around the main gardens and smaller landscaping areas.
Maneuverability
The kind of mowing that requires a lot of turning and negotiating around obstacles makes some models of riding lawn mowers ideal for homeowners. A zero turn mower may not be necessary for your lawn but certainly a tight turning mower can make negotiating around obstacles a breeze.
If considering a zero-turn mower keep in mind they can tear up your grass on tight turns and slopes.
Quality of Construction
This is the unpopular part of the article. When my old Wheelhorse died, I went looking for another one but a quick look at the current machines quickly showed they had been "dumbed down" and made a lot cheaper. The old Wheelhorse company had been sold and the new owner didn't make 'em like they used to.
I looked at mowers in big box stores and discovered an interesting truth. Recognized brands such as John Deere produce a mower that is cheaply made with light steel for sale solely in these box stores. They are not the same machines sold in J.D. dealerships. A real John Deere from a dealership (heavy steel frames, heavy duty motor etc) is going to be about 35% more money than the cheaper units from the box stores. The difference is that the dealer model will last 20 years, the box store unit won't. The harder you use them (i.e. the more grass you cut or snow you blow - the shorter the box store brands will last) They are simply not built to last - they're built to sell.
And yes, I wound up buying a commercial grade John Deer diesel machine and it's the last gas lawn mower I'll ever own.
Servicing.
Ah the bugbear of all riding lawn mower enthusiasts. There will come a day when that mower won't start or that bearing will fail.
I'm a big fan of buying from a recognized dealer so that when I need service, I can walk in (with his sticker on my machine) and go to the front of the service line. (Make sure your dealer does this for his own machines)
Bottom Line
Bigger horsepower machines have their place but the reality is that if you need a riding lawn mower, then you need to spend enough money to buy a good one. Forget the box stores and find an independent dealer selling a good brand.
Doug saying goodbye to his beloved "Wheel" - lawn tractor
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