Riding Lawn Mower Buying Guide

For those of us with huge expanses of grassy land that need regular maintenance, a simple push mower is simply not going to cut it. The deck space isn’t nearly large enough to get the job done quickly and you’re bound to run out of gas or batteries before you’re even halfway through your property. Riding lawn mowers are a great choice when it comes to large-scale landscaping needs. If you’re trying to tend to a big lawn, park or golf course, or any plot of grass that’s over half an acre in breadth, you’ll want to invest in a riding lawn mower to reduce strain on you and get the job done both quickly and well.

Your local riding lawn mower dealership is Birkey's Farm Store, which has 17 locations throughout Illinois and Indiana to serve our customers. We’ve created this guide to buying a riding lawn mower to take some of the stress out of determining the type of mower you need, as it’s a big investment and you want to make the right choice.

Size of Lawn

The size of your lawn and the type of terrain are two important factors to take into consideration when purchasing a riding lawn mower. For a very small lawn, you won’t want to invest in a large-scale industrial mower that can’t take tight turns or navigate your space well. Conversely, if you have a massive property and you invest in a little lawn tractor, mowing all that grass will take you a very long time and multiple passes to get the job done well.

Deck Width

Deck width is one of the properties that can change depending on the size of lawn you’re mowing. Most riding lawn mowers have deck widths that range from 30” to 60”. A narrower deck width will mean that the mowing will take longer as less ground is covered in one sweep, but you’ll also be able to traverse around trees, bushes and other landscape details more easily. Wide decks of over 50” are more suited to commercial enterprises and open spaces without obstacles in the way. Additionally, if you have very uneven or hilly terrain on your property, a smaller mower is better for navigating all the obstacles and going over hills.

Types of Riding Mowers

You’ll want to familiarize yourself with the various types of riding lawn mowers available to you. First up are lawn tractors, which, as their name suggests, are tractors with a mowing attachment made for home and garden use on small properties. These mowers are fairly rugged and able to tow other equipment and use attachments for other purposes, like leaf collection and seed spreading. Lawn tractors can usually cover anything from half an acre to over two acres of land. Garden tractors are similar to lawn tractors but have more powerful engines and heavier duty transmissions capable of tackling even more acreage.

Zero turn mowers use front caster wheels that allow them to pivot at sharper angles than lawn or garden tractors, making them ideal for cutting closely around flower beds and trees. This also makes them great at landscaping tasks, although they are less suited to multi-purpose use than lawn or garden tractors. Zero turn mowers also offer a high forward speed to traverse open areas very quickly, reducing your time spent on the lawn.

Accessories

Depending on your needs and mowing style, you may want to invest in certain accessories and attachments to get your work done more quickly. Some mowers are capable of bagging your grass clippings so you can keep the lawn clean, although you may have to stop to empty it often while mowing big lawns. Other mowers have a mulching capability that redistributes the chopped-up grass to add nutrients to the soil, which is great for shorter grass and regular mowing schedules. Still, others simply deposit the clippings straight back onto the lawn which is fine for coarse, tall grass, although if you want the clippings off the lawn, you’ll have to rake them after.

Other available attachments for riding lawn mowers include leaf collection bags, seed and fertilizer spreaders, snowblowers and tow attachments for hauling heavy equipment. You should determine what your needs for your property are all year round to figure out what mower will best suit them.

Now that you’re armed with more information, you’re ready to make a decision that will save you both time and energy when maintaining your grass. Visit our dealership to see our array of ride on mowers, including zero turn mowers as well as other styles. Birkey’s Farm Store serves all of Illinois and Indiana with our many convenient locations.