Best Riding Lawn Mowers?

Which is the best riding lawn mower?

First let's differentiate between riding mowers and ride-on mowers . A riding mower has a rear engine and the operator rides on the mower. A ride-on mower has the engine in front and is called a lawn tractor. If it can do more, for example use attachments for snow blowing, it's called a garden tractor.

There are two types of riding mowers, zero turn and conventional. Zero turn mowers waste no movement at the end of the cut, unlike conventional mowers which have a 180 degree turn. Zero turn mowers are faster with speeds up to about 9 m.p.h. compared with 4 m.p.h. for conventional mowers. For more information see Riding mowers and Tractors Buying Guide

The big difference between conventional and zero-turn mowers is the price. Most conventional riders priced between $1,500 and $3,000 Zero turn mowers start at about $2,600 and go up to more than $7000.

Clearly zero turn mowers have many advantages over conventional mowers but if you're lawn is large and uninterrupted by shrubs, fences, trees etc. a conventional mower may be adequate (if a bit slower). With a large lawn filled with shrubs and other obstacles it may be worth budgeting for a more expensive zero turn mower.

A range of expert reviews from How Stuff Works is detailed below.