Most dependable lawn mowers. Best Riding Mower Reviews | Review Lawn Tractors Side by Side

Welcome to the one and only riding lawn mower buying guide you need to look at, before you bite the bullet and buy one yourself.

Here’s what I did to make this the most thorough guide out on the internet. Believe me most websites want to sell one of these instead of simply reviewing it, so there are very few unbiased opinions out there.

I researched all the best selling riding lawn mowers on Lowes, Home Depot, and Sears websites for this comparison guide. Each mower is listed below with the data you need to make a proper buying decision. I actually used this data to buy my own riding mower, wait till you hear about how my purchase went from really good to really bad, and what I did to fix the situation.

The Only Data Really Worth Mowing Over:

Pros and Cons by Model # (Discover cool features and reliability problems.) Currently I’m still sifting through hundreds of reviews, but I will be posting the pros and cons very soon. Remember you will still have access to the most popular data people use to choose a lawn tractor, such as deck size, horsepower, brand, total reviews, average review rating, and of course price. My pros and cons section will be very insightful and loaded with info you can only learn by reading a ton of customer reviews.

Total Customer Reviews (Top sellers usually indicate a good product.)

Average Review Ratings (A good riding mower should rate well.)

Cost Where to Buy (Click on the model and go right to the retailer who sells it the most).

So these are the basics I used to create this buying guide. I suggest to any serious buyers that they read the latest customer reviews on the mower they’re considering. This is easily done by simply clicking on the hyperlinked model name above each tractor photo. Once clicked, a new page or tab will open where you can finalize your opinion by reading what others have complained or praised about. If you want to continue shopping simply close that window to go back to this buying guide.

Without further waiting I present to you that 2015 list of the best selling riding lawn mowers at Home Depot, Lowes, Sears retailers.

19 Horsepower

Automatic Transmission

4.3 out of 5

A19A42 42 in. 19 HP Briggs Stratton Automatic Gas Front-Engine Riding Mower

20 Horsepower

Automatic Transmission

4.4 out of 5

Ariens A20VA46 46 in. 20 HP V-Twin Briggs Stratton Automatic Gas Front-Engine Riding Mower

20 Horsepower

Hydrostatic Transmission

4.6 out of 5

17.5 Horsepower

Automatic Transmission

4.2 out of 5

John Deere D105 42 in. 17.5 HP Automatic Front-Engine Riding Mower

22 Horsepower

Hydrostatic Transmission

4.3 out of 5

John Deere D140 48 in. 22 HP V-Twin Hydrostatic Front-Engine Riding Mower

19 Horsepower

Automatic Transmission

3.5 out of 5

Cub Cadet LTX1040 42 in. 19-HP Front-Engine Automatic Drive Riding Mower

19 Horsepower

Hydrostatic Transmission

4.3 out of 5

John Deere Model # D110 42 in. 19 HP Hydrostatic Front-Engine Riding Mower

25 Horsepower

Hydrostatic Transmission

4.3 out of 5

John Deere D170 54 in. 25-HP V-Twin Hydrostatic Front-Engine Riding Mower

19 Horsepower

Automatic Transmission

4.3 out of 5

Ariens A19A42 42 in. 19 HP Briggs Stratton Automatic Gas Front-Engine Riding Mower

20 Horsepower

Automatic Transmission

4.3 out of 5

Ariens 46 in. 20 HP V-Twin Briggs Stratton Automatic Gas Front-Engine Riding Mower

24 Horsepower

Hydrostatic Transmission

4.5 out of 5

Husqvarna YTH24V48 V-Twin Hydrostatic 48-in Riding Lawn Mower with Briggs Stratton Engine and Mulching Capable

22 Horsepower

Hydrostatic Transmission

4.3 out of 5

John Deere D130 V-Twin Hydrostatic 42-in Riding Lawn Mower with Briggs Stratton Engine and (Mulching Capable)

22 Horsepower

Hydrostatic Transmission

4.3 out of 5

Husqvarna YTH22V46 V-Twin Hydrostatic 46-in Riding Lawn Mower with Briggs Stratton Engine and Mulching Capable

15.5 Horsepower

Hydroc Transmission

3.8 out of 5

Troy-Bilt Pony Shift-on-the-Go 42-in Riding Lawn Mower with Briggs Stratton Engine and Mulching Capable

17 Horsepower

Automatic Transmission

3.7 out of 5

Troy-Bilt Bronco Automatic 42-in Riding Lawn Mower with Kohler Engine and Mulching Capable

19 Horsepower

Automatic Transmission

4.0 out of 5

Craftsman 19HP Briggs Stratton 46” Riding Mower

420cc ? Horsepower

Automatic Transmission

3.5 out of 5

Craftsman 420cc 42 Riding Mower Front Engine

19 Horsepower

Hydrostatic Transmission

4.5 out of 5

Craftsman 19HP 42” Turn Tight® Riding Mower

22 Horsepower

Automatic Transmission

4.0 out of 5

Craftsman 22HP 42” Turn Tight® Fast Riding Mower

Comparing Riding Mower Features and Options List

Hours Meter. A analog or digital counter that logs total amount of hours on machine.

Deck Size: Typical residential deck sizes range from 42 to 46. A larger deck will allow you to save time. This is especially useful for people that have to mow lawns of 1 acre and above.

Transmission Types:

6 Speed. Just like a manual transmission on a car, a lawn tractor can be outfitted with a manual transmission. Typical usage requires the engagement of a clutch to change gearing. Riding the clutch to assist in braking will wear down the clutch as in a regular car. I’ve noticed several complaints throughout the years about clutches wearing out prematurely, and based on the other reviewers, I have concluded that most of the clutch problems stated in reviews are most likely user error generated.

To Clutch or not To Clutch Ride is the Question and a reoccurring topic on Car Talk with Click and Clack, The Tapport Borthers. If you’re a car nut like I am, you need to check out the NPR Peabody Award winning radio talk show online. I routinely download episodes using a tunein.com app onto my Samsung Galaxy (soon to be replaced S4. I’ll be doing a Smartphone Consideration article soon. I’m mostly looking to acquire the best virtual assistant in my next Smartphone and Cortana from Microsoft Windows 10 is looking really promising. BTW: Sign up for a Microsoft Windows 10 Technical Preview and download the new beta version operating system for free.). http://www.cartalk.com/

Automatic Transmission. Automatic transmissions work similarly to what you will find in a Ford Explorer 6-speed SelectShift Automatic or a Hyundai Elantra 6 speed automatic.

Variable or CVT Transmission. A gear-less transmission, single speed transmission, or one speed automatic are all part of the nomenclature a constant variable transmission (CVT ) is known for.

Hydrostatic Transmission. An internal pump and motor drive system where hydraulic oil pushes out pistons and it’s those pushed out pistons that cause the motor to turn. With this type of transmission there are only 2 pedals on the floor board and no gear lever. Pressing the go pedal firmly causes the mower to reach full speed, pressing it lightly causes the mower to move slowly, kind of like a car. The reverse pedal works the same way, the only thing that changes is that pressing it causes an opposite set of pistons to turn the motor in reverse. This is typically a sealed system that is not meant to be serviced.

Why Buy A Front Engine Riding Mower Instead of a Self-propelled Lawn Mower?

Once again I did my over the top OCD research, because we just bought a house with too much land for a typical self-propelled lawn mower to handle.

Our property is only a half acre but it’s not perfectly flat, and it takes hours to mow with a standard lawn mower. Since I can’t waste time, because I’m always working on making videos and articles for you guys, I simply had no choice but to abandon the self-propelled Honda mower I picked from my other guide, and decided to allocate 4 x more money for a lawn tractor.

At first I hated the idea of spending 2,000 on a lawn mower, but after I used it to cleanup an entire yard full of leaves with minimal effort and actual fun, the money factor became less of an issue for me. I actually can’t wait to mow my lawn this year, and clean up the leaves using the riding mower I found by doing this OCD research. I hope you guys like it, and share it in your social sphere because if it wasn’t for you guys doing that for me, I wouldn’t be making these in-depth buying guides and how-to videos.

This fall I went to Glastonbury Home Depot to buy one of the last tractors that was still in a crate in Connecticut. The guy helping me knew very well why I drove 30 minutes to his store when I have one 5 minutes away from my house. It was because I wanted a brand new untouched machine.

What happened was that a few days later a guy comes to my house and delivers a machine that’s been sitting outside at Bristol Home Depot for months. They did not even bother cleaning any dirt or leaves off the machine. I was pissed off, because I didn’t originally have plans to spend two grand on a lawn tractor and I can’t imagine what putz would deliver something so expensive in such bad shape. When you spend 100 on a brand new product, you expect that product to be clean and in it’s original packaging right. then what the heck were these morons doing that day?

But the icing on the cake was that they gave me someone’s returned bagger that was missing parts, a manual, and it was disgustingly dirty; it looked like it was used for years prior to the return. Well, after my wife calmed me down, I called Glastonbury HD, spoke to a manager, they apologized, then scheduled a pickup and a delivery of the crated tractor, and a brand new bagger from Glastonbury, which was hand delivered by the store manager. They wanted to cheap out on the delivery cost at Glastonbury, and Bristol HD just had a careless manager and employees working that day.

Most of the time they get it right, but when they don’t you have to talk to someone that can do something about it. This year I literally spent a small fortune at these stores remodeling our house, and dealt with more than one headache. But one time, I made a mistake in ordering the wrong whirlpool tub, and it sat at my house for months before I opened the box. I called HD up, and they had that thing on a truck the very next day to process the return. I ended up upgrading that tub to something better at a different store instead. I’m not so sure it would go this smoothly at a small mom and pop shop who already spent your money on their overhead costs the month you bought it.

Most dependable lawn mowers

We own a 400 acre farm and do about 40 hours mowing a week (average) across the season. So if you are looking for a really hands-on practical review of the best residential and commercial zero turn lawn mowers then you are in the right place.

If you want that ‘professional’ landscaped look, cut with ease, then you need a zero turn mower – there is nothing better on the market for speed.

I don’t do ‘unboxing’ reviews – this is a 100 hour review of zero turn mowers AFTER years of owing them.

Beware of anyone telling you ‘this’ or ‘that’ is the best zero turn mower. To coin an old phrase, it’s horse for courses. Meaning, what works best for one, might not be best for another.

Questions you need to ask yourself before committing to buying are:

How much grass do I want to mow? ½ acre, 5 acres or 25?

How quickly do I want to mow it? The difference between upgrading the deck size to a larger size could be thousands but an extra few inches on the deck over ½ acre will give you time savings of next to nothing. Whereas over 5 acres that could save an hour’s time. Is that of value or not…?

Is the ground all flat, or do you have to mow a hill or gradient? Are you comfortable adjusting for this manually?

You could buy the cheap small deck zero turn Toro mower from Home Depot, mow 1 acre each week, doing about 40 cuts a year (from March to October), maintain it well, keep it in immaculate condition and have no issues for 10 years.

That same mower could come to our farm, do a full day’s work mowing 15 acres, clog up, blow a piston, leak oil everywhere and wind up dying a death there and then. As I said, it’s horses for courses.

The other issue is zero turn mower choice. There are now loads of zero turn mower brands that 10-15 years ago did not exist. All they have done is pick a bright color to best represent their brand. Green with John Deere was already taken and Scag and Husqvrana have orange etc. Then all they have done is take a stock Briggs Stratton engine or a Kawasaki, used all the same stock imported parts and have ‘built’ a mower brand?

Yes the engine is important – it’s vitally important, but there are SO MANY moving parts on a zero turn lawn mower – it’s not just about the engine.

The other big issue with zero turn mowers is the reviews, I read a couple on Google, which everyones appeared first, I wasn’t being picky and honestly I don’t think 90% of these reviews are genuine.

I’ve spent years on mowers across our 400 acres! Literally years – I’ve stopped measuring it hours. And because we now have a wedding venue on our farm we have to do even more mowing.

Before I was able to do a huge amount with the tractor mower. Now we keep the place like a golf course. So whilst i’m still learning, i’ve got practical hands on experience on zero turn mowers (amongst other mowers). Not only that, anything I’m recommending, I’ve not just used – I bought and own!

Best Top Pick Residential Zero Turn Mower: The Dependable Husqvarna Z254F

What Engine Do Husqvarna Use In Their Zero Turn Mowers?

I’m just going to run through the model names of the Husqvarna zero turn mowers, as they are confusing.

MZ54 – 24HP Kawasaki Engine

Z248F – 21.5HP Kawasaki Engine

Z242F – 18HP Kawasaki Engine

However when you look at the Husqvarna website or phone up the dealer it gets a little bit more confusing. Some of the models listed above can come with a Kohler engine, a Briggs Stratton or Yamaha engine too. So essentially with some models you can choose whether you want the Kawasaki, Yamaha, Briggs Stratton engine or a Kohler engine.

Now obviously the Kohler engines are the weaker of those engines. issues are reported on them and they are made in China. So ideally, you want the Kawasaki, Yamaha or the Stratton engine on your zero turn Husqvarna as they are bullet-proof and will do hundreds, even thousands of hours of work.

I love Briggs Stratton and run those engines in other mowers we have, but went with the Kawasaki simply because it was the same engine that we had ran in the Scag mower for over 10 years without a hiccup.

And because the Husqvarna zero turn mowers are most expensive when you opt for the Stratton engines and considering when they deliver the same HP it was money for nothing in my opinion. I know I could have just offended a few hardcore Stratton fans here (and heck im one of them!).

Another thing is, if you look at Husqvarnas commercial zero turn lawn mowers they actually have 13 models from 22HP up to 31HP. Here’s the thing, 10 of those 13 models have the Kawasaki engine on them. That should signify to you that Husky themselves back the Kawasaki engines more than the other engine brands.

Infact if you look even further afield from Husky – Toro, DeWALT, Cub Cadet Beast all use the Kawasaki engine. Says it all doesn’t it.

Does the Husqvarna Z254F Deliver on Power?

The Z254F has a 23HP and that is an excellent size for all residential uses, it gives you plenty of grunt and this mower is never lacking in power regardless of the grass height you’re cutting.

The highest level you can put this on is level 6. This will leave the grass cut at 4 inches. I can have it on this setting and even go and bush hog with it, albeit slowly, but this unit will handle anything even if it’s slightly damp, which when in long grass it usually is around the base. I can bush hog 2ft high grass, sometimes grass even as high as a fence post with no problems.

So whilst they state it’s for residential use, you could use this for light commercial work. But it works best for residential, plus if you don’t want to mow your property (or have alot of it) that often, then this would be the ideal Husky model choice.

Drive System: Hydrostatic Made by ‘HydroGear’

Best in the business, for this application. Yes there are better drive systems out there but they are on mowers that are starting from around the 6,000 price range. HydroGear mass produces the hydrostatic drive system in high volumes and it works really well and is perfect for residential grade mowers. Very little complaints for me and others on this.

Oil Air Filters

Again why this is great for residential properties is the maintenance is easy and everything can be accessed very quickly. You can access the oil, oil filter and air filter easily, at the back of the engine. And if you are doing heavy work on this mower then you will need to blow out or quickly clean the air filter before each use. This will improve engine longevity as it can breathe easier and then wont get as hot. The cooler the engine stays the less oil you’ll burn through too.

Oil and filter changes – I’m not sure what the recommended procedure is here, that’s somewhere in the service book, but the point I want to make is that it doesn’t require any more or any less than other zero turn mowers. Once a year for the oil and the filter is what we do and that’s with heavy usage.

Belts

In the cutting deck are 3 blades which are driven by belts. Anything that’s belt driven means wear and tear and eventually all good things come to an end. The belts should last about 1000 hours of medium to heavy use. Plus they are only rubber so they are cheap and easy to replace which is good news.

Those belts drive the 3 blade mower deck and each blade is powered by an individual bearing and each individual bearings or ‘mandrels’ to be precise, can be separately greased. So it’s nice and simple to maintain, but it’s important to keep on top of that greasing. Plus it’s easy to access all the belts and mandrels underneath the metal panel where your feet rest. So you don’t have to try and crawl under the machine.

Gas Tank

3.5 gallons Husqvarana state is the fuel tank’s max capacity. I haven’t worked out an exact miles per gallon on this mower but I can mow 3 acres and still have about ⅓ of the tank left. Maybe even half left, if it’s a regular cut. So for its size and cutting capabilities it is actually very fuel efficient.

Front Light

The front light is awesome and it’s mounted on a sturdy metal bracket. I mention this because if you’re going to scratch, dink or crash this mower it will be from the front – exactly where the light is. So the good news is the light is on a heavy duty metal bracket that, if the worst happens, can be bent back up into place. Rest easy we all have, at one point scratched a mower.

The other great feature about the design is that the tires are the widest part. If you have been on a zero turn mower before you will know that the sides at the back always get scratched to hell from fence posts, gate posts, trees or bushes. Well with this model the tires keep you out of trouble!

Bagger

It does not come with a bagger, this is extra and costs cicra 500.

Vinyl High Back Chair

Also the chair, I have to mention the chair, as it’s really comfortable with a higher back as standard made from vinyl so it’s completely waterproof too. Plus next to the chair is a cup holder which is great if you plan to be out for hours. Little features but they make all the difference when you’re actually mowing.

Tires

The standard tires that come with it are ample. The tread is aggressive enough to get you anywhere sensible and back again. You could spin the wheels on this mower if you wanted to, there is enough torque to do that on damp grass. But you could upgrade the tires to say 20 inches but I dont think a different tread pattern is necessary.

Top Tip: If you ever find yourself slipping in a zero turn mower then let some air out the tyres and this will improve your grip by about 50%. Hopefully this should get you out of trouble. BUT whilst it improves grip it does use more fuel.

Should You Upgrade To Something Bigger?

The next level up from the Z254F is the Husqvarna MZ54. The MZ54 comes with these improved features:

• 24HP Engine vs the Z254F’s 23HP
• 4 Years or 400 ‘Homeowner’ hour warranty. So an upgrade of 1 year from the Z254F. But it also comes with a 4 year or 400 hours ‘commercial’ warranty. The Z254F is not covered for any commercial usage.
• 8.5MPH Max Forward Speed vs the Z254F’s 6.5MPH
• 13 Cutting Height Steps (with the highest cut height being 4.5 inches) vs just 6 steps and a max cut height of 4 inches with the Z254F.
• 5 Gallon Fuel Tank (vs 3.5 Gallons on the Z254F)
• Higher back, premium chair with armrests.
• ROPS (Roll Over Protection System) the Z254F doesn’t have this system.
• Foot operated deck lifting system vs the Z254F’s manual, hand operated system

The Husqvarna MZ54 Is The Best Zero Turn Mower For Hills

What’s great about Husqvarna mower decks are the rollers on the front. These make it great for mowing and if you have hills, even small ones, this will probably clinch it for you.

Going up the hills and mowing along the side of them is so much easier as you’re not slamming the front of the deck into the hill when you’re trying to mow up it. This is coming from someone who has torn a mower deck off before and I had to weld it back on. Honestly.

The other reason this model is the best if you have hills is simply it has ROPS. The Roll Over Protection System means if you did have an accident on a hill and rolled the machine you have protection there. ROPS is the ‘n’ shaped sturdy metal bar that arches over the seat.

Although zero turn mowers are wider and more squat with a lower center of gravity vs a standard ride-on mower; on steep hills all mowers are easily flipped. So with the Husqvarna MZ54 which has ROPS at least you’re covered.

Husqvarna Zero Turn Mower Con’s

I do have one ‘con’ of the Husqvarna range of zero turn mowers and it’s only small. There is no zerk grease nipple on each of the front tires like there is on Scag mowers. Like I said it’s only a small point and you can still grease the front tyre spindle. I just fire it up there with the grease gun, but it would be better with a grease nipple – in my humble opinion.

But as for cons, that’s about it – this mower is a bullet proof, tank of a workhorse!

UPDATE: On the 2022 models there are now Zerk grease nipples!

What Zero Turn Mower Should I Buy?

I want to say that any website that asks you what acreage you have to mow and then makes a recommendation for a machine from that; is nonsense. If any mower can mow 2 acres then it can mow 4 acres – it just takes twice the time.

Whilst this sounds silly to say, it’s true. Because if you naively ask any sales person or manufacturer: What do I need?

The answer will always be the bigger, best and most expensive. It’s their job to sell and upsell – don’t fall for it!

All anyone means when they recommend a machine based on the acreage you have to mow is recommending it based on the time it will take. Instead buying criteria should be engine, engine size, mower deck size, tyre size etc.

That’s all true unless you want to buy an electric zero turn mower. Then everything changes due to the limitations of the battery life. You choose the model directly by the acres you can mow from a single charge. We cover the best electric zero turn mowers below.

John Deere Zero Turn Mowers

Although in second place on this list they aren’t really. Infact, truth be told they have some features that are better than the Husqvarnas, and they are very worthy of a place on this list.

I’ve used John Deere for years, actually decades from their tractors to their mowers and they have always made incredibly robust, well designed and competitively priced machines built for hard work.

It does come down to only two zero turn John Deere models though. Those are the Z365R and the Z375R.

The John Deere Z375R has the 25HP engine and the 54 inch mowing deck.

The John Deere Z365R has the 24HP engine but only has a 48 inch mowing deck.

However despite the difference in engine size (albeit only 1HP) they both achieve max forward top speeds of 7MPH. So there is no difference in speed.

Both Deere models also have the same seats, caster tires, rear tires warranty. Both also have the same fuel tank capacity and ‘V Twin’ engines.

Not that those V twin engines make any difference to the way it mows. This is simply a marketing ploy to ‘infer’ a difference. Instead of having two cylinders like the Husqvarna Kawasaki engines, they have 2 cylinders in the same housing, but in a ‘V’ shape. This is all ‘V-Twin’ means.

Which John Deere Should You Buy?

The Z375R has the 25HP engine and the 54 inch mowing deck, so this is much better for larger 2-5 acre properties.

Whereas whilst the Z356R has the 24HP engine it achieves the same speed with the same exact spec as mentioned above, but it will have less torque.

It also has the 48 inch mower deck, so 4 inches smaller than the Z375R. So this is ideal for smaller properties of 0-2 acres. This mower also has John Deere’s ‘Easy Change™ 30-Second Oil Change System’. It is essentially just a screw-on oil filter. But this makes it perfect for anyone who has limited DIY maintenance experience.

The price difference on Home Depot between the two models is only about 199, so there isn’t much in it. So getting the better Z375R will give you a better engine with more torque and faster mowing with the larger mowing deck. But the choice is yours…

John Deere Z375R Spec’s:

• ZTrak™ Mower with 54-in. Deck
• 25 HP (18.6 kW) V-Twin engine
• 54-in Accel Deep™ Mower Deck, compatible with optional MulchControl™ kit
• 18-in seat with armrests, rubber floor mats, foot lift, and premium control levers come standard
• 2-year/120-hour bumper-to-bumper warranty

How does the best zero turn John Deere mower compare against the best Husqvarna?

Husqvarna Z254F ‘Vs’ John Deere Z375R

This is a head to head review of the two mowers we have reviewed above.

Both have the same 54 inch mower deck (purposely chosen) so this will be a good side by side review.

Price

The John Deere is cheaper by around 100 bucks, so there isn’t much in it. Although 100 bucks isn’t to be sniffed at, it shouldn’t really affect a purchase of this size, especially when a bagger costs around 500 bucks.

Engine

The John Deere Z375R has the 25HP engine and the Husqvarna has the 23HP engine. Although the difference in max top forward speed between them is only 0.5MPH (the Deere is slightly faster.) I’ll argue that makes no difference.

I know from using GPS running mapping app ‘Strava’ that these two machines run, whilst cutting, at the same speed (as you can’t mow at top speed). So there is zero difference whilst actually working.

But digging deeper into the specs for both machines the Deere engine displacement is 44.2 cu in. (724 cc) whilst the Husky engine with 2 less HP, actually has 44.3 cu in. (726 cc). So about the same. Now, yes, Cc is the measure of displacement, whereas horsepower is the measurement of work. But nonetheless I like to know these things (Nerd Alert).

John Deere simply states the ‘Z375R has a 25-HP ELS John Deere branded engine’. So they don’t state which brand makes the engine which always concerns me; are you getting a Briggs Stratton or a Kohler or something else…?

Whereas with the Husky you know you’re getting a bullet-proof Kawasaki FR691V.

Warranty

This is probably one the biggest points for nearly everyone buying a large ticket item built for heavy work. You want to know the manufacturer stands behind their product and nothing symbolizes this more than the warranty length.

Husqvarna Z254F warranty is 3 years

John Deere Z375R warranty is 2 years

Drive System

The Husqvarna uses a single hydrostatic head made by HydroGear. The John Deere has a dual hydrostatic transmission.

Review Conclusion: Best Gas Zero Turn Mower For The Money

Should You Buy The John Deere Z375R or The Husqvarna Z254F?

As you can see from the above nothing really separates these two 54 inch zero turn mowers. For every point that the Husqvarna has better, John Deere arguably has one back.

Replacement oil, filters, belts and mandrels all cost about the same if using OEM products, so nothing really splits them here in terms of the price for ongoing maintenance and servicing.

And there is not really a difference between them whilst mowing, despite having differences in their specs. But I do like the fact Husky has the

• larger fuel tank
• better seat
• and a 50% longer warranty. This shows they really stand behind this mower.
• It’s also better than the Ariens 915279 IKON Limited because the Ariens the same price but only comes with the 21.5hp Kawasaki engine.

But the John Deere has dual hydrostatic transmission, bigger tires, comes with white glove delivery service and is slightly cheaper when buying from The Home Depot. And it’s a John Deere – this brand builds rock solid machines in Greeneville, TN.

Best Electric Zero Turn Lawn Mower: Ryobi

Hailed as the future of lawn mowers, this Ryobi is the Tesla for your backyard! It’s super efficient, very quiet and has enough battery power to mow up to 3.5 acres! Plus for the 42 inch deck version it’s around the same price on Home Depot as our favorite top two picks above (the Husqvarna Z254F the John Deere Z375R) so it’s a serious contender.

Ryobi Zero Turn Lawn Mower Spec’s:

• 75, 100 or 115 Ah Battery
• 4 or 5 Brushless Motors providing Superior Power Performance
• 42 or 54 Inch Steel Mower Deck
• Zero Emissions
• 3 Year Warranty
• No Gas, Spark Plugs, Filters, Belts or Fumes!
• Mower Deck is Adjustable for 12 Positions Cutting From 1.5-4.5 Inches

Cons Of Electric Lawn Mowers

With huge amounts of pro’s they do have one con I found whilst testing driving one for a week on loan from a dealer.

In the cold you will get less battery life and therefore be able to mow less than you usually could in the warm. Batteries, regardless of what they are or what they run, simply don’t like the cold.

I noted about a 10-20% drop in battery life one, admittedly very cold, morning.

However this is unlikely to affect the average homeowner as I was mowing ‘out of season’ whilst it was still cold.

Which John Deere S100 Riding Lawn Mower Should you Buy? | John Deere S100 Series Buying Guide

Also I kept it in our large barn. Had I kept the electric lawn mower in the garage on the side of the house it might not have gotten so cold and therefore the battery would have lasted longer.

25 Hour Review of The Electric Ryobi Zero Turn Lawn Mower

• I can mow an acre down to 2 inches in height for around 17 cents of electric!
• Try to maintain a fairly constant speed as this will prolong battery life. As when you slow down to speed up again it uses alot more juice.
• Slightly ‘dewy’ wet grass will use more battery power too.
• Adding on a bagger actually improved the battery run time.
• ‘Low speed cut’ button is great for regular weekly lawn cuts and saves on power.
• Seat is really comfortable.
• Very quiet – great for anyone who uses machines alot and is worried about hearing loss
• Loads of torque and is really zippy!
• LCD battery display and meter
• Really great precise professional landscaped look

Electric Ryobi vs Electric Cub Cadet

RYOBI has two models

• 42 in Electric Riding Zero Turn Mower (with either 75 or 100 Ah Batteries)
• 54 in. 48-Volt Brushless 115 Ah Battery Electric Riding Zero Turn Mower

So you can have the 42 inch deck model with either 75 Ah battery which are good for up to 2.5 acres with one charge. Or the 100 Ah battery which will cut up to 3 acres.

The upgraded version comes with a wider, 54 inch mower deck and a bigger 115Ah battery. This model is capable of cutting 3.5 acres from one charge.

CUB CADET has one electric model

• Ultima ZT1 42 in. 56-Volt MAX 60 Ah Battery Lithium-Ion Electric Drive Zero Turn Mower (they state this will cut up to 2 acres)

Cub Cadet doesn’t make a 54 inch mower to rival the Ryobi 54 inch deck electric mower.

Which Is Best: The Electric Ryobi or the Electric Cub Cadet

Well this answer is easy, just look at the on Home Depot.

The smaller 42 inch mower deck with just a 60Ah battery which will mow up to 2 acres made by Cub Cadet is the same price as the larger better Ryobi.

So for the same money buy the Ryobi and get nearly double the battery size which will mow up to 3.5 acres, a lot quicker, with its larger 54 inch deck.

EGO electric lawn mowers are great, like being on a futuristic spaceship, but i’m waiting for the price to come down, they are expensive!

Best Commercial Zero Turn Mower Brands Models

Ok so let’s have a look at who makes what mower for commercial use.

Toro

• Toro 42 in. 22.5 HP TimeCutter Commercial V-Twin Gas Dual Hydrostatic Zero-Turn Riding Mower with Smart Speed
• Toro 50 in. 24.5 HP TimeCutter IronForged Deck Commercial V-Twin Gas Dual Hydrostatic Zero Turn Riding Mower
• ToroTitan MAX 60 in. IronForged Deck 26 HP Commercial V-Twin Gas Dual Hydrostatic Zero Turn Riding Mower

DeWALT

• DeWALT X554 Commercial 54 in. 26 HP Kawasaki V-Twin FT730v EFI Series Engine Stand-On Dual Hydro Gas Zero Turn Lawn Mower
• DeWALT Z260 Commercial 60 in. 24 HP Kawasaki V-Twin FS730v Series Engine Dual Hydrostatic Gas Zero Turn Lawn Mower

Beast

• Beast 48 in. 20 HP Gas Powered by Briggs and Stratton Pro Engine Zero Turn Riding Mower with Rollbar (with Commercial Warranty)

John Deere

• John Deere Z530M 60 in. 24 HP V-Twin Gas Dual Hydrostatic Zero-Turn Riding Mower
• John DeereZ530R 60 in. 24 HP V-Twin Gas Dual Hydrostatic Zero-Turn Riding Mower

There isn’t a huge difference between these two Deere models but the Z530R is more expensive. So I’ve loaded both of them into the Home Depot comparison tool so you can see the differences for yourself. Check that out here.

Husqvarna

Husky, as you’d imagine, has 13 commercial zero turn models to choose from! Jump on their site and review the specs here

How Best To Best Drive A Zero Turn Mower

There are two simple things that will probably extend the lifespan of your mower by 2 or 3 times. One is oil and oil filter changes (along with any required greasing). A simple oil and filter change every so often will do wonders for your engine, engine oil is the life blood of any engine.

The second thing is don’t engage the mower blades whilst you have the engine at full revs. It just puts undue strain and stress on everything. Instead hold the revs at about 1/3rd, engage the blades then slowly increase the revs to the desired level.

The Best Lawn Mowers

A fter spending a whole season mowing a 4,300 square-foot lawn with self-propelled gas, electric and manual lawn mowers, we’ve selected the Honda – 21″ HRR216K9VKA as the best lawn mower. With a 160cc engine, the Honda’s cord-free, self-propelled operation gives you plenty of power to get through weeds and overgrowth. If you’ve got a smaller lawn and you don’t want to deal with gasoline and engine maintenance, the Greenworks – 22502 electric is a great option.

A fter spending a whole season mowing a 4,300 square-foot lawn with self-propelled gas, electric and manual lawn mowers, we’ve selected the Honda – 21″ HRR216K9VKA as the best lawn mower. With a 160cc engine, the Honda’s cord-free, self-propelled operation gives you plenty of power to get through weeds and overgrowth. If you’ve got a smaller lawn and you don’t want to deal with gasoline and engine maintenance, the Greenworks – 22502 electric is a great option.

The 6 lawn mowers we tested

Best self-propelled gas mower: Honda – 21″

Honda seems to have discontinued our winning pick but has released a new model that seems almost identical in features. The changes seem to be a different engine, adding 1 more height option, and a darker paint on the body. We have adjusted all the links to point towards the newer item.

Both models of self-propelled gas mower that we tested are well-built machines. This was a very close call, but Honda – 21″ has included design and ergonomic considerations that make it a better mower.

Honda has models in the 500 and 600 range which add features and functions you may be interested in: electric starting or the option to stop the blade and idle down the engine rather than shutting off and re-starting every time you need to stop, for example. We stuck to our 400 budget and feel confident that most will be happy with the performance of this machine on an average lawn like ours.

Top Pick: Honda. HRR216K9VKA 21

Honda’s small engines are rock-solid and reliable. Plenty of power and great design considerations — even the pull start was easy to use. If you need the power and speed of a self-propelled mower, this is your best bet for under 400.

Honda engines have a reputation for easy starting and this one is no exception. Even with just a pull-start (and needing to re-start every time we stopped to pick up a piece of debris), we never had any trouble getting this mower going.

Self-propelled mowers are heavy and can cause damage in wet soil when making a tight turn. Turning while in motion was very manageable on the Honda, but avoiding lawn damage with a heavy mower requires getting to know the wet spots on your lawn and developing a feel for the balance of the mower.

We tested the mowers in wet grass to see how they’d fare, and the Honda did stall on the wettest grass we tested — probably because the chute clogged up with the wet clippings we were bagging. Other reviewers claim their machine didn’t stall with wet grass, but very wet grass is definitely not something any mower is designed for.

After running electric mowers and manual mowers, the Honda was definitely louder, but it’s not like a straight-pipe Harley or a chainsaw.

Adjusting cutter height requires individual settings on each wheel — this is a bit annoying, but most people won’t have to adjust often.

Since the mower is pulling itself forward whenever the engine is going, variable speed control helps for working slowly around turns or near edges of a curb. Honda’s thumb-controlled walk-speed setting was easy to use and felt more natural than the “personal pace” adjuster on the Toro, which was another mower we tested.

Honda’s switch controlling the bagging/mulching flap is also nicer than the Toro’s lever, with a solid engagement that clicks reassuringly in place. Honda claims that their blade system cuts better with two blades, but with a yard the size of the one we tested it was difficult to tell the difference. Suffice it to say, the Honda and Toro both cut well.

The foldable handle has quick-release locks for folding and storing the handle, whereas the Toro uses spin-off fasteners that take more time. Honda also includes padding on the handles of their machine, where Toro leaves you with plastic.

We stored our mowers in a raised shed in the backyard. The shed isn’t super roomy, so storage size and maneuverability were something we noticed. At 84 pounds the Honda is still light enough to lift on its back wheels to roll in, but lifting it to move around in a tight space is noticeably more difficult than with the non-gas models.

Key takeaways:

• The Honda – 21″ HRR216K9VKA gave us trouble-free performance the first time and every time. No trouble with the pull-starter, the bagging system, or the blade adjustment.
• This mower is powerful enough to take on wet grass and mulches whatever twigs and leaves are on your lawn.
• While it’s hefty compared to electric or manual-powered mowers, Honda designed a handle-folding system that makes it relatively easy to store.

Best electric mower: Greenworks – 22502

Compared to the heavy gas mowers the Greenworks – 22502 electric powered mower feels incredibly light: at 56 lb, it’s about 30 lb lighter than the Honda. This makes it far easier to turn without skidding, not to mention easier to handle when you’re putting it away. There’s a lot of plastic involved in keeping that weight down, of course, but the Greenworks still feels more like a serious lawn mower than the other electric model we tested. It’s a simple machine and doesn’t need unnecessary bulk.

Best Electric Mower: Greenworks. 22502

With a wide cutting path and easy-to use features, the Greenworks makes quick work of a lawn without the extra noise and smell of gasoline power.

The Greenworks mower has a 20-inch mowing width and height can be adjusted from 1.5 inches to 3.75 inches with seven height settings total. In the price range we tested, most electric mowers cut a much narrower track (the Sun Joe is a 14-inch and a comparable Black and Decker model is 15 inches) which means you’ll finish 20-30 percent more quickly with the Greenworks.

The Greenworks came ready to go for bagging, side discharge, and mulching, where the Sun Joe only lets you bag unless you buy extra accessories. Setup was a piece of cake, though we should note that the box it came in was not taped shut — the outer shipping box was secure and nothing was missing, but it was a possible sign of lax shipping quality control.

Greenworks made height adjustment very easy: adjusting one lever controls cutting height on the entire mower. On the other hand, the Sun Joe required individual wheel adjustments, as did the gas-powered models we tested.)

This mower has a side discharge chute, but it requires an attachment to keep open. You have to insert a plug in the back of the mower and add the chute on the side to spread clippings to the side.

One of the disappointing things we noted was that clipping shreds occasionally spray out from the catch basket around the perimeter of the deck. This isn’t a big deal, but it’s not something that happened with other mowers.

Dumping the clippings can be slightly awkward since there’s a crossbar that supports the handles. This is an issue on both electric models we tested, but not on the gas models (which have larger, more robust handlebars that don’t use a cross-brace.) This doesn’t stop you from removing the bag, but you have to be aware of where your hands are and bend in awkward ways.

Mowing with an attached power cord is not fun. You’re chained to the plug, dancing a tango with the mower to avoid the cable getting clipped. It’s manageable if you start near the plug and work going away from the cord, but annoying to say the least. Water in pools or puddles is also an electricity-related hazard you’ll have to pay attention to with a long cord.

Note that the Greenworks mower doesn’t come with an extension cord; you’ll need to buy a fairly heavy cord, at least 14 gauge if you’re going longer than 50 feet. 16GA is okay at 50 feet, but you’ll want something longer than that unless you have electrical outlets on every corner of your lawn. You’ll also have to coil the cable carefully after you use it, either a careful straight coil or over-under, unless you want to spend time every week untying a bunch of knots and dealing with a spiral-shaped cord after a year of twisting and untwisting it from sloppy coils.

We felt this mower was ideally sized for our lawn and having no exhaust fumes was great, but it still made a lot of noise relative to manual mowers. Plus, we really missed being cord-free after our time with the gas mowers.

Key takeaways:

• Like any electric mower, the Greenworks – 22502 20″ mower is lighter and easier to maneuver, but you’re tied to an electrical cord.
• Greenworks gives you a lot of mower for your money; it’s much more efficient and better built than the other electric mower we tested.
• It’s not as quiet as the manual mowers, but not having to deal with the noise and smell of a gasoline engine is a huge plus.

Best manual mower: Fiskars – Staysharp Max

The Fiskars – Staysharp Max is wonderfully simple. It’s solid and precise. Plus, with an 18-inch wide reel it covers ground more quickly than even the Sun Joe electric mower we tested (the Fiskars also costs more though.) Manual mowers use a scissor-like blade system that usually makes a grinding or swishing noise, but Fiskars takes pride in their carefully aligned blades and resulting lack of noise.

Before starting we knew we were going to be in love with manual mowers for the eco-friendly aspect, quiet operation, and lack of gas exhaust. The Fiskars mower was indeed very enjoyable to cut with.

Best Manual Mower: Fiskars. Staysharp Max

Quiet and smooth, this is a machine made to clip a smaller lawn that’s already in top condition.

A quiet mower means you don’t feel guilty bugging your neighbors if mowing early in the day or late in the evening. A great perk is that you can talk on the phone or listen to music with non-sealing earbuds while mowing with this machine.

We wore gloves while mowing (since you need to be even more diligent about clearing debris with a manual mower) but were surprised at how comfortable the padded handles are on the Fiskars.

Fiskars went for a very wide cutting area, two inches wider than the Great States mower. This lessens cutting time, but all that width makes it more cumbersome to maneuver in the shed. We feel that it’s well worth the tradeoff and had no issues maneuvering on the turf.

Out of the box, setup was pretty simple, requiring a few screws to connect the handles to the body. The handles fold up (without locking), which saves space, making storage easy compared to non-folding handles.

Adjusting height on this mower is even easier than on the gas-powered models — it’s just one lever in the front instead of adjusting four wheels individually. It’s also marked at 1 inch (shortest) to 4 inches cutting height. On other models you kind of just have to know the height range and wing it, so this was a nice touch on the Fiskars.

To give this manual mower a workout, we used the 1.5-inch setting on overgrowth at first. It was easy in some parts, but extremely difficult towards the end, in patches that weren’t even super tall. On subsequent mowings, it was a breeze. Unlike with gas or electric mowers, you definitely have to spend more time clearing the lawn of twigs and debris before mowing so you don’t jam up the mower.

The adjustable chute can let you direct clippings forward or backward as needed. There’s no included bagging option and even with the optional clipping-catcher this mower can’t suck up and pulverize leaves and small twigs like the powered mowers can.

With extra lawn-clearing time and smaller cutting width, a manual mower can be more work and will take longer than powered lawn mowers. However, if you’re trying to reduce your carbon footprint and don’t ever let your grass get overgrown, this may be the mower for you.

Key takeaways:

• Heavier than most manual mowers, the Fiskars Staysharp Max‘s 18-inch cutting width makes quick work of small lawns.
• Most manual mowers are somewhat quiet, but Fiskars has made a reel that’s almost noiseless.
• Great build quality, fit and finish; this mower is more expensive than a cheap plug-in mower and it shows.

Other products we tested

Toro – 22″ Recycler 20334

Immediately, we noticed the Toro 22″ Recycler’s excellent packaging: high-quality plastic wrap on all the parts and the engine keeps everything tidy during shipping.

While we appreciated the padding and a few control details on the Honda just a bit more, Toro really knows their stuff too. The handle and connectors on this mower are excellent.

One setup detail that lost Toro some points is how hard it is to add oil to the BS engine and check the level. Waiting for the oil to drip down into the crankcase so you can read the dipstick accurately is a tedious process and the min/max markings on the dipstick are not present as depicted in the manual. Instead, there are only dots. There’s very little room for error, so setting up the mower for the first time involved a lot of waiting/re-dipping to make sure we got the right amount of oil.

We had trouble with the electric starting system, too. We charged the starter battery as directed, but it didn’t work. The instructions for initial startup weren’t especially clear, either. The starter button didn’t work in an intuitive way and the manual talks about a key-start that our mower doesn’t have. So for our review, the tester started the mower manually, just like the Honda. The Toro we tested does include the electric starter at the same price as the Honda with pull-start only.

Wheel height adjustment on the Toro isn’t as easy as other mowers. You have to adjust each wheel individually. Plus, the front wheel height adjustment tab was bent on the machine we received.

Eventually, the first Toro we got had to be exchanged, since the metal tab on a wire that looks up to the blade control lever was broken. This rendered the machine unable to start. Home Depot swapped this out for us without a problem.

Toro’s “personal pace” drive speed feature works just fine, but we preferred the thumb control of the Honda. On the Toro, you have to hold the fixed handle in one hand and control speed with another handle that slides up and down. It’s not difficult to use, but it’s not as easy as Honda’s system.

Great States – 16″ 415-16

Unpacking the Great States – 16″ 415-16 mower was definitely a low point. Terrible setup instructions meant we had to undo the assembly we’d already done to fit the handles into the lower mower part. The plastic twist knobs that hold the handle fasteners together are poor quality, to say the least. In fact, you could cut yourself while tightening them. That being said, it’s a tool-free setup process.

At 16 inches of cutting width, (two inches less than the Fiskars, but much lighter overall), this machine is definitely more maneuverable. The quality of build feels lower than Fiskars, but not too bad considering it’s less than half the cost.

The cutting height on the Great States ranges from 0.5 inch to 2.5 inches compared to the Fiskars’ 1-4 inches. You really don’t need the 4-inch range unless you are cutting down overgrowth, but this might matter in a few cases.

The lack of motor noise and exhaust is still a great reason for choosing this manual model, but the cutting blade makes a grinding sound that’s louder than the Fiskars precisely adjusted cutter. The Great States is also slightly harder to push than the Fiskars.

This is a tool that gets the job done for less than 100 and will likely last for many years (with a design that’s been around longer than you probably have.) There are even folks with yards larger than ½ acre who happily use this machine to mow. When it comes down to details, though, the Fiskars is a much nicer mower.

Sun Joe – 14″ MJ401E

Setting up the Sun Joe 14″ MJ401E was drama-free, with a good (non-folding) attachment design for the surprisingly comfortable padded handles, but the budget price shows through: This mower looks and feels like a toy. While it is more agile than most of the other mowers, it is very plastic, very light, and very basic. At about 40 less than our winning electric model, this should be treated as a basic mower.

Sun Joe doesn’t even include the parts needed for mulching at this price point; If you only ever bag and need to stay within a low budget, this will get the job done. The relatively smaller clippings compartment fills up fast, though. We had to dump out 5-6 times on a small lawn, though that’s partly on account of some overgrowth we were chopping through.

Another disappointment was the very flimsy-feeling height adjuster, which uses a spring-loaded adjuster on each wheel axle and makes you turn the mower on its side to adjust. With three settings, it’s adequate for basic lawn care.

How we selected

For our lineup, we selected an assortment of manual, electric, and gas-powered mowers. As always, we tried to avoid products with consistently negative reviews that mention the same problems. We narrowed our selection to mowers from top brands with good reputations for warranty, reliability, and quality.

Lawn sizes have been shrinking. Recent census data shows that 95-percent of new houses sold have a lot smaller than ¼ acre (and the houses on those lots are getting bigger, leaving even less space for turf). So, we excluded riding mowers from our review and focused on the benefits of powered mowers relative to calorie-powered manual push mowers on a moderately-sized lawn.

We capped the price of the gas models at 400 since there were lots of good options. There are many other features to be had beyond that price range, but unless your lawn is bigger than 1/2 acre, it probably won’t make sense for you to spend much more.

How we tested

Our test lawns (front and back) total to around 4,300 square feet. We cut at the recommended height of 2.5 inches multiple times with each mower. Some mowers got a bit of an extra workout at the beginning of the season due to overgrowth, but we made sure to mow with them again once they reached normal heights to be fair.

Setup

Initial setup was one of the big differentiators for the mowers. Some had great instructions, while others were misleading and confusing. Each of these machines required some setup time since they come disassembled. The Great States mower stood out as most frustrating to set up.

Bagging

We tested the bagging feature on all the mowers that included it. We also compared all of the features used for normal lawn mowing including setup of the cutter height and ease of storage.

Overall usability

Weight and size were some of the most important factors that we noticed. A bulky mower is more difficult to store and transport and extra weight also requires some practice to get clean turns and avoid damaging lawns.

Important features to consider

Mower type – This is typically recommended by lawn size, but there are plenty of options; even within the broader gas/electric/manual categories there’s much to consider.

Bagging and mulching options – Some people will want to bag their clippings. We found that while all of these mowers are capable of bagging, you’d have to buy a separate attachment for the manual mowers. Overall, the design of the bigger self-propelled mowers made removing and emptying the clipping bag easier than the electric models.

Self-propel or push-assist – This makes the work much easier, but it comes with noise, smell, maintenance concerns, and a CO2 footprint. On the flip side, people-powered mowers are quiet and pollution-free, but they’re only efficient if you’re mowing on a rigid schedule to minimize the amount you’re cutting with each pass.

Electric-powered mowers – Electric motors offer great performance, but until battery technology can improve, these models require power cords which introduces a set of compromises compared to other style mowers.

Cutting-height adjustment – This is something most people won’t be adjusting frequently, but it’s still something you’ll have to deal with at least once on all mowers.

Cleaning and storage – This is another big usability consideration. Each mower has its own set of folding-handle quirks, plus nooks and crannies that need to be brushed out or washed off.

How to properly mow a lawn

Mowing a lawn often includes other maintenance aspects like perimeter cleaning with a string trimmer and clearing clippings or debris with a leaf blower which we cover on those respective articles Below we’ll stick to strictly mowing tips.

Direction

The “stripe” pattern clearly visible on most sporting fields comes from the fact that mowers push the grass over slightly while they trim and alternating directions when mowing will create contrast in the way those ‘rows’ of clipped grass reflect sunlight.

Generally, the back-and-forth stripe pattern is also the most efficient way for you to mow at home. If you start by mowing around the perimeter a few times, you’ll have some “headland” room to turn around at the end of each long row without fussing about grass you might miss when you turn.

Cutting in a concentric spiral pattern from the outside perimeter is also viable if you’re looking to minimize the stripe effect; Some also find the right-angle corners easier than 180° turns.

Top 7 Best Riding Lawn Mowers 2023

(If you really want to get fancy, reel mowers or powered mowers with a roller attachment push the grass flat enough to create the contrast needed for the intricate patterns you sometimes see on ball diamond outfields. David Mellor, groundskeeper for Fenway Park, even wrote a book on the subject.)

The best practice is to rotate your mowing pattern 90 degrees (start at a right angle to your previous pattern) every few mowings to keep grass from being pushed down too much in one direction.

Types of grass

There are basically two “regions” of grass-growing in the United States: “warm-season” grasses in the South, “cool-season” grasses in the North, and a narrow “transitional zone” where it’s common to cross-seed types from both regions.

Seed producers like Pennington and Scotts have lots of great info about the different varieties you might have in your yard. It’s a good idea to get to talk with a lawn-care professional in your area who can help you understand the quirks of growing locally (especially weeds and disease).

The biggest difference between these regions and the varieties you’ll find there is in the timing of peak growth: warm-season grasses grow the most during the summer, then go dormant and turn brown during the cooler winter months; cool-season grasses grow the most in spring, slow down when it gets hot, then have another growth spurt in the fall before winter dormancy.

Grass height and mowing frequency

When you’re deciding how tall you want your grass, the most important thing to remember is that if your grass is too short, it can’t absorb sunlight. Photosynthesis doesn’t happen without leaf area, and all of the other qualities of good turf are dependent on that energy. Basically, longer is better for the health of the grass.

This is especially important in non-growing seasons: the grass will be stressed and needs plenty of leaf and root area (with stored energy from the growing season) to continue thriving. Mow when the air is cool and avoid mowing right before hot weather is in the forecast.

Some warm-climate species, like Bermudagrass, are cut as low as a half-inch on sporting fields. This requires daily mowing in quick-growth seasons, though. (And plenty of water to keep it healthy.) See our in-depth review we did on garden hoses too.

There’s another benefit to keeping lawn grass on the longer side. While the grass is soaking up all the sunlight with lush, long leaves, it’s keeping that sunlight away from any weeds that might be trying to start underneath.

As a rule of thumb, never remove more than a third of the leaf area in one mowing. So if you’re mowing down to two inches, mow again before the grass hits three inches. Pennington provides a handy chart of mowing height for common grass types.

Mulching grass vs. bagging

In very sandy soil mulching can cause some problems since there aren’t as many organisms to consume clippings, but in most cases mulching regular clippings back into the turf is highly recommended by grass experts and municipalities alike.

Earthworms, fungi, and other primary consumers in your lawn’s ecosystem thrive on the clippings and turn the mulch back into available nitrogen for your lawn. (So it’s not just easier than disposing of bags: it means less fertilizer!)

So long as you aren’t trimming off more than an inch of grass, and you aren’t mowing when it’s wet, the clippings should easily scatter down to soil level and form a helpful layer of worm-food. You can even mulch the leaves that fall off your trees!

All of the mowers we tested are mulch-ready except for the Sun Joe 401E, which requires an optional attachment to safely funnel the clippings (and any debris you may accidentally find in your grass) to the side. The other powered mowers will require a quick conversion from bag-mode with an included plug or a moveable flap.

Because bagging is occasionally beneficial (if you have to wait for your lawn to dry in the spring and the grass gets really long, for example) we also tested the bagging features of all the powered mowers. (Manual-power reel mowers aren’t very good at cutting tall grass, but you can get leaf-catcher attachments if you really don’t want to mulch.)

Mowing wet grass

While it’s good to mow when the air is cool, avoid mowing grass that is wet from watering or rainfall. When fibers in the leaves get wet they get tougher, so the cut takes more work and can leave a ragged edge on the leaf. It requires you to sharpen your blades more frequently, too.

Plus, if you’re mulching your clippings, wet mulch all over your lawn is just as bad as it sounds — clumpy and prone to get musty. If you don’t have a way to dispose of them within a few days, having bags of wet mulch sitting in your garage is even worse.

Mowing wet grass is just a bad idea. A little dew in the morning generally won’t slow you down much, but if the grass is soaked it’s best to wait for the sun to come out.

Mower maintenance

Mowers are tools and tools need to be taken care of if you want them to keep doing a job well. Storage in a clean, dry place should be a given, but there are a few specific tasks that you’ll have to get used to if you want a mower that will keep your lawn looking its best:

Sharpening

All cutting edges require routine sharpening, even mower blades. Plan on sharpening at least once a season if you don’t want to bruise or tear your grass. Checking the blades for uneven wear and other problems is Smart, but checking the grass to see how well you’re cutting is the surest way to determine the condition of your mower blades.

Sharpening more than once a season should only be necessary if you’re cutting heavier material like a lot of twigs (or the bane of every mower, hidden gravel/sand leftover from winter snow piles.)

Fiskars claims that the steel and tight-tolerance design used in their reel mower will cut cleanly for the life of the mower, but they still sell a sharpening kit and it works like all the other reel-mower sharpening kits. An abrasive compound wears away high spots and leaves a keen edge when you spread it on the blades and run the reel backward against the stationary cutting bar. (If dismounting drive chains or spinning mower reels with a hand drill aren’t your idea of fun, you can usually find a local handyman or landscaper who will do the job for you.)

Powered mower blades have edges more like axes and you can sharpen them in nearly the same way. A vise or other clamp to hold the blade steady and a carbide scraper or good steel file are all you really need to bring the edge back to a chisel-shaped apex that will be able to slice paper and keep your lawn looking crisp and green.

Winterizing gas mowers and oil changes

If your lawn is covered in snow (or simply not growing) for more than a month every year, there are storage tasks you’ll need to remember for gas engines. Old gasoline can go stale or dry out and create a layer of varnish inside your engine. You need to either add a stabilizer to your mower’s gas tank and fill it before storage (pretty easy, but the mower will be heavy) or get all of the gas out of the system.

Like your car, a mower’s four-cycle gasoline engine uses oil for lubrication, but unlike your car, it doesn’t run the oil through a filter to clean out debris. Nearly everyone will recommend annual oil changes before storage as part of a winter routine.

Spark plugs in a mower should last for a long time, but you should check them annually or as directed in your owner’s manual. People fool themselves into replacing electrical components arbitrarily if mowers won’t start, but it’s well worth learning how to spot signs of failure as a part of annual maintenance.

Gas vs. electric vs. manual mowers

All the mowers we tested will cut well enough once the blades hit the grass. The biggest differences come down to how much effort is required from a homeowner to get there and cover ground efficiently.

Manual reel mowers

These are the greenest of mowers, powered by whatever you’ve had for breakfast. They’re relatively simple tools that do one job: they cut grass quietly and efficiently for as long as you can push them. Beyond the sustainability and simplicity, they’re lighter and easier to store: no cord, no gas, no worries. If you like the idea of augmenting your lawn-mowing cardio with a bit more resistance, you should consider a reel mower.

The biggest weakness to the reel mower is that it’s not effective with thick or tall grass. This is a tool that will make you regret every time you forget to mow by making you work much harder. Have a lot of overgrown weeds? You’ll want to look elsewhere.

Electric mowers

If your lawn is big enough that just thinking about pushing a reel mower is exhausting, an electric-powered mower is one way to ease your burden without the weight, noise, smell, and maintenance concerns of a gasoline engine.

Even compared to the Fiskars Max, the electric mowers we tested were light and easy to maneuver. They’re still louder than the manual mowers, since there’s a 14-inch or 20-inch steel blade swinging around under the deck. However, your neighbors and family will still have less reason to complain about your Saturday-morning routine.

There’s not nearly as much to maintain on an electric mower as on a gasoline-powered mower, but keeping the deck clean and inspecting the cord for wear are still important tasks you’ll need to perform.

Managing the cord on an electric mower is similar to the annoyances of working with a household vacuum cleaner but on a larger scale. Running over the cord with the mower is, obviously, something you must never do. You also don’t want to trip on it, drop it in a pool, accidentally unplug it or plug it into a socket that can’t provide the 12 Amps of AC power needed by these engines.

Gas-powered self-propelled mowers

The bigger your lawn, the more you’ll appreciate the self-propelled mower: these machines are designed to help you cover a lot of ground quickly by pulling themselves along at up to four MPH. So, all you really need to do is steer.

The gas mowers we tested have engines that provide around five horsepower to get through thick or long grass. (These are very similar to the engines you’ll find on a small Go-Kart.) Naturally, having all of that internal combustion power at your fingertips also brings noise and smells that other kinds of mowers won’t have.

While your time mowing will be much easier, the biggest drawback to gas-powered mowers is in maintenance. Like a gas-powered car, these mowers need fuel, oil changes, and air filter and spark-plug checkups. Maintaining a small engine is very simple: you can do a mower oil change in minutes and even teach your kids how to do it. However, it’s not for everyone. Naturally, there are mechanics who will do all of these services for you, for a fee.

The bottom line

Mowing your own lawn is one of those rites of passage for do-it-yourself home ownership. Like other jobs you do around your house, it will save you money compared to professional care, but it may take you more time and involve more cursing than you expected. We hope one of these mowers will help make your weekly lawn chores more enjoyable and less frustrating.

If you’ve got a smaller lawn and you’re excited about the idea of a brisk walk back and forth across it every Saturday morning, the Fiskars is probably an ideal machine for you. Smooth, quiet and precise, like the scissors the company is famous for, the Staysharp Max reel mower can help you keep your lawn looking its best without the noise and complications powered mowers bring.

If you’ve got a few weeds that are invading your lawn or if you anticipate dealing with overgrowth after a wet spring, a powered mower will mean less straining — not to mention the time it’ll save. The Greenworks 22502 has a 20-inch cutting blade that lessen the number of rows you’ll need to walk. Plus, it’ll make quick work of just about any foliage found in an urban lawn-care setting. It’s ready to go for bagging out of the box, too.

And if you’ve got a lawn bigger than ¼ acre or if you think you’ll appreciate the one-switch conversion between mulching and bagging, the Honda HRR216K9VKA cuts a wide swath quickly and efficiently through leaves, twigs and tall weeds. A self-propelled machine takes a bit more maintenance than an electric, but annual oil changes might seem a small price to pay compared to the headache of dancing around a cord on a larger lawn.

Top Pick: Honda. HRR216K9VKA 21

Whether bagging or mulching, the Honda keeps up with your needs. It’s solid and simple to make the most of your mowing time.

What Is the Most Reliable Lawn Mower Engine? (Revealed)

Some lawn mower brands are more popular than others. Part of that is because some brands have really efficient engines.

What is the most reliable lawn mower engine? There are quite a few reliable ones actually. Read on to find out.

What Is The Most Reliable Lawn Mower Engine?

When it comes to reliable lawn mower engines Honda, Briggs Stratton, Toro and PowerSmart have all built good reputations. But as technology has advanced pretty much all lawn mowers now boast reliable engines, do your research and check warranty information and you can’t go wrong…

What You Need to Know About Lawn Mowers

If you have a lawn, then you know that a lawn mower is essential at home.

Sure, you could pay to have your lawn mowed. But it’s just a waste of money. Also, they might not be available the moment you want your lawn mowed.

Now, think of this:

When you have your own lawn mower, you can cut your grass anytime you need and want.

It may be tiring but think of it as a form of exercise. It’s always great to sweat it out. Getting fresh air in the process is a big plus, too.

You need to invest in a good lawn mower. That means that you need a piece of equipment with a really efficient engine.

A lawn mower is not really a cheap machine, so you wouldn’t want it to break down every now and then.

Is it worth it?

If you buy a functional lawn mower with a truly efficient engine, then it is worth it.

A lawn mower makes you work faster and it’s so much easier on your body compared to the much-cheaper grass shears.

It’s easier, too

A lawn mower was designed to make your work simple.

It has wheels for easy movement. A lawn mower isn’t exactly light, so tires are necessary for mobility. They make for easy navigation so you could cut grass with ease.

In most cases

The tool is a rotary mower. This means that the engine will provide the mower with power so that it will spin a horizontal blade to cut grass.

The mower cuts the grass as you go.

There are dozens of lawn mower designs out there from various brands. But for the most part, the basic process is the same.

The blades are encased within a deck so that the mowed blades will not be flying all over the area.

There are so many different kinds of lawn mowers. The push mower is the most popular type and it can be powered by gas, electricity or batteries.

There is also a riding mower, which kind of looks like an ATV (all-terrain vehicle). Oh, let’s not forget about the robotic mower.

The bigger the mower, the more powerful the engine should be.

But whether you have a small mower or a big one, what’s important is that you have a reliable engine so you can cut without problems and your equipment can last for many years.

What Is the Most Reliable Lawn Mower Engine?

It’s unfair to just name one engine manufacturer here since there are a few reliable engines in the market.

So, here is our list of the most reliable lawn mower engine (not in any order):

Honda

You know this brand as an automobile manufacturer. Honda also manufactures motorcycles and power equipment.

The track record says it loud and clear–Honda knows how to make a reliable engine.

What Honda says:

“Only Honda lawn mowers provide our legendary combination of durability, reliability, and innovation. From our famously easy-starting Honda engines to our exclusive twin blades to our outs, Honda mowers offer what you really want: outstanding performances and a great-looking lawn.”

That’s really an important note for people who want to use gas-powered mowers. In most cases, you need to pull the cord more than twice to get the mower started.

That’s not usually the case with Honda mowers.

What you need

Whatever kind of mower you are looking for, Honda is sure to have it. The brand has the push or self-propel mowers.

It even has Miimo, the brand’s robotic lawn mower.

Honda engines, in general, are known to be durable. It’s also the reason why a Honda lawn mower is quite expensive.

The engine is built to last, so one doesn’t have to pay for repairs or buy a new one in cases of irreparable damage.

To see is to believe

Just one look at the Honda lawn mower or engine and you know you have a long-lasting equipment in your hands (or lawn).

There is also the fact that the brand aims to always meet environmental standards. That’s always a big plus.

In relation to that

Honda lawn mowers are fuel-efficient. That’s one reason why it is, in a way, better for the environment compared to its gas-powered counterparts.

Being fuel-efficient literally means it won’t waste your fuel and your money to buy fuel.

Briggs Stratton

Briggs Stratton has its own line of lawn mowers while also supplying engines to other mowing brands.

The engine manufacturer has over 20 engines in its lineup.

Here are some of them:

• 300 Series – lightweight and easy to use
• 550E Series – operates quietly
• 625EXi Series – easy to maintain
• 875iS Series InStart – lithium-ion electric starting engine

There are so many more. The point is, the brand manufactures various engines, which means that there is always something that will fit your needs.

It also manufactures engines for whatever the other lawn mower brands need. Briggs Stratton can create engines for the more affordable brands as well as the more expensive ones.

The company is known as the “largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment.”

The brand takes stock of safety. So, expect the engine to always have a safeguard to prevent adding to the record of 60,000 lawn-mower-related accidents every year.

importantly, the engine is reliable.

As the brand states:

“We will make work easier and improve lives by providing innovative products, diverse power solutions and a superior support network.”

It has been in the business for around 110 years.

Toro

Toro has a testing mechanism that is so efficient to ensure that every engine that comes out of the factory will be reliable.

There is a test under load plus a complete check of the power level to ascertain peak performance.

There are two types of Toro engine for the mower:

The brand’s aim is for the engine to produce top performance that will match the torque curve of the product.

You have the assurance

Every Toro engine is made up of heavy-duty components that produce efficient work.

The engine features are perfectly aligned to what people really need.

Some features:

The Toro engine has a self-cleaning air filter housing as well as a two-barrel carburetor.

There is also a quick-drain oil hose and automotive-style triple piston ring design.

There is definitely more power in the engine to make mowing faster and more accurate.

There’s more!

The overhead value design also burns cleaner fuel compared to side-valve engines. That’s good for the entire machine and much better for the environment.

PowerSmart

PowerSmart has a wide range of lawn mowers from cordless ones to push mowers and self-propelled lawn mowers.

The brand’s engines are exclusively made by Amerisun Inc., which is based in Illinois.

The engine manufacturer states:

“With experienced, professional and extremely knowledgeable staff, Amerisun is dedicated to providing ever-advancing and dependable quality products focused on the highest level of customer satisfaction all at the lowest possible prices.”

About those engines

Among the basic lawn mower engines used in PowerSmart equipment are the 127cc, 170cc and 200cc.

Whatever choice you make, you are sure to have a really reliable engine that is easy to operate.

It’s really essential to have a highly-functioning engine because a lot of the PowerSmart lawn mowers have multiple functions.

They don’t just mow the lawn, they also mulches.

What this means

There is more power needed with a multi-functional system. Also, a solid blade coupled with power makes for a better mulching process.

Another advantage of the PowerSmart is that it is lightweight. The engine is among the heavier parts of the entire lawn mower so it helps the entire packaging when the most important component is light.

Another important thing

It’s easy to start. That’s always a really great benefit.

Summary

Every part of a lawn mower is important to make it function properly. However, the engine is really the heart and soul of the lawn mower so that it will be operational. In essence, a good engine is equivalent to a good lawn mower.

What is the most reliable lawn mower engine? It’s hard to say, really, since there are a number of really good ones out there. But to help you out, here are some of the best engines in the lawn mower industry: Briggs Stratton, Honda, PowerSmart, and Toro.

Lawn mowers aren’t exactly cheap, so you need to buy one that is reliable and durable to ensure that it could last for many years.

Useful Resources

• Three Times Car Manufacturers Tried Their Hands at Lawnmowers – Driving
• Why It Pays to Buy a Mower with a Premium Engine – Consumer Reports
• How a Gas Rotary Lawn Mower Engine Works – SFGate