Riding and push mowers are two completely different tools. A standard walk-behind mower, even a self-propelled model , will require you to walk behind the tool and guide it across your lawn.
Generally, push mowers are great for relatively flat lawns that are either small or medium in size. This is because the tool will be relying on you to drive it forward, which can be incredibly exhausting on larger properties. On the other hand, self-propelled models require practically no muscle to advance but do require you to walk behind them.
There are several circumstances where a push or self-propelled mower is ideal. One situation is if your lawn has an intricate garden, tight spaces, or sharp corners.
Push mowers can also help you mow lawns with a very steep drop. For this, a conventional walk-behind model will be far easier and safer. The other area of comparison is cost.
Maintenance and operational cost is another factor that differs between these models. Plus, due to their simple design, even if something does break, the parts will generally be cheaper to replace than a self-propelled or riding mower. Self-propelled mowers land somewhere between the two models, using more gas and more maintenance cost than a push mower, but slightly less than a riding model. Riding mowers require practically no effort to operate. You steer the tool and let the blades do the work.
This means that you can mow even massive lawns in less time and with virtually no effort. The size of your lawn is a vital factor when you're choosing a lawn mower.
After all, if you've got a large lawn encompassing multiple acres, then your mower will need the chops to handle the job well while saving you time.
One effective way to measure a mower's capabilities is its cut width, which tells you how wide a strip of grass it can clear in a single pass. The bigger the cut width, the more grass you'll be able to mow at once. A yard less than 1 acre would do well with a cutting width of 30 to 42 inches. Both mowers have horsepower gas engines, hydrostatic transmissions and a cutting width of 42 inches.
Lawns 5 or more acres in size will typically require a cutting width of at least 54 inches -- otherwise you'll be out there mowing all day. With a hp gas engine and a broad, inch cutting width, it should make fast work of big lawns. Does your lawn have lots of obstacles to navigate?
If it does, consider a riding mower with a tight turning radius, which is helpful for steering around tight spots and corners.
A tighter turning radius makes for smoother handling, and it'll help to ensure a uniform cut. A mower's turn radius is usually listed in inches with smaller figures describing tighter turns. Meanwhile, if your yard contains an abundance of items like flower beds or shrubs, then a zero-turn mower might be more your speed. With a zero-turn mower, you'll use a pair of levers instead of a steering wheel to maneuver. Zero-turn mowers spin on a dime, with an effective turning radius of 0 inches.
They have a high forward speed, too. That allows them to whip around tight edges while still providing a smooth cut. One example of a zero-turn mower is the John Deere ZR. I also pull an aerator with my tractor and have a cart for hauling. My wife thinks it is partially because I am a farm boy that is now in the city could be a little bit of it as well. All kidding aside. In I bought a ZTR with a 56" front mounted deck to cut my 4 hour mowing time down on 3.
Just bought a new place and will be moving in a month or so. It has 4. I still have the ZTR and it will handle it with ease. I just mowed it last saturday and it only took 70 minutes and that is going around several dozen trees and out buildings and other stuff.
Need ideas to improve this facade without spending too much. Am I expecting too much from my designer? I have about a half acre. I have about a dozen mature trees and my wife gardens and has a pond. There are many uses for a small tractor and lawn cart in this yard. Moving mulch, dirt, etc in the garden.
Moving stones for paths and garden walls, Cleaning up storm damage and downed limbs. Moving firewood. As an elevated support for getting the branches just beyond your reach. Like any tool once you have it it will get used for much more than you thought when you were thinking about buying it. I agree with you. Like the others have written so far, you probably have other uses for your ride on other than mowing therefore you would benefit from a small lawn tractor.
Just my opinion of course since it is your money It is 4 wheel turning and if you can get your hands on a left over , you will get the stronger transmission and probably save money! You may even want to consider a used X Best of luck to you!
I have a plethora of different lawn tractors, and also an older model Snapper Riding mower. I always gravitate back to the Snapper, and get the job done quicker than with a lawn tractor!
Mine is an 8 HP, and the deck is falling apart, it has been re engined several times, now has an 8 hp Tecumseh commercial engine on it, which handles my hilly sections, anmd the level parts too, with ease!
Guess i'll have to get the bigger Snapper Hi-vac rider back in operation. An engine just showed up yesterday, its been laid up for several years. The hi-vac is great for fall, when the oak leaves come down, and also in spring, for the maple seeds that whirl down all over the yards! Sorry I can't remember where the link is, but it was way more than over kill. He talked about mowing in different directions to get a different look. He spent more time cleaning up his tractor than mowing.
He also spoke of eying his neighbor's yards and wanting to make them look better. Bigger is better in some people's eyes. For me, I don't think lot size would be a top consideration. The differences in time, money, and things to be done other than mowing would be more important. Here is a link that might be useful: Mower power to him. Thanks Varmit! That is the very article I remembered reading. There was some footage to see when this article first came out, but I guess it has rolled off.
Still a good comparison. That's one awesome article!!!! I have since emailed it to all my buddies. Lots of hits coming that web site's way This is a tractor forum, so all the tractor enthusiasts will tell you to get a tractor. But, honestly, will it kill you to do a couple of hours of walking a week?
Besides, you will need a hand mower anyway for trimming. Harold brings up a good point, how old are you and do you have kids? If the answer is 65, retired with no job than by all means get a 19 inch electric mower and take your time. If you are like me and in your 30's with three kids under the age of 5, then get the mower that gets the job done as quick as possible so you can spend more time with your kids, they grow up way too quick and a few hours a week with the kids will pay off way more than a few hours chasing a mower.
As you can see "Mike McCall" gained nationwide notoriety when he bought a lot more lawn mower than the average man would think he needed for his little subdivision lot. But the size of his yard had nothing to do with why he bought the behemoth: he just wanted to own it, to wash it, to shine it, to crank it up and hear it run, and drive it around the yard. My answer to the question is: if you can mow your yard in about an hour, more or less, with a normal walk behind, you don't "need" a riding mower, unless, it is putting a strain on your body, due to health reasons, to do it.
I was reading that some of these walk behinds the HRX in particular are not robust when it comes to things sticking out of the ground. I have a new construction lot, and try as I might I will not be able to get every stick out of the way nor will I be able to find them once the grass comes in. I have read the HRX has no shear pin and will crap out if you hit a stick of any appreciable diameter. I noticed a small ride on mower at Tracor Supply. It was only 22" cut but, if you don't want to walk this would be great.
It has 1 wheel on the front and two on the back and is ZTR. Just an Idea. That guy in Florida is a nut. There are just two things to consider: are you looking to save time or effort?
It might actually take you longer to mow a small lot with a rider vs pushing a mower around, but if you're looking to avoid the physical strain of pushing a mower due to health reasons or otherwise, a rider might be the way to go.
0コメント