A riding lawnmower or garden tractor is an investment, and it’s important to purchase the right one for your garden. Whilst ride on mowers were previously thought of as being only useful for those with acres of land to maintain, there’s now a huge variety of ride on mowers on the market designed for those with average size gardens.
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If you’re considering a ride on mower but you’re not sure what size machine you need, you’ve come to the right place.
Here’s how to choose what size ride on mower to purchase.
Lawn Tractor vs Ride on Mowers
The first decision you’ll need to make is whether to purchase a ride on mower or a lawn tractor. Both are available in a range of sizes to suit a variety of gardens.
Ride on mowers usually have a front mounted cutting deck. If you’ve got a lot of obstacles in your garden, a front mounted deck is very helpful. The cutting deck is low enough to get underneath obstacles such as garden tables, benches, bushes or swing sets.
If you’ve got acres of land, you might instead want to look into a lawn tractor. These can be used to sweep leaves, shift snow, spread fertilisers or pull trailers. They have cutting blades at the centre which makes them very efficient across open areas of lawn. If you’re going to be using your new machine for more than simply mowing, a lawn tractor is a better option.
Size of Lawn
Typically, the larger your lawn, the wider the cutting deck you’ll need. Ride on mowers are designed primarily for lawns around half an acre in size or larger. If you’ve got a lawn half an acre in size, you should purchase a mower with a narrower cutting width. A lawn measuring half an acre is best suited to a mower with a cutting width of around 100cm.
For large lawns up to 2 acres in size, a cutting deck of 105 – 120cm is sufficient, while owners of lawns measuring 3 acres or larger should opt for a cutting deck of 125cm or larger.
Terrain
For bumpy or uneven gardens, you’ll likely require more horsepower, which often means a larger mower.
Smaller ride on mowers are usually designed for smaller gardens, and you may find they don’t have the power to tackle uneven terrain. They are rarely built for slopes or hilly ground.
Riding mowers with a larger engine have more horsepower which allows them to tackle a variety of ground conditions, including bumpy areas and small hills. If your grass has become particularly unruly, you may also require more power to get through long and dense grass.
Layout of your Lawn
If you have a garden with a lot of obstacles to navigate around, for instance flowerbeds, trees and garden furniture, a narrower ride on mower would make the most sense. The Mountfield 827H Compact Ride On Mower for instance, has a cutting width of 66cm, making it efficient across wide open spaces yet still very mobile in narrower areas. The overall width of the mower is just 73cm, so it can be driven through garden gates and other tight spaces.
If your lawn consists of open spaces of lawn and you’re primarily going to be mowing in straight lines, opt for a larger mower. You’ll be able to cut your grass in fewer passes than you would with a smaller cutting deck.
Amount of Available Storage
Ride on mowers take up more space than standard walk-behind models, so it’s important you have enough storage for your new machine.
However, there’s many compact ride on mowers on the market, designed for those who don’t have a lot of storage. If you’ve only got a small garden shed in which to store your mower, opt for a narrower cutting deck and compact build.
What Else to Consider?
While the size of your new ride on mower is important, the number of cutting heights, grass collection mechanism, and power source are also important considerations.
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