Choosing a Riding or a Zero Turn Lawnmower
Riding lawnmowers are those lawnmowers that have a rear engine and on which an operator rises. A ride-on lawnmower, also called a lawn tractor has an engine in the front. We will describe riding lawnmowers in this article.
We can distinguish riding lawnmowers into two types, regular riding lawnmowers and zero turn lawnmowers. A regular lawnmower takes between four and twenty eight inches to turn through 180 degrees. This is wasted movement and zero turn lawnmowers are designed to eliminate this waste. Zero turn lawnmowers are also faster than regular lawnmowers, up to twice the speed.
The steering system on a regular lawnmower has a front steering wheel to turn the front wheels, the radius depending on the design. Zero turn lawnmowers steer by means of two handles that control the rear wheels, separately. This allows independent rotation of the rear wheels. By moving one forward and one in reverse the lawnmower can be rotated in place.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The most important consideration when choosing between a regular lawnmower and a zero turn lawnmower is usually the cost. A regular rinding lawnmower costs between $1500 and $3000. Zero turn lawnmowers are considerably more expensive, starting at around $2500 and reaching $7000 or more.
Another consideration is speed. A regular lawnmower has a top speed of around 4mph, a zero turn lawnmower around 9mph. In addition to getting through the lawnmowing much faster a zero turn lawnmower is fun to ride!
For a lawn with many obstacles, benches, flower beds etc a zero turn lawnmower will be much easier to operate, easily cutting grass right up to the obstacle.