{"id":240,"date":"2015-02-04T22:06:42","date_gmt":"2015-02-05T04:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/?p=240"},"modified":"2024-02-21T11:57:44","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T17:57:44","slug":"buyers-guide-riding-lawn-mowers-tractors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/buyers-guide-riding-lawn-mowers-tractors\/","title":{"rendered":"A Buyer&#8217;s Guide to Riding Lawn Mowers &#038; Tractors"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Riding lawn mowers and tractors are a great choice for those who have a large yard.<\/h2>\n<p>They&#8217;re also great for those who have physical limitations, which prohibit them from using a push mower. Plus, riding lawn mowers can be enjoyable\u2026 They\u2019re kind of like an albeit slow, go cart that gets the job done. Before you purchase the first shiny red one you see, you should learn which riding lawn mower is best for your needs. Here are some lawn mower purchasing tips from Blain&#8217;s Farm &amp; Fleet.<\/p>\n<h3>Terminology \u2013 Riding\u00a0Lawn Mowers vs. Lawn Tractors<\/h3>\n<p>Simply put, a lawn tractor is stronger and more versatile than a riding\u00a0lawn mower. A <a href=\"\/riding-lawn-mowers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">riding lawn mower<\/a> is only intended for cutting grass. A lawn tractor has more horse power, a heavier frame, and larger rear wheels, making it appropriate for larger mowing jobs and being hooked up to <a href=\"\/lawn-mower-and-atv-attachments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">attachments<\/a>. Your decision between a mower and a tractor will depend on the size of your yard and if you need the mower to do more than cut grass.<\/p>\n<p>For your convenience, here is a list of some of the attachments you can put on a lawn tractor:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Grass Bagger\" href=\"\/lawn-mower-baggers-and-vacuums\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Grass Baggers &amp; Vacuums<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Grass Aerator and Dethatcher\" href=\"\/lawn-aerators-and-rollers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aerators &amp; Rollers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Lawn Sweepers and Vacuums\" href=\"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/s\/?keyword=lawn%20sweeper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lawn Sweepers &amp; Dethatchers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Snow Removal Attachments\" href=\"\/snow-plow-attachments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Snow Removal Equipment<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Lawn Spreader\" href=\"\/lawn-spreaders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spreader<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Tractor Carts\" href=\"\/tow-carts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tractor Cart<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Types of Riding Mowers and Tractors<\/h3>\n<h4>Rear Engine Riding\u00a0Lawn Mowers<\/h4>\n<p><a title=\"Rear Engine Riding Lawn Mowers\" href=\"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/s\/?keyword=rear+engine+riding+lawn+mowers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rear engine mowers<\/a>\u00a0are great grass cutting machines for smaller yards with narrow passes. They also do well on slopes due to their low center of gravity. Just don\u2019t expect them to tow any attachments.<\/p>\n<h4>Front Engine Riding Lawn Mowers and Tractors<\/h4>\n<p>Lawn <em>mowers<\/em> come in both rear and front engine models. Lawn <em>tractors<\/em> come in front engine models. They are versatile workhorses, but they are not very agile or fast and may not be the best choice for someone with a huge yard to cut and\/or a lot of obstacles to maneuver around.<\/p>\n<h4>Zero Turning Radius (ZTR)<\/h4>\n<p><a title=\"Zero Turn Radius Mowers\" href=\"\/zero-turn-mowers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ZTRs<\/a> are the race cars of lawn machines. They\u2019re super quick and can turn on a dime, which makes going around yard obstacles a breeze. They cut down on mowing time considerably, which is great if you have a large yard. However, these \u201crace cars\u201d do not have the big gripping wheels of a lawn tractor and hence do not handle as well on hills.<\/p>\n<h3>Yard Size<\/h3>\n<p>If you have a \u00bd to 1 acre yard, you will want a riding lawn mower with up to a 42 inch deck (aka. cutting width) and about 14 HP. For those with a 1 to 2 acre lot, you\u2019d do best with a 42-46 inch deck and 14-16 HP. If you have a large piece of property, 3 or more acres, you\u2019ll want a lawn tractor or ZTR with a 46+ inch deck and an engine of 18-24 HP.<\/p>\n<h3>Transmission Choices for Riding Lawn Mowers<\/h3>\n<p>Just like cars, riding lawn mowers and tractors come with automatic or manual transmissions. Automatic transmissions are great for yards with a lot of obstacles, but they are expensive and may not be worth the extra expense for those who have obstacle free yards that they can cruise on at an even speed.<\/p>\n<p>We hope this buyer\u2019s guide has helped you narrow down what kind of riding lawn mower or tractor is best for you. Happy cutting! Vroom! For more tips and knowledge, check out Blain&#8217;s Farm &amp; Fleet&#8217;s <a href=\"\/blog\/tag\/outdoor-maintenance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Outdoor Power Equipment<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for the best riding lawn mower for your yard? Use this guide to decide between a riding lawn mower or lawn tractor to fit your needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":27216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1379],"tags":[1488,1490],"content_type":[1370,1373],"class_list":["post-240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lawn-garden","tag-outdoor-equipment-tools","tag-lawn-care","content_type-buying-guide","content_type-article"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Buyer&#039;s Guide to Riding Lawn Mowers &amp; Tractors | Blain&#039;s Farm &amp; Fleet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Looking for the best riding lawn mower for your yard? 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Let Blain\u2019s Farm & Fleet help you find the right one for your yard and your budget."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/buyers-guide-riding-lawn-mowers-tractors\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Buyer&#8217;s Guide to Riding Lawn Mowers &#038; Tractors"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/","name":"Blain&#039;s Farm &amp; Fleet","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/fa149777027fd858662da7de11077abb","name":"Blain's Farm &amp; Fleet","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/561cc924db7f2cfa20402217b4628608bd9343c6b1059ef55cfebb8d49ef5350?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/561cc924db7f2cfa20402217b4628608bd9343c6b1059ef55cfebb8d49ef5350?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/561cc924db7f2cfa20402217b4628608bd9343c6b1059ef55cfebb8d49ef5350?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Blain's Farm &amp; Fleet"},"url":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/author\/blains\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36793,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240\/revisions\/36793"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240"},{"taxonomy":"content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmandfleet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_type?post=240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}