How big of a garden do I need for a ride-on mower? What size ride-on mower do I need? In this article we answer those questions and more.

Do I Need A Ride-on Lawn Mower?

Do I Need A Ride-on Lawn Mower? Is your old handheld lawn mower just not cutting it anymore? Does it take you forever and a day to trim your garden lawn?

Well, whether you currently use a machine-operated or hand-propelled mower, you could save a lot of time, money and energy by considering the purchase of a Ride-on Mower!

For people with more generous garden space, choosing a Ride-on lawn mower can help complete landscaping tasks more efficiently, create a cleaner cut, and make a previously mundane task more enjoyable. The necessity of purchasing a Ride-on lawn mower is affected by two key factors; lawn size and garden size.

Properties with extensive grounds, large lawns or even various dispersed lawn patches would greatly benefit from the ownership of a riding mower; rather than a pull or push mower. Although cosier or quainter gardens can benefit from a Compact Ride-On lawn mower, smaller garden spaces are easily maintained using a traditional hand-pushed lawn mower.

If you decide that a Ride-on lawn mower is critical for your garden and lawn, continue reading to discover the various types of riding mowers available, ranging in shapes, sizes, fuel types and other mower features. Options range from the more Compact Ride-ons to Garden Lawn Tractors, with plenty of choices to find your perfect fit.

Compact Ride-ons Mowers

If your garden lawn is roughly half an acre, then acquiring a Compat Ride-On mower can provide numerous benefits, one of which is its well-thought-out size. Compact Ride-On lawnmowers are specifically designed to fit through a standard garden gate, providing a cutting deck between 66cm to 77cm wide using a single-bladed deck.

Compact Ride-On mowers also have a rear engine, meaning they work off a lower centre of gravity compared to front-engine mowers; this characteristic provides stability and reduces the likelihood of injuries. Rear engine riding mowers often have four-wheel-drive allowing for improved traction on wet grass or sloped terrains.

A trusted Ride-on Mower brand to look out for is Mountfield. They produce high-quality starter Ride-On Mowers costing around £1000. One popular choice is the Mountfield 1530M Ride On Mower with Rear Collector. Check out the rest of our website, The Mower Shop, for more options and Compact Ride-On mower specifications.

Lawn or Garden Tractors

For lawns that stretch over 2 acres, you should consider a larger and more powerful Ride-On mower. Lawn or Garden Tractors have a contra-rotating double-bladed cutting deck, this style of mower deck provides a much wider cut with increased power, making it very efficient for large lawns and property grounds.

The wider cutting lengths of a Lawn Tractor dramatically reduce mowing time by covering larger patches at one time.  Lawn or Garden Tractors are bulkier machines, yet with various attachable components for other landscaping jobs like a tow-hitch, they still provide great flexibility, in turn, increasing usability and value.

A Lawn Tractor's multiple uses increase year-round value, ensure its worth the initial purchase, and enable a greater resale value. The model of Lawn or Garden Tractor you choose will determine the specifications, some may come with gears, whilst others may offer hydrostatic drives with smoother controls.

The type of fuel needed for the mower can also vary with make and model, so if you own any other powered machines, consider matching fuel types for ease of refuelling.

Zero-Turn Ride-on Mowers

Gardens spanning more than 2 acres are just larger than the average football pitch and therefore require a sturdier piece of machinery to maintain the lawn space effectively. Zero-Turn Mowers are a great choice, as they offer a 360° turn allowing the entire lawn to be cut in one fell swoop, leaving no pesky corners.

Zero-Turn Mowers turn on the spot using an individual hydraulic wheel drive for precise manoeuvers and self-rotation. Zero-Turn Ride-on Mowers continue to gain popularity owing to their time-saving and easily manoeuvrable abilities.

Front Cut Ride-on Mowers

Purchasing a front-cut Ride-On lawn mower provides various benefits compared with alternatively aligned mowers, one simply being increased visibility. When the cutting deck is at the front rather than under the cockpit, you can see exactly what's going on, giving more control and cleaner finishes.

Front-cut mowers are useful when the lawn touches the property boundaries, as they can easily manoeuvre the cutting deck under overhanging trees, shrubs or other garden boundary obstacles. Front-Cut Ride-On lawn mowers also have the ability to recycle cut grass clippings instead of using collection bags.

The cuttings are first mulched and cut until very fine, then dispensed back onto the lawn to be broken down and reused as nutritional fertilizer for a healthier and greener lawn all year round.

What Size Ride On Mower Do I Need?

So after breaking down the key types of Ride-On mowers, comes the important question... Which one is right for you?

Does your sprawling lawn require a larger Lawn Tractor or maybe the lawn's unique shape demands a flexible Zero-Turn Ride-on Mower? Other than the cutting deck width, and lawn size consider some other factors like:

• Terrain Type/ Gradients- Any hills or slopes can affect cutting ability, if your lawn is particularly uneven consider this when selecting a new mower.
• Spare Parts or Repair shops- Checking you can gain easy access to spare parts or a repair centre.
  
• Guarantees- Ensure your mower producer offers guarantees in case an issue arises.
  
• Accessories- Can other elements be added to increase value and usability all year round?

Even if your garden isn't the size of a football pitch, using a Ride-on Mower can offer efficient benefits. As mentioned, the Compact Ride-On mowers are great for smaller gardens around half an acre, and their considerate design enables the mower to fit through standard-sized garden gates. Half an acre is roughly 2023.429m², whilst a two-acre garden is around 8093.712m².

Larger garden lawns will likely demand the hardier Lawn Tractor, this machine comes with one or two-cylinder engines and hydrostatic drives for greater speed control or multi-gear systems. The Lawn Tractors' greater speed control comes from the two contra-rotating blades with wider widths that can be covered at one time. Furthermore, bigger mowers can tow heavy attachments making them usable all year round.

Mowers with rear engines typically have a single-blade deck, with a cutting width between 66cm and 77cm. Some models can tow lighter attachments like trailers, although nowhere near as much as larger Lawn Tractors.   

So, when deciding whether to purchase a Ride-on Mower, consider the size of your garden lawn, expected use, terrain type, producer guarantees, accessibility to spare parts and available accessories such as tow-along attachments. After considering these elements, you can decide on the most fitting design for Ride-On mowers, from Compact to Garden Tractors. 

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