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.

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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 riding 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 lawn mowing 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.

The ride on mowers powered by rear engines are divided into two classes.  One type are called the conventional riders.  These are nimble machines but waste movement at both ends of their cutting path because they can take 4 to 28 inches to turn 180 degrees.  The other type, called zero-turn ride on mowers (ZTRs), are more efficient because, as their name suggests, these mowers are designed to turn around in their own track with no wasted movement at the end lines of grass cutting.  Another advantage of zero-turn riders is that these mowers can run at double the speed of conventional riders. It is a possibility that these types of ride on mowers are the most useful tools to be used to mow lawn. Tractor mowers in general are meant for larger lawns so you should not need one for your small garden.

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The steering system is where ZTRs and conventional riders markedly differ.  ZTRs are designed to have two steering handles that control the two rear wheels separately.  If one handle is moved forward and the other is moved in reverse, the zero-turn rider would rotate in place.  Conventional riders, on the other hand, are manuevered through a steering wheel which controls the front wheels to turn within a radius specific to the vehicles’ design. Brigs & Stratton lawnmowers have been quite a pinnacle in developing this equipment and if you are looking forward to ride tractor mowers then you could try out their models.

Cost is one of the factors that will come into play when deciding on which of these ride on mowers would be ideal for purchase.  Conventional riders are generally less expensive than ZTRs.  Although more expensive, ZTRs however are more enjoyable to operate and drive; these machines are nimble and particularly able to circle around trees with much ease.  Speed is another factor to consider.  The top speed of conventional riders is only about 4 mph.  ZTRs, on the other hand, can mow a lawn at a faster clip of as fast as 9 mph.  There are even super ZTR models that can cut grass at 15 mph and mow an entire football pitch in less than 10 minutes.

With the distinct advantage of ZTR ride on mowers, it is not surprising that there are now fewer and fewer conventional riders being introduced.  Zero-turn riding mowers have become hot items among residential lawn care equipment, and introductions of new ZTR models have been increasing.  Because of the rising popularity of ZTRs and the resulting intense competition, lawnmower manufacturers are trying to outdo each other in terms of design improvements and adding product features.  Warranties are also being extended with some manufacturers offering a three-year limited warranty.  The standard warranty for ZTRs is two years and is limited to the parts and labor.  In any case, it would be ideal to purchase ride lawn mowers from an equipment dealer which has its own service department. Adequate equipment servicing may not be provided by a big-box retail store selling ride on mowers.

Among these ride on mowers is the HF2315SBE which is regarded as the top selling in its class. This particular model is most suited for gardens that are up to 2 acres in area. This lawn tractor has a five-year extended warranty with no additional cost to the unit, demonstrating the value-for-money proposition offered by the Honda ride mowers manufacturer.

Visiting a local Honda lawn tractor dealer will reveal some of this model’s features. These features include the Honda “ContraFlo” cutting system reputed to deliver the neatest grass mowing and the highest efficiency in mulch collection. Honda’s grass cutting system uses counter-rotating blades; ejected at high velocity, the cut grass are then collected in a 280-liter collector mounted at the rear of the lawn tractor. This will make your ride on mower a great tool for cleaning out your garden.

Through this system, other garden debris like pine needles and autumn leaves can also be gathered in a clean and efficient manner. It is easy to clean this lawn tractor after use as it has a deck wash facility wherein any hose with snap-fit design can easily be attached to the machine’s connector. Unloading cut grass is also convenient with this ride on mower’s grass collector that can be emptied from the driving position. Lawn care while mowing has never been easyer. You can just drive next to your compost and empty the grass container without leaving your mower.

This Honda lawn tractor is equipped with a 15-horsepower twin engine. It has a manual, five-gear transmission and is fitted with a deck measuring 92 cm (36 in). This ride on mower can adjust cutting heights from 29 mm to 90 mm. Its compact design allows for efficient maneuvering characteristic of mowers coming from their factory,

Another strong Honda entry in the market for ride on mowers is the Honda HF1211S. This model is relatively smaller compared with other Honda models. After all this lawn tractor has been designed for smaller gardens. With such a design this ride on mower can be operated even in areas with small spaces where movement of bigger mowers would be restricted. Some brand like Briggs & Sratton make also these zero turn ride mowers that are easily used in smaller lawns.

A ride on mower that runs on an 11-horsepower engine has a five-speed manual transmission and comes with a soft start electric clutch so that gear engagement is smooth once the clutch is released. There’s a choice for a hydrostatic transmission featuring seamless speed changes afforded by a fluid-controlled drive system that could be tweaked in an infinite variety of ways. This lawn tractor discharges grass cuttings to the machine’s rear end, keeping overall width to only 76 cm (30 inches) but delivering increased collection efficiency just the same.

The collector of this Honda ride on mower has a capacity of 170 liters. Like the bigger Honda ride mowers, the cut grass can be unloaded from the driving position. The operator will know when the collector is full through a beeper which automatically resets when the cut grass has been unloaded. An added convenience is this lawn tractor’s deck which at 72 cm (28 inches) allow operations in all mowing situations which makes this ride on mower a good choice for everyone.