Riding Lawn Mowers: 4 Quick Tips to Help You Choose the Best Mower

Submitted by David
Looking into getting a riding lawn mower? Read on to find out how you can choose the best one for your needs.
Tired of pushing around your tired old mower? Have a large lawn or field on your property, and are sick of taking up your entire Saturday just to get the stupid thing mowed? If any of these are the case, you might very well want to look into getting a riding mower to help make your life a whole a lot easier.
As you may know, a riding lawnmower is basically a small tractor with a permanently attached mower component. Since they are self propelled and cover a wide swatch of grass with each path, they work great for those who have large yards or fields to deals with on a regular basis. However, if you have a small yard, the large size and relative lack of maneuverability when compared to a push style mower might not make it very convenient, and certainly not worth the extra cost.
However, if you known you want a good riding mower, how do you go about choosing the best one? Well, there are several factors to look for. You need to be considering size, horse power, ability to include attachments, reliability, cost, brand reputation, and more. It's not easy, but for a large purchase like this, doing your homework is always recommended. The following should help you make sense of some of these factors you need to consider before purchasing your riding lawn mower.
Firstly, you need to make sure you get the right size of mower. Too small, and you're not going to get the job done any faster. Too large, and you'll have a huge, bulky, expensive vehicle that won't be as maneuverable as you might want for a smaller yard. The size of the mower is measured by the size of the "mowing deck." Many push style mowers uses a 20" deck, whereas riding mowers ad lawn tractors generally start at 30" and go up from there. Try to calculate how wide your yard is. You can then use this number to figure out how many passes you would need to mow the lawn with any given size of mower.
Secondly, you should look into horse power. The higher the horse power, the better you can handle hills, cut thick grass, pull special attachments, etc. If you're just trying to keep your suburban lawn looking neat, this might not be a high priority, but if you've got huge fields of hilly tall grass to mow, you'll appreciate that extra power quite quickly. Just make sure you get enough for your needs, and you should do OK.
Of critical importance for many is the turning radius of the mower. If you can't turn tightly enough, you'll never be able to get the corners looking good. This usually means some sort of compromise with the size, but always check the manufacturers specs to see what they list. Some of the larger models might surprise you with their nimble turning radii.
Finally, the most important factor in choosing a riding mower is reliability. The last thing you want to be doing is fussing around fixing your mower, so be sure to choose a brand with a good reputation for dependability and an abundance of available spare parts. If you skimp and get a cheap, flaky mower, you will most definitely regret it.
So, I hope this all has help you see what you need to do to choose a good mower for your needs. It's not rocket science, to be sure, but a little homework and consideration goes a long way into making your mower work well for you. Here's to the success of your lawn!
Article Source: http://www.article-outlet.com/About the Author David Wilson, a veteran of many lawn mowings, recommends the most reliable riding mowers in the world, John Deere Mowers. You can buy John Deere Mowers, John Deere Lawn Tractors, John Deere parts and more at my website.