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A comfortable riding mower will have you looking forward to your weekly lawn maintenance chores.
Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
After all, it can be the difference between loathing lawn maintenance or actually looking forward to the task.
For more information on how we tested the mowers, check outour testing processbelow.
The wheels might spin when going uphill on damp grass.
Credit: The Home Depot
Set-up took around 45 minutes and was straightforward thanks to instructions that were easy to follow.
The battery came partly charged and it took only 70 minutes to fully charge.
Just keep in mind that an empty battery takes around two hours and twenty minutes to charge.
Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Patrick McGowan
Setting the cutting height is simple as well.
The seat is comfortable and features a suspension adjustment knob.
There are also bright headlights and reflective decals on the sides.
Its a very powerful mower and cuts the grass cleanly and evenly, leaving no patch of uncut grass.
Theres a multi-step starting process that some may find difficult.
For a gas option, this John Deere pick is the best mower to consider.
We found that it cut the grass perfectly, even when wet.
Once we got the hang of it, however, it was easy to use.
It took 15 minutes to mow 4 inches of damp grass on 0.2 acres.
It is rather on the loud side, though it didnt seem too different from other riding mowers.
The riding mower felt very solid and even felt smooth when we drove it up a 500-foot gravel driveway.
Its not fazed in the slightest by puddles either.
Its quite noisy, and operating the levers may take some time to get used to.
The mower offers a large mowing swath, although slightly less than its 50-inch sister model mentioned above.
It took around half an hour to set up as there were quite a few screws to figure out.
Thankfully the instruction manual was easy to understand.
We even tried cutting down taller grass and it had no issues whatsoever.
There are two speed adjustment options, even in reverse.
The seat is adjustable to your comfort level, which could depend on how bumpy your terrain is.
The mower has a wider body that helps distribute the weight, so youll feel safe riding it.
During testing, we found that this pick is also on the noisier side.
While other mowers tend to have a covered-up motor, the Cub Cadets is an open engine.
There is no power steering or physical speed control lever.
The eco-friendly mower is very light thanks to its mostly plastic construction and quiet when running, too.
Credit: The Home Depot
Setup took almost an hour and a half, and the battery arrived partly full.
Recharging it up again only took around an hour, however.
The seat is a simple yet decent faux leather thats comfortable and adjustable forward and back.
Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Abby Mercer
When youre ready, all you have to do is punch the pedal to regain instant speed.
Theres a setting inside the digital display menu that allows you to change the speed response of the pedal.
It mowed cleanly and evenly, and we even ran over a few decent-sized sticks.
The mower chopped them up with ease, finely chopping up any leaves, too.
No exhaust smell or heat comes from the mowerideal for mowing on those hot summer days.
It also beeps when you lift from the seat.
There are LED headlights at the front, though youll still want to use this mower in daylight.
We used the medium blade speed and found it cuts just fine.
This small mower takes up little room in a garage or shed.
It also comes with three large batteries that sit under the hood.
When you have to charge one, you just connect its charger to the wall socket and the mower.
We loved its quiet operation and its ability to navigate around obstacles and get up close to landscaping borders.
If you’re looking for a gas mower, we recommend theJohn Deere S100 Riding Mower.
We found this to be a zippy mower with great maneuverability and a responsive speed pedal.
It performed quite well mowing around obstacles, including small trees on our tester’s property.
The riding mowers were tested on three separate occasions and in different weather conditions as well.
To start, we timed ourselves unboxing the riding mower and assembling it using the included instructions.
We then scored ease of use based on how easy it was to do so.
We then cleaned each mower and noted how easy it was to remove lawn debris and other garden muck.
Lawn tractors come in a great variety of sizes and options of mower deck attachments.
These levers must be turned in or pushed in opposite directions to steer the mower.
Zero-turn mowers come in many different sizes to accommodate just about any pop in or size of lawn.
Generally speaking, the higher the voltage, the longer the mower will last on one charge.
“This can cause major issues with maintenance and shorten the mower’s life in the long run.”
Credit: The Home Depot
The cutting width is also known as the swath.
Accessories allow you to get more use from your riding lawn mower throughout the year.
Other Riding Mowers We Tested
Toro 50-in.
Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Chad Sparks
Cub Cadet XT1 Enduro LT 46 in.
Your Questions, Answered
How do you clean a riding lawn mower?
Hosing the whole thing down with water is not advised.
As well as cleaning your mower, Feldman says that sharpening of the blades is equally as important.
How often should you mow your lawn?
The general rule of thumb when it comes tohow often you should mow the lawnis about once a week.
This willmaintain a healthy lawnand still give you the look of a well-kept property.
“Cut your lawn when it is over 3 inches long,” Quinn advises.
This will also reduce the number of times you have to water it.
Feldman advises that during periods of rapid grass growth, mowing every 3 to 4 days is preferable.
This can stress the turf and cause the color to fade, says Feldman.
Are riding mowers safe to use?
Credit: The Home Depot
Riding mowers are designed to be safe if used properly, but they should be kept away from children.
Most manufacturers recommend that children under 16 should not use them without adult supervision.
Though these machines look fun and rather toy-like, they can be dangerous if not handled correctly.
Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Joseph Wanek
“The user should be aware of what types of hills could potentially cause a rollover.”
“In other words, cut uphill and downhill but not across,” he says.
Kat is also the editor-at-large at Thomas-Xometry, the leading U.S. online platform for supplier discovery and product sourcing.
What Is BHG Recommends?
In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products.
