When you are talking about backyards of front lawns, it is highly likely that you have grass planted all-around your home. Not only does it look great, but having grass in your backyard or front lawn also offers a great walking area, especially if you have a large area outside your home. Although, this is only true when the grass around your home is well maintained and regularly trimmed. As you would expect, you will need to use some sort of lawn mower for the same.
That being said, since lawn mowers are highly important, there is a wide range of models and options to choose from that you will find out there. And two such prevalent types of lawn mower that you will come across includes zero turn lawn mowers and riding mowers. To help you out in choosing the right one between these two, we are here with a complete comparison between Zero Turn Vs Riding Mowers for your lawn. You can simply go through the following factors regarding these lawn mowers and easily pick the right one for your backyard or front lawn.
What is a Zero Turn Lawn Mower?
Starting with a zero-turn lawn mower, it is considered as one of the most versatile and comfortable to use lawn mowers when you are working on a large area of grass. To ensure comfortable usage at all times, it happens to be a riding design lawn mower where you can sit on top. But in comparison to a standard riding lawn mower, this type of lawn mower offers zero turn capability.
This is highly important when it comes to maneuverability and working in tight spaces for cutting grass. Such full-sized lawn mowers are usually handy when you have a large garden and do not want to walk around for hours while pushing a lawn mower. In most cases, a zero-turn lawn mower will have sharp blades that cut grass into very small pieces that settle on the ground that get absorbed by the soil after some period of time.
Pros and Cons of Zero Turn Lawn Mower
Despite the fact that we have already stated most details regarding zero-turn lawn mowers up above, you might still be interested in knowing more. In that case, you can also consider the following pros and cons of zero turn lawn mowers:
Pros:
- Since zero turn lawn mowers have almost a zero turning radius, they can be maneuvered in any location with ease. You can easily go around rocks, trees, plants, and other things while cutting grass with precision.
- Thanks to the high precision and comparatively smaller body, a zero turn lawn mower offers an overall fast grass cutting speed.
- You can easily work on large fields of grass using a zero turn lawn mower for hours since you get a sitting platform with these.
Cons:
- Zero turn lawn mowers are not the safest option when it comes to working on hills and slopes as they do not have any safety bar cages.
- If you are on a budget, then the high prices of most zero turn lawn mowers might not be affordable for you.
What is a Riding Mower?
While we have already discussed most details about zero turn lawn mowers up above, you might be interested in taking a look at riding mowers now. Just per the name, this type of lawn mower also allows you to sit on the top and ride your lawn mower while you cut grass. Other than being ideal for cutting a large area of grass without consuming a lot of time, you will also find riding mowers to be handy for cutting grass properly, thanks to the large-sized blade used by riding mowers.
In fact, these blades can even cut weeds and small plants with ease for properly cleaning any backyard or garden. A unique thing about riding mowers is that they can be attached to various accessories like a bar cage for working on slopes or a snowblower for working in colder regions during the winter.
Pros and Cons of Riding Mowers
Even though we have already explained a wide range of features and details related to riding mowers up above, some of you might be interested in knowing more. If you are interested, then make sure to check out the following pros and cons of riding mowers:
Pros:
- Despite the lower price, riding mowers are still perfect for working on large fields of grass as you get a comfortable sitting position.
- If you like to get accessories for your tools, then you will love riding mowers since you can get things like a bar cage for safety, a snowblower for winters, and more.
- Most riding mowers have powerful blades that can not only cut grass but even small weeds and plants that might have grown in your grassfields.
Cons:
- Riding mowers are not the best when it comes to going around tight spaces because of their large sizes.
- In some cases, a given riding mower model may offer slow movement speeds due to its large form factor and high weight
Comparison: Zero Turn Lawn Mower vs Riding Mower
Now that you know more about things related to both lawn mowers and riding mowers, you might be interested in learning about their differences. This can be quite helpful when you wish to choose either one of them based on your needs and requirements. In that case, you can simply check out the following factors to learn more about the comparison between zero turn lawn mowers and riding mowers:
Speed
If you are cutting grass on a large field or garden, you would want to get things done quickly. For the same, it is always a great idea to go with a lawn mower that offers high grass cutting speeds. Usually, a zero turn lawn mower offers better grass cutting speeds since not only are they comparatively smaller and lightweight, but you also get more precision for saving time.
Precision
Talking about precision, it is essential to ensure that your given lawn mower type is precise enough to work in tight spaces and accurately cut grass where you want to. Because zero turn lawn mowers have more or less a zero-turning radius, you can easily maneuver them around trees, rocks, and other tight spaces while having excellent precision.
Terrain
If you are working on plains and flat fields of grass, then both zero turn and riding mowers the same performance. But when it comes to working on hills and slopes and cutting grass on them, it is advised to go with a riding mower. Apart from being large and stable, these can also come with bar cages in many cases, which are highly important for your safety on a slope.
Accessories
When you are talking about accessories that go along with a lawn mower, a riding mower is most likely going to be the better option. Because of their larger size, they can easily accept large accessories like bar cages for safety or even snow blowers for using your riding mower even in winters when it is snowing.
Cost
Whenever you are buying any tool or machine, you also have to consider its cost and price. Even though both zero turn mowers and riding mowers have essentially the same running cost, a riding mower is much more affordable. Thus, if you are on a tight budget and do not want high precision or a zero turning radius, then you can consider going with a riding mower instead.
Zero Turn vs Riding Lawn Mower: Which should you Choose?
With these differences and comparison factors between zero turn and riding lawn mowers, you must be ready to pick the right one for you. Although, if you are confused regarding the ideal lawn mower as per your work requirements, then you need to consider a few things.
For starters, both zero turn and riding lawn mowers offer excellent performance when it comes to working on large grass fields. As for their ideal use cases, a zero turn lawn mower is ideal when you do not have any budget restrictions and want the best speed and precision. On the other hand, riding lawn mowers are ideal for buyers on a budget and those who want to have accessories like a bar cage for working on hill slopes.
Conclusion
After checking this complete comparison between zero turn vs riding mowers and the various factors stated above, you should be able to easily pick the right one. You can find all the major pros and cons regarding both zero turn and riding mowers that should help go with the right one. Keeping all of these pros and cons as well as the differences and comparisons stated above in your mind, it can be said that either can be used for large-sized backyards
If you are working on a plain area, then going with a zero turn lawn tractor can be a better idea since it offers better speed and maneuverability. On the other hand, a riding mower is better for use on hills or slopes and comes at a lower price for budget buyers. If you have gone through all these zero turn vs riding mower differences, make sure to share your thoughts in the comments section. You can also post any questions down there if you have any!
