Best Riding Mowers of 2023

Assuming you have a budget in mind, the first thing you need to figure out is how big your lawn is. You can either find your lot size on your memorandum of association if you bought your home, or you can check your city’s website to see if you’re living in a rental and request a lot measurement. . If your land is about an acre, you will be able to use a 30 or 42 inch cutting deck without any problems. For lawns up to two acres, a 42- or 46-inch deck is ideal. And if your land is more than two acres, you can get a mower with a 72-inch cutting deck to handle larger areas.

Transmission type is also important. Many newer models have what is known as a hydrostatic drive. This means that they work in the same way that a car moves: you press a pedal and it goes forward or backward. And the harder you push, the faster you’ll go. This makes it easier to learn to drive, but it also makes the mower more expensive. More stripped-back models have variable speed manual transmissions, which allow you to “set and forget” your speed so you can focus on obstacles and people around you.

Too: How to choose a lawn mower

And finally, you’ll want to consider the power source for your new riding mower. Gasoline engines are far more common, but there is now a wider variety of battery-powered models to choose from. The advantages of a gas engine are that you’ll get nearly infinite run time (as long as you have enough fuel to keep the engine running) and a bit more power to handle steep slopes and rough terrain. The downsides are related to exhaust emissions and maintenance, which can be a waste of time and money. Electric models require no engine maintenance, so you save yourself some money in the long run. But they usually have a maximum run time of about an hour, which means you may need to plan your mowing over several days if you have a large yard.