John Deer Lawn Mower

Basics Of Picking A John Deer Lawn Mower

As the groundhog doesn't see his shadow and spring begins to peek it's head up from under the blanket of snow, thoughts turn to lawn improvement. Perhaps, this will be the year that you get that new John Deer lawn mower you've been coveting through the past few summer months. Maybe you're tired of that push mower and are ready to finally fork over the money for a riding lawn mower or riding tractor? If so, there are a few things to consider in the coming buying season.

The first thing you need to ascertain is the size of your yard and then decide on the size of lawn mower you'll need. As a general rule of thumb, for a yard under an acre, you'll need a 14 horsepower mower with a 42" cutting width. If your yard is 1-2 acres, consider a 14-16 horsepower with a 42" -46" deck. For the bigger yard 2+acres or so, you need the big guns or the garden tractor with 18-24 horsepower engine and 46-54" cutting deck. These ride on mowers will cut your cutting time in half over the push mowers and make you feel like king (or queen) of the yard.

So, you've decided what size model you're going to need, you now need to think about the attachments you'll need on your lawn mower. Will you need a bagger or leaf catcher? How about a garden plow or dozer blade? Or maybe, you'll need a snow thrower. If these are the case, you need to pick a model that will accommodate these parts.

When you go to compare prices, compare apples to apples. You can't compare a 42-inch John Deere X304 lawn tractor to Toro LX 420. One is a top of the line, highly ranked and reviewed model (the X304) while the other (Toro LX 420) is an entry level. For the first timer, the Toro is a great option. It's a great basic machine, low end of the price range as far as riding mowers are concerned and has automatic drive as well as cruise control. The motor is an 18 hp, so you'll have plenty of umph in your mow. While a mulch cover is included, you do have to pay the $400 extra to get a bag. So, just keep this in mind as you're planning your budget.