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I need to mow a 3/4 acre lawn and some minor landscape on a weekly basis (getting someone else to do it is going to be a major cost) Having never done this, I have started to do some research on tools I need and have found the following:
What are the characteristics of a tractor lawn mower that I should seek? |
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A few things in random order to think about... Everyone has a different tolerance for how much mowing is too much, but it is good exercise. A reel type push mower is great for small areas. Well oiled, with sharp blades, it is a pleasure to use. IMHO, yards with many small trees can be the least fun to mow. I'd go for a zero turn mower if I had such a yard again. If you DO collect the clippings from a mower, just use them to start a compost pile in back. Don't throw them away! That pile will by next year be black gold, great to add to gardens, mix into the soil for new plantings. Just mix it up every month or so with a pitchfork. Add any plant based kitchen waste to the pile, even shredded paper is fine. (I've even added as large as a 10 pound dead carp at times. Its gone in a few months - worm food.) Any mower deck is best if maintained. Avoid mowing when the grass is wet, as the wet grass will rust out the mower deck. If I must mow then, I'll scrape off the wet grass. Beware of the mowers that give you a hose fitting to clean out the mower deck. This tends to get water into the bearings from everything I have heard. Sharpen the blades when needed. Sharp blades are important. This will be depend on the soil type in your area. Sandy soil will dull them quickly. The blade type also matters. High lift blades are good, as they suck up the grass and mulch it well, but high lift blades also dull much more quickly from my experience. For a 3/4 acre lawn, a small tractor or a self propelled mower can both work, but consider if you will do other things with a tractor. I use mine to mow, plow the driveway, move dirt, stone, rock, mulch, gravel, do road/driveway repair, move wood, etc. And we have less than a 3/4 acre lawn. Note that if you DO use a tractor to mow, this can cause compaction of your lawn. (Heavy tractor = more compaction.) In turn you may need to periodically aerate that lawn to help it to grow properly. Don't cut the grass too short. Mowing more often, but leaving the grass a bit longer is good, as that leaves the grass with more ability to tolerate some drought. A mulching mower is good in the fall too - just mulch the leaves down - why pick the leaves up to throw them away? Alternatively, if your mower has a bag, mow the leaves up, and add them to the aforementioned compost pile. Black gold! |
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Any standard gasoline lawnmower will do, but it's nice if it's self-propelled and collects the clippings. You don't really need a tractor for 3/4 acre, but if you do decide to invest in one, look for one with a small turn radius. |
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Let me give you the benefit of my recent experience with my Cub Cadet riding mower. Pay attention to the material and gauge of the cutting deck. It will seem like the lowest and middle grade mowers are identical on features and you will scratch your head as to why one costs almost twice as much. The deck construction is a major factor. In many cases the manufacturers don't sell the cutting decks as a single assembly on the lower end models and you will be stuck buying a couple of dozen parts trying to build it from scratch when it invariably wears out on the cheaper models. I also agree with another answer that you shouldn't get too excited about the self-cleaning decks with the hose attachment. They might as well put a button on the mower labeled "self destruct". Nothing wrong with a mower that has this, just don't use it, or use that feature as a differentiator when making a decision. Also, understand that you will be working on any riding mower frequently. I suggest paying close attention to how easy it is to replace the cutting drive belt and how easy it is to remove the entire cutting deck. It will save you a lot of profanity later. |
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I've used several different mowers, both at my homes, my parents' home when I was in school, and "professionally" (summer job; small client list) when I was in school, for mowing areas ranging in size from a softball field to a midsized suburban yard. If you are in halfway decent shape, 0.75 acre with a self-propelled walk-behind mower is a piece of cake. This is what I use now. I'm not sure precisely what acreage we maintain as lawn, but 0.75 would be a good guess (more or less). I mostly let the clippings fall (it's a mulching mower), but on occasion I bag the clippings (e.g. in spring when the grass is really lush and I'm looking for compost feedstock). Mulching the clippings with a good mower will reduce your fertilizer needs and make your lawn look better. I would suggest looking for a mulching mower that has a bagger attachment that is easy to remove. (FWIW, I have a several years old self-propelled Toro with removable side chute, mulching blade, and removable bagger, and I've been very happy with it.) If you are out of shape, or lazy, or don't have the time to walk around your lawn, a riding mower may be a requirement. (I used various riding mowers when I was getting paid -- time is money!) A warning though: if your lawn has a lot of obstacles or tight spaces, you may need both a walk-behind and a rider. If you have obstacles (furniture, trees, shrubs, etc) then pay careful attention to the turn radius. As mentioned above, you should be mulching your clippings -- but bagging is nice sometimes too. So consider a mower with a mulching blade and optional bagger. On the other hand, if there are no obstacles, you don't plan on adding them, and the yard is a wide open space, you may value speed over turn radius. I saw your other question about plowing snow with your lawn tractor. If you are going to do this, it will constrain the machine that you can get. I am intentionally ignorant of edgers and leaf blowers. In my opinion, blowing leaves is a waste of time, and those machines are a pointless waste of resources. If you are lazy, just hook up the bagger on your mower and "vacuum" them. If you're not lazy and in decent shape, raking them is not that much work. If you don't have too many leaves, it may be beneficial to mow them with the mulcher and let them stay. |
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For that size (3000 m²) definitely get a tractor mower that collects the clippings if you do not plan to spend the whole day doing it. Look for cutting width about 1 m or wider. The rest depends on the shape (is it uniform area or are there numerous obstacles?) and required result (type of mower). In most cases a Hydrostatic CVT is advisable. Not collecting the clippings will cause the lawn to look ugly. You do not need to dispose of the clippings in trash, better start a compost and later you can use the decomposed material as fertilizer. |
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