What You Should Know About a Riding Lawn Mower

If you have a relatively large lawn, you might be interested in getting a riding lawn mower instead of a push lawn mower. Also called a ride-on lawn mower, the riding mower lets you sit on the machine and drive it around your yard instead of having to walk around and push it. This is really beneficial with large properties where it requires a lot of physical strength and stamina just to mow the lawn. Here are some things to know about riding lawn mowers.

There Are Different Transmissions

When you start shopping around for your new riding lawn mower, you might first realise that there isn't just one type of transmission, but several of them. This is similar to when you are purchasing a new vehicle. First, there are manual transmission lawn mowers, where you can select from various speeds. However, there are manual transmissions that don't require you to use a clutch, and some that do. There are also automatic transmissions that change the speed with the gas pedal alone. Some riding lawn mowers have a hydrostatic transmission, which is an automatic transmission with fluid to provide power to the engine.

The Features Can Vary

The next thing you will find out about riding lawn mowers is that the features offered varies widely between each model. This is often what makes the price of the lawn mowers so different from each other. Some things to look for include the horsepower of the engine, type of engine, and whether there is cruise control. You might want a lawn mower with a different cut width, different number of blades, or a varying level of turning radius. Other features to pay attention to include mulching and bagging options, speed, and parking brakes.

Operation is Different from a Traditional Mower

Aside from the obvious difference in that you are riding the lawn mower instead of pushing it, there are also a few other differences you should be aware of. For example, since you are riding the mower, you need to remain safe during the entire process. This means inspecting it before every time you get on to make there aren't any loose components or belts that might cause you to fall and hurt yourself. When filling it with gasoline, make sure the engine is completely cold and that you don't spill any gasoline. The push mower only works on larger yards and have limited turn radius, so don't use them around tight corners or small patches of lawn in your backyard.

For more information on landscape supplies, contact a local professional.