| So you finally determined you need a new lawn | | | | you may want to get larger wheels for easier |
| mower but there are so many choices that you really | | | | mowing. Otherwise, standard wheels will be just fine. |
| don't know where to start. Well choosing a lawn | | | | Riding lawn mowers make sense if your yard is over |
| mower is not all that difficult if you know what you | | | | 3/4 of an acre. Again you'll have plenty of options |
| are looking for. | | | | with engine sizes and mower deck sizes. The same |
| There are of course lots of factors involved, but the | | | | rules apply here. If you have several acres, a larger |
| three main things you need to consider are the size | | | | engine and wider deck makes sense. Less than an |
| and slope of your yard, the quality of the engine, and | | | | acre and you'd be wasting money by going with the |
| what features you will need. | | | | extra size. |
| Now let's decide if you need a walk behind mower or | | | | Riding mowers also have different ways to steer and |
| a riding mower. Walk behind mowers are the most | | | | maneuver. You can get steering sticks or a steering |
| popular, and if your lawn is less than 3/4 of an acre, | | | | wheel, depending on which is most comfortable for |
| this is probably your best choice. If your yard is small | | | | you. A zero turn radius mower will enable you to turn |
| and flat, you won't need a lot of extra features. If | | | | easily around landscape features like trees and |
| your yard is over 1/2 an acre or is filled with hills and | | | | shrubs. If you property does not have many of |
| rough terrain, then a self propelled walking mower is | | | | these, then this is an extra feature that you probably |
| a wise choice. These mowers move without any | | | | don't need. |
| pushing on your part. Your job is simply to stand | | | | Finally, decide whether or not you want a mulching |
| behind it and guide it around any turns. | | | | mower. These mowers have special blades that will |
| The key thing here is to make sure the engine | | | | continually chop up the blades of grass into tiny |
| power and mower deck matches your yard. The | | | | fragments. These fragments are returned to the |
| mower deck determines how much grass you cut at | | | | ground where they decompose and act as a natural |
| one time. If the deck is wider, you'll have to make | | | | fertilizer. If you don't mulch, you'll probably want to |
| fewer passes over the yard. A more powerful engine | | | | bag, and that means catching the clipping and |
| combined with a larger deck will make mowing a | | | | disposing of them. That's a little more work for you. |
| breeze. But you don't want to go overboard or | | | | Of course there are tons of other options including |
| you're just throwing money away. Match the yard | | | | electric mowers, cordless or corded, solar powered |
| with the mower and you get great results every | | | | and even robotic mowers that do all the work for |
| time. | | | | you. But knowing what you need before heading to |
| One other factor to consider is the size of the rear | | | | the store will make choosing a lawn mower a much |
| wheels. If your yard has a lot of hills or is very rough, | | | | easier task. |