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Weighing the Pros and Cons
of Zero Turn Radius Mowers

It's no exaggeration to say that zero turn radius mowers have revolutionized the way people mow their lawns. Who says mowing your lawn can't be fun? With zero turn mowers, lawn mowing has never been more fun.

Try asking Victoria, a 42-year old mother of two sons, Ethan, 16, and Adam, 17. Asking her two sons to help her take care of their acre lawn involved bribes and hours of begging before she got her ZTR. But when their zero turn lawn mower finally arrived, things miraculously changed. Now, her two sons actually fight to see who can be the one to cut the grass this time using the sleek selection from the various models of Toro zero turn mowers they went with - if you can imagine that. She's lucky if she can even get on it just to take it for a spin around the yard.

So what accounts for the explosive demand for zero turn radius mowers? Let's take a sec to dissect the pros and cons of zero turn mowers.

Pros of Zero Turn Radius Mowers
Zero turn mowers are time-savers! No one can say that using a zero turn mower takes them long hours of mow time - as might be the case with your standard issue walk-behind motor-powered lawn mower. In fact with this type of lawn mower many report getting a crisp cut while cutting their time on the mower in half. So say you regularly mow your lawn for 3 hours, a zero turn mower can likely slash that to a little over an hour and a half. Sure it does sound too good to be true, but it really is the fact!

They are easy to maneuver. Using the zero turn mower can take time for you to get used to it at but once you've learned your way around, it should come easy the next time. Because it pivots 180 degrees, you no longer have to go back and forth. Once you're done with one swatch there's no need to go back.

Okay but how easy is easy? This video shows you.

They create a smooth finish. Zero turn radius mowers are amazing they are able to produce clean cut grass. No wonder they have been widely used by professional landscape artists.

They cut a wide swath. ZTRs come with the engines mounted in the rear. And the steering is done by controlling the rear wheels. And just like you've seen with the landscapers at the office, they cut a width swath of grass in one pass. Typically you're looking at a deck that handles 42-48 inches easily.

Cons of Zero Turn Radius Mowers
These mowers carry a price tag much higher than you are likely used to. One wag noted they can cost 10 times more than regular walk-behind lawn mowers. They can also tend to move so fast so you need to learn how to control them well. Some find that learning curve to be steeper than they'd expect.

Should there be a zero turn lawn mower parked in your garage? I can't say. But at the least you might want to take one for a test drive. Then consider whether a zero turn mower might be bring some magic to your Saturdays too!

Related Zero Turn Mower Articles

A guy can dream can't he? I mean you may not need a commercial zero turn mower but they're fun to watch in use. As the operators fly across the landscape scattering neatly cut clippings in their wake.

Get sensible advice when it comes to residential zero turn mowers. How many blades do you need? What about tweaking the control systems? Find out what you need to know about these impressive yard care tools.