Let’s have a conversation about a very manly yard toy: lawn tractors (also known as riding mowers). Love, hate or merely endure them, lawn tractors are fun. I’ve owned three but bought four (one was a gift to a buddy whose byproduct of mowing an unkempt field in the middle of the summer has been the nickname “Sparky—“given to him by the local fire department which has responded to blazes in his field twice).
Sparky isn’t your typical urban refugee with a big yard. After spending a disastrous year living abroad in Provence, he returned to the US and quickly bought a multi-acre lot with a designed-by-a-retired-shop-teacher-custom\ house that also had a structure euphemistically called a “barn.”
In France and while subsequently touring Italy -- before his triumphal return to the US-- Sparky was seriously bitten by the winemaking bug and the European concept of “Garagista” artisan wine making.
A few more words about my best friend “Sparky.” He spent his formative years in and around London, returned to the US t o attend college and eventually ended up at UCLA’s film school. Meanwhile, as the years reel by, Sparky acquired an English wife who’s seriously into horticulture, had three children, a couple sheep dogs, a fluctuating flock of chickens, three miniature sheep. Meanwhile, on his return to the US, Sparky realizes his then brood of two girls need clothes, so off to the local Sears they go. On the way out the door, Sparky passes a display of riding mowers, when the flash of inspiration hits him: “Voila, I have acreage, but no mower!” So, Sears being Sears, happily delivers the mower to Sparky’s baronial estate.
Sparky is now on his second riding mower and cruising in high gear towards his third
So let’s talk about buying your first or second riding mower. Prices for riding mowers range from under $1,000 for a five-speed unit with a 42-inch two-blade deck to almost $4,000 for a high-end unit with a 46 or 52-inch swath, automatic multi-speed transmission and a parasol to protect you from the hot sun. Most riding mowers come with a convenient cup holder for your favorite non-alcoholic beverage and use electric starters. The size of your lawn should be the gating factor in what you buy.
To begin with, take a close look at the mower. Here’s what you’re looking for:
An external oil filter—do not buy a riding tractor that uses “splash” oiling (where the end of the engine’s connecting rod caps dip into the oil pooled at the bottom of your engine).Most contemporary lawn tractors have oil pumps and external oil filters. Engines with integrated oil pumps last much longer than those that use “splash” oiling. And if you lawn is hilly, splash oiling systems run the risk of running “dry” if our oil rushes to the down hill side of the engine case. A well lubricated connecting rod assembly and crank shaft is all part of happy, long lasting power plant.
External lube fittings-- (called “Zirks” by mechanics and people who can make bolts and nuts fit together correctly even when it’s dark and their greasy knuckles are oozing blood after two hours of futilely trying to get nut “A” to accept “bolt B. I prefer mowers with spindles (the shaft that has a pulley on one end and which goes through your mower’s blade shroud and which provides rotational power for the blades) that can be lubed. The reason I prefer such systems is that I’ve had two replace several spindles and shaft bearings in various lawn tractors I’ve owned or worked on. The front and rear axles should also have Zirk nipples.
Single or multiple cylinders—Every multi-cylinder riding mower I’ve ever had a long-term relationship with has lasted longer, much longer, than a single cylinder engine. Yes they cost more, but in the end, they offer a long life. My next lawn tractor will definitely have a two-cylinder engine.
What size deck?--- I own a Deere 100 lawn tractor with a 42-inch wide cutting path. It takes me about 25 minutes to mow my one-acre front lawn, which includes a double row of stone fruit trees. If I had more lawn to cut, I’d consider a wider deck in my next lawn tractor. Or, if I needed to cut an au-naturale field regularly, I’d also want a wider deck.
Zero turn or not?—If your lawn is an obstacle course a zero turn lawn tractor may be a consideration. They’re more expensive than conventional mowers, but the convenience can be worth it, particularly if your job involves regularly cutting the grass in a grove.
What brand, Deere, Craftsman, Toro, MTD, Cub Cadet or Door Number 3? --- one of the secrets of the lawn tractor trade is that one or two companies make most of the machines sold by all of the branding entities. The one big advantage of buying a John Deere or a Craftsman lawn tractor is that both organizations offer national service. If you live in East Lizard Spit, Idaho, you may want to make sure you can get your trusty tractor fixed on-site if it breaks down. A quick test to see if the local selling agent really backs his product is to get him to show you a replacement blade and/or air filter from his inventory. If the sales person can’t supply either of those parts on the spot, from his on-hand inventory, walk away.
Extended warranty or not?--- Go ahead and get the extended warranty with on-site service. You’ll sleep better at night and mow your estate with greater confidence. Yes, it’s expensive but you only live once.
External water hose connector on the blade shroud?—Yes that’s right, you want a lawn tractor that has female or quick connect water hose coupling on the blade shroud. Getting rid of the built up solidified lawn gunk that sticks to the inside of the lawn tractor’s shroud is a very good thing. And it eliminates the source of those worrisome noises as big ass chunks of dried lawn goo come roaring out you mower’s discharge port. Connecting your hose to that fitting with the water on and flowing turns your blade deck into a high pressure water system that generates as much as several hundred PSI; enough to thoroughly clean out your deck.
Accessories: I’m not a fan of bags that collect lawn clippings. Beside, lawn clippings add nitrogen to your lawn, cutting down the need to feed the green monster in front of your house. Moreover, have you ever seen a golf course’s greens man use a tractor with a bagger? I haven’t.
A small seed or fertilizer spreader comes in hand occasionally. And for some people, like owners of small vineyards, an electrically powered spray rig is a great accessory.
So let’s have a conversation about lawn tractors as we cover important topics in the coming week like how to avoid starting conflagrations by mowing dry weeds, how to not kill yourself by bringing you lawn tractor to safe stop after rolling backwards,out of control for 400 feet, and the importance of keeping yourself well hydrated if you do have to cut a two-acre field of wild grasses and need to extinguish a fire using only those body fluids in your system and the only applicator that makes sense and comes to hand in such situations.
And Sparky, Thanks for the inspiration, the overnight lodging, all the opportunities to make “Jim’s Special Burritos, and all the laughs. And most of all, your next book should be “ Sparky Moves to the Country and Neighbors Flee, Screaming.”—Jim Forbes 04/12/2008
Thanks Jim - I'm shopping tomorrow and the info makes a huge difference in what I look for. I am also going to have a look for used tractors at the local small engine place, since they'll be around to service.
Mark-- Check out Craigslist as well. but as i said, because I have a sloped one acre lawn, I'd go for a two-cylinder riding mower which has the added benefit of having enough t orque to pulla tiller or small harrow without killing the power package. Happy tractoring
JimF
Posted by: Mark Cahill | April 18, 2008 at 06:04 AM