Ride-On Mowers Buying Guide
How to pick the right ride-on mower for your yard.
To ensure that you buy the best ride-on mower for your specific needs, you’ll want to factor in the size of your backyard, whether your yard is hilly or flat, the number of trees or other obstacles to mow around, as well as the needs of the person doing most of the mowing. There are many different mowers on the market to meet a variety of needs. A mower that is perfect for your neighbor may not be the right one for you. We’ve assembled some tips for you in the buyer’s guide below.
The Mower Engine
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It’s important to select a mower with a high-quality engine that’s suited to both the size of the lawn you need to maintain and the likely frequency of mowing. Remember that mowing requirements can vary greatly depending on lawn type and climate.
Mower service frequency and overall engine use of ride-ons are determined by engine running hours so it’s important to select the right cutting width - a wider cut means lower engine hours.
All Victa Ride-On mowers are powered by the latest, most advanced Briggs & Stratton Engines so you can rest assured, they’ll tackle the largest lawn with ease with the minimum maintenance required.
The Size of Your Backyard Matters
A push lawn mower is for yards that are less than 3,000 square metres. The smaller the yard, the smaller of a mower you'll need.
A ride-on mower is ideal for larger properties over 2 or 3,000 square metres.
Selecting A Ride-On Mower
For larger properties, over 2 or 3,000 square metres, a ride-on lawn mower is the smart choice. You’ll find that ride-ons fall into two main model groups – front-mount engine ‘lawn tractors’ and rear-mount engine ‘zero-turn radius’ machines.
Lawn Tractors:
Lawn tractors are best suited to properties with fewer trees, garden beds and other obstructions up to around 4,000 square metres (1 acre). They are controlled with a typical steering wheel and pedals.
Zero-Turn Radius Mowers
These machines are controlled mainly through left-right steer-drive handles. The major advantage of a zero-turn radius mower over a lawn tractor is its manoeuvrability – it can literally turn on the spot rather than needing a turning circle – this makes it more efficient at covering every bit of the lawn quickly.
You’ll find deck or cutting width sizes of both styles in the Victa range from 33” to 48”.
Your Yard's Terrain
If you are using a ride-on mower, mow up and down the incline, never across as this can increase the risks of a dangerous rollover. If you have a sloping block consider having an after-market roll-over protection system (ROPS) fitted.
Lawn Mower Features
Mulching
Mulch-mowing will make your mowing faster, more sustainable and provides a neater finish.
Normally a ride-on will cut the lawn and eject the large clippings. When running in mulching mode the grass clippings are cut and re-cut to a fine state before being blown back into turf thatch where they quickly breakdown like natural organic fertiliser. On a large lawn this saves time as there’s no emptying bags or tidying after mowing and saves money on fertilisers.
Bagging Options
There are several Victa ride-on mowers that offer rear-bagging as an option, while this means you will have to empty the catcher periodically in some situations collecting clippings is required for neatness, such as a formal lawn, or where immediate use of the lawn is required after mowing.
Talk with the professionals at your local Victa Gold Dealer for more information on all the options available for your ride-on.
Mower Safety
We are so familiar with lawn mowers around our homes that it’s easy to forget that they do have the potential to cause injury both seen and unseen. Whether you are using the most basic push mower or a top-end ride-on safety gear, technically known as personal protective equipment, is a must.
The Essentials
Hearing protection: protect your ears with either ear-muffs or plugs. Make sure they fit correctly and are standards approved. Even if the noise level from your mower, or other power equipment, seems low damage can be done by the duration of exposure, not just the volume.
Foot protection: always wear closed toe footwear, preferably heavy leather with a good grip pattern, not thongs or sandals!
Safety glasses or goggles: Essential is you’re using a line-trimmer, lawn edger or chainsaw but smart to use with any power gear, including mowers, as they protect from flying debris. Ensure they are standards approved.
Gloves: they are a wise idea if you’re likely to be mowing for an extended time or may have to pick up sticks and debris from the lawn. They’ll also give you sun protection.
Tip: If conditions are dry and dusty then consider safety goggles in place of glasses and wear a dust mask too.
Safe Use
- Always make sure that your mower, or other equipment, is safe to use before you fire it up. Check the fuel filler cap is screwed down well, spark plug lead is secure and not worn, handles are tight and not rattling and that nothing is clogged with old clippings.
- If using a catcher ensure it is clipped on correctly or if the mulching plug is being used ensure it is securely and correctly fitted and that the discharge flap is properly closed.
- Start your equipment away from where you refuelled and never start or run petrol driven gear indoors or in any poorly ventilated space.
- Before setting off clear the area to be mown of any large debris like sticks and twigs.
- It’s smart practice to keep pets inside and for any onlookers to be at least 15m away out of the range of any material that may be thrown by the mower.
- When mowing with a catcher empty it before it is full otherwise your mower will start cutting lower as it sinks more into the lawn under the weight of the clippings.
- Use great care when mowing on slopes. Ride-on mowers should only be run up and down the slope, not across it, to reduce the risk of roll-over.
- Push mowers should not be run up the slope or on a diagonal aiming to avoid a situation of roll-back.
