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It is well known and well documented that zero-turn mowers have overtaken the lawn mowing market in recent years and there is a good reason for it, people are increasingly time-poor. Zero-turn mowers utilise a dual hydrostatic drive system (one for each rear wheel) which independently operate from one and other allowing you to turn on a dime.

This feature has shown to save the average user up to 40% of the time when mowing their lawns as they manoeuvre and steer around obstacles in your yard in one clean motion. 

 

Saving you time:

That’s 45% of your time you can spend elsewhere and not on your mower! Yes, zero-turns do require a large paycheck, but a common saying is so relevant here and that is that you are buying back your time. More and more individuals that enter our store work long hours and often even work Saturdays and Sundays, with little free time this is often a deciding factor which drives people towards a zero-turn mower.

This little anecdote may give you a prime example, at home we have 5 acres of property to mow and working fairly long hours means that finding the time can get tough. The larger zero-turn Toro we use allows us to get home at 6:00pm at night and quickly knock off 2 acres of grass in under an hour with the little amount of daylight I have left. This wouldn’t be possible for a tractor style ride-on mower. You would have to leave it till the weekend where you can find ample time to get the job done eating away at spare time. 

 

 

Cost:

One thing I will note is zero-turns are substantially more expensive than your traditional tractor, so the price is a pivotal factor when making this decision. It’s easy when writing these articles to spend other individuals’ money so catering to the consumers budget is a priority.

If zero-turn mowers are slightly out of your budget, then there are other options to turn to also which we would be more than happy to point you towards. The more you spend the more of your time you buyback but it’s about balancing those two trade-offs and finding the middle point in which a machine satisfies both the budget and the time you want to spend mowing.  

 

Lap Bars or Steering Wheel?

Now the big question to consider when deciding to purchase a zero-turn is the whole point of this blog. Steering wheel, or lap bars? Traditionally zero-turn mowers were only known to exist with the lap bars which you would more commonly see. Now, these are perfect as you can quickly adjust the speed of each wheel by simply pushing or pulling the levers in front of you. This is both quick and efficient as you can instantly change the direction of the mower buy pushing the lap bars.

There is also less serviceable parts in the front end steering of the unit in comparison to the steering wheeled zero-turn mowers making them a little more cost-efficient to run in the long term. Toro is well known for their lap bar zero-turn mowers and make a great machine as you can see in the video below. For more specific information on individual units please visit our products page.

If your property was predominantly flat then a Toro lap bar machine is definitely ideal for you, the lap bars are also more ideal for people that have leg injuries because there is no pedals to push with your feet, and also those who find turn the steering wheel difficult as the lap bars are much easier to push during operation than the steering wheel is too turn.

They have also recently introduced their MyRide technology with aids in comfort reducing the shocks your body and more importantly your back feels when mowing on rough terrain. Watch the video below! 

 

Although there is one downside to the process. As these effectively control the speed of the rear wheels then you driving from the back consequently meaning the front wheels are simple jockey wheels much like a supermarket trolley. The reason this can translate to a flaw is on a slope if the jockey wheels have a desire to travel down the hill then there is no alternative but to follow the path of this direction, this is even worse when mowing in the wet.

Now you can obviously go up and down the slopes easily but travelling on the side of a slope, hill, dam bank is where the issue lies and is substantially present according to your property. Some people have steep dam banks they must travel on and others have fence lines at the base of a slope which inhibits their ability to go up and down the hill and must travel alongside it. 

Although the lap bars are faster than the steering wheel to manoeuvre in general the steering wheel version comes into its own when operating on slopes. The drive is foot-operated by a pedal and the steering is dedicated to the steering wheel much like a tractor but with zero turning capabilities. The Cub Cadet range which we stock then allows you to travel on slopes up to 20 degrees! That’s massive! 

The secret is the steering wheel physically gives you control of the front wheels, you hold them straight then the machine will go straight. With the lap bars, you can have no control over the front wheels when travelling on a slope meaning that if they decided to travel down the slope that’s where you will be going. 

This video below by the Homesteader’s store in the USA explains this more clearly. Thanks to Homesteader's store for the great video!

 

 

The next positive point I’m going to make about the steering wheel zero-turn is nothing to do with the machine but is everything to do with the operator. I had one man come in to purchase a new mower after owning a lawn tractor for years. He, like many, opted for a zero turn with the lap bars as the steering wheeled ones were not around at this point in time. Now his wife who normally mowed the grass for him was a little a taken back when he arrived home with the new zero-turn mower.

Although she gave it a go, being accustom to driving the steering wheel tracker she had one or two close calls on the new mower and shied away from using it meaning the husband was stuck mowing it all the time. If you’re comfortable with the steering wheel, then this option can also be more ideal as you want to be confident when using your machinery.  

 

Verdict:

Now although the Cub Cadet steering when the range in both domestic and commercial field is a great choice for properties with heavy slopes the lap bars are much quicker if your property is flat. A level property that predominantly has slopes which can be tackled up and down and not on the side is best suited to a lap bar model such as the Toro zero-turn mowers.

Although we are placing greater emphasis on “time spent mowing” as the critical factor in the decision. In reality, there are a number of factors which must be taken into account such as servicing, cost, brand, experience, what makes you comfortable and more. Each factor may also be given more weight than the other according to the particular individual that is purchasing a new machine, this article focuses more on time spent mowing because personally that is my pivotal factor, yours may be different.   

Either way, you are purchasing a great machine but that is not what this is about, this is about purchasing the right machine for your property or your commercial lawns you desire to mow with consideration to time spent mowing it. Click the picture below to be taken to the zero-turn products we offer so you can browse them individually in more detail. If you have any further questions feel free to comment on the blog below, contact us directly or visit our showroom in Ballarat, Victoria.

Hopefully, this helped you in making a more informed decision for when you purchase your next zero-turn mower.