Buyers Guide to Ride-on Mowers and Garden Tractors

Buying a ride-on lawn mower or garden tractor is a big investment and, although we have set out below general guidelines, it is important to buy the right machine for the area and we strongly advise that you telephone us before making a purchase unless you are absolutely sure. Because of the more complex nature of garden tractors we are only able to supply in the geographical areas specified beside each product. All garden tractors are delivered by us, after the machine has been prepared for use, and instructions on how to use it will be given if delivered on our distributors' own transport.

Ride-on Lawn Mowers

Ride-on lawn mowers are primarily for areas of grass up to one acre. Their major benefit over the bigger garden tractor is that they are more manoeuvrable. They all come with rear grass collectors and some of the models therre is an option to side discharge the grass and mulch. We offer a range of ride-on lawn mowers from Hayter and ALKO. For the very specialised market, the Atco Royale range is a large cylinder lawnmower with a trailing seat and is often referred to as a ride-on lawnmower.

Lawn and Garden Tractors

Lawn and garden tractors are more suitable for areas of between 1 and 5 acres, and with a cutting width of between 30" and 48". They can be used not only for grass cutting but, with various attachments, can be invaluable in garden maintenance. For example, adding a trailer to a lawn tractor means that you can collect leaves or transport logs. With some of the larger garden tractors from Westwood you may be able to use ground-engaging equipment for aerating and scarifying.
There are two main options for cutting and collecting grass - the rear collection system means that the grass is cut and thrown into a collector attached to the back of the garden tractor (sometimes referred to as Direct Collect). This system is very effective even in damp conditions, and examples can be found in the range from Honda, Castel, AL-KO and Mountfield. The second method is whereby a inbuilt sweeper with a rotating brush collects the grass after it has been cut. This system is beneficial in all conditions, even when the grass is wet. It also has a rear roller attached to the sweeper which will give classic light and dark stripes on the lawn. For examples of this method see our Westwood range. Although this second system is very good it is more expensive than the rear collection system.
For those who do not wish to collect the clippings, there is an alternative system - referred to by various manufacturers as 'recycling' and 'mulching'. A number of manufacturers, including Castel and ALKO, offer mulching attachments which are quite effective.