Riding Lawn Mower Vs Lawn Tractor: What's The Difference?

Having a big backyard is a blessing and a curse. The luxury of having a larger outdoor space to play with is wonderful when it comes to having somewhere for the kids to play in the warmer months or entertaining friends and family. But to maintain it and keep your lawn looking nice, you must keep on top of cutting it. For lawns over a certain size, what type of lawnmower is worth buying? The most practical option would be either a riding lawn mower or a lawn tractor. The two terms often get used interchangeably, but they are actually two completely different pieces of equipment. The main differences are that riding mowers are smaller in size and are designed just to cut grass, whereas lawn tractors can do this as well as other tasks such as mulching, hauling loads, and spreading fertilizer. 

Before investing in either one of these popular garden vehicles, there are a few things to consider. What exactly do you want to use your mower or tractor for? Do you want one simply just to cut the lawn, or do you require it to perform other tasks? Also, it's worth considering whether your backyard features any big obstacles you need to carefully maneuver around.

The first thing to note is the size of the machine. A riding lawn mower is significantly smaller than a riding lawn tractor; therefore, it is suited more towards lawns that are on a smaller scale. A lawn tractor is bulkier, which means it's not going to be able to move around obstacles as easily and cut the grass right to the edge. However, the positive of a lawn tractor being bigger is that it can handle rougher terrain better. So, if you've got a sloped backyard or it is very uneven, then a tractor would definitely be the way to go. Similarly, because of the sheer size of them, riding tractors have bigger engines than riding mowers. This means they have more power to cut a larger lawn quicker, and can easily tow things.

For backyards that may be home to a lot of garden furniture or ornaments, a riding mower may be the better option. A tractor's cutting blades are positioned in the middle of the machine, which makes it tricky to cut underneath things like garden seating, as the blades simply can't reach. Whereas a mower's blades are located conveniently at the front.