Garden tractors or “riding mowers” are large powered garden vehicles that actually do much more than mow grass. Garden tractors accept a wide array of attachments that can blow snow, till the soil, scrap, and even dig post holes. They can also be used to pull small trailers and catchers for grass clippings.

Most garden tractors are powered by a 6 – 20 horse power or more engine. These engines are very simple and are actually larger versions of the engines that power most lawn mowers. The power to propel the garden tractor and run the attachments is provided by pulleys and drive belts. These fairly simple mechanisms allow the garden tractor to operate in the same manner as a normal vehicle while maintaining an extremely simple and robust utility vehicle. Most garden tractors have a transmission that is located in the rear drive assembly and used to select the direction and speed of the vehicle. In general, the only parts that tend to need replacement in a garden tractor are the belts (there are normally at least three belts) and the tires. Belts are fairly easy to replace when one breaks and the process can normally be accomplished by the owner in a few hours. Since most garden tractors employ tubeless tires, changing or repairing a tire can be chore that is better left to a tire shop.

If you are considering the purchase of a garden tractor here are some important points you might want to consider.

• Always buy a garden tractor with a larger engine than you actually need. If your tractor is under powered, you will spend more time pushing it and restarting it than you will mowing unless you keep your lawn really short. The slight increase in price caused by the larger engine will repay you in more pleasant operation.
• If you plan to use the garden tractor for mowing, get a mowing deck that is at least 42”. Anything less will not give you very good performance.
• Consider not only the features on the garden tractor itself, but also the available add on attachments. The more the better and remember, you don’t always need to buy them. If you buy a brand name garden tractor such as John Deere, Toro, or Craftsman, your local equipment rental yard will probably have some of the more common attachments on hand for rental.
• While nearly all lawn tractors have electric starters, there are still some pull start models available on the low end of the market. These should be avoided at all costs. You should never consider a garden tractor that does not have an electric starter.
• Headlights are a frill since you probably won’t be mowing at night. People seldom use them.
• As you can imagine, prices vary quite a bit , but you should expect to pay between $1000 and $5000 for a good quality garden tractor. You should look at your local garden center to decide the model you are interested in and then check out the many online retailers since they usually have the best prices and you can typically avoid sales tax.