When most people think of a lawn mower to cut their grass, their first thought is usually a traditional riding lawn mower, like a John Deere or Cub Cadet. They find themselves going to Home Depot or Lowe’s and searching for a traditional riding lawn mower. When they arrive at one of those stores, they typically over pay for a riding lawn mower that will only last them a few years, experience higher maintenance costs throughout the life of the mower, and ultimately “settle” for a less than mediocre grass cutting experience.
What they don’t know is that they could have made a better long-term investment and could have spent that money towards a zero turn lawn mower. Spending a little more money up front could have saved that person thousands of dollars in the long run.
After reading this intro, you may be thinking to yourself, “I have heard about these zero turns, but they are really expensive, they are built for lawn care companies, and I am going to stick with what I know.” While we have another blog coming out about the Misconceptions About Zero Turns, lets focus on WHY zero turns are better than the traditional riding lawn mower.
If you are stuck in your ways and don’t think a zero turn is better than a traditional riding lawn mower, you may want to stop reading right here as the next half of this may get you thinking!
1. You get the lawn cut quicker. Your typical residential zero turn will do almost DOUBLE the speed of a traditional riding lawn mower. The typical residential zero turn will do about 6-8 MPH while the traditional riding lawn mower will only do about 3-4 MPH. Not to mention, you typically must take more passes on a traditional riding lawn mower due to yard obstacles. With the zero turn, you can move around obstacles seamlessly. In a day and age where schedules are jam packed, the last thing you want to do is spend hours cutting your grass.
2. Your lawn looks nicer. When compared to a traditional riding lawn mower, the zero turns blades spin 2-3 times faster. The helps with better cut quality in general and a more level cut. Zero turns also typically stripe better than your average riding lawn mower.
3. Easier to operate. This will be the one that you will disagree with IF you have never driven a zero turn. As a community, we are so used to the steering wheel (its how we drive our cars) BUT the steering levers are smoother and easier to use. It only takes about 2-3 times of being on a zero turn to get used to the steering and after that, it makes your life way easier. Less strain on your arms, less strain on your shoulders and more comfortable all the way around. Those who have shoulder issues typically feel less pain on a zero turn than the traditional riding lawn mower.
4. Safer. How many of you guys have hills? Hills are a common misconception when it comes to zero turns. Like I said before, we will cover that in our next blog BUT the reality is that if you get the RIGHT zero turn, it will actually perform better and is safer than the traditional riding lawn mower. Zero turns are way less prone to flipping over, some zero turns have ROPS (Roll Over Protection System) and since they are easier to operate, it makes it safer to drive.
5. Longer Life. Zero turns end up out lasting the traditional riding lawn mower (about double the life) due to a few factors.
a. Zero turns are a more heavy duty machine
b. Zero turns are made with better quality parts
c. Why is this? Think back to the “You get your lawn quicker” point. If you are cutting your lawn quicker, that means less hours on the machine per year, which equals more years. Even before that, if maintained correctly, the zero turn holds up better in the long run (due to more heavier duty components) and saves you money over a 7-10 year period.
6. Hold Their Value Longer. This is one of the biggest advantages. We see it time and time again when people come and trade a traditional riding lawn mower in for a zero turn. They paid TONS of money for their riding lawn mower and 5+ years later they are getting about 10-20% of what they paid for it due to mechanical issues and general loss of value. Zero turns generally hold their value better due to the unique nature of a zero turn and the fact that they last longer. It’s not uncommon for a zero turn to still have 75% of it’s value after several years of use.
Thank you for taking your time and reading a little about what zero turn lawn mowers can offer you. We have a great variety of zero turn lawn mowers, including Hustler, Big Dog, Spartan, Ferris, and other used equipment.
If you have any questions, you can always reach out to us at contact@caldwellequipment.com, call us at 636–586–9607, OR visit our website at www.caldwellequipment.com.
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