Lawn Mower Features from Consumer Reports

Lawn Mowers and Tractors Buying Guide

Some of the latest mowers and tractors cut time and effort as well as the grass without breaking the bank. Regular mowing is as vital to maintaining a healthy lawn as watering, fertilizing, and weeding. A bumper crop of easier-starting mowers and wider-cutting tractors helps to trim some of the work.

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Features

Depending on what you want to spend, there's a wide selection of lawn mower and tractor features and options available. Don't load up on features that you won't use-it's best to cut costs and the grass.

Swivel front wheels

For mowers: These allow easy 180-degree turns, but they can be tricky on hills. Also, the wheels prevent the front of the deck from cutting close up against foundations and walls.

Deck

For mowers: Some models come with a corrosion-resistant aluminum or plastic deck.

Mode changes

For mowers: Most mowers let you switch to bagging, side discharge, or mulching without using tools.

Infinite drive speeds

For mowers: Some mowers let you vary speed with a lever or handlebar control, typically from 1 to 3 1/2mph.

Clippings bag

For mowers: Rear-bag models tend to cost more, but the bag generally holds more than a side bag and eases maneuvering.

Washout port

This fitting accepts a hose for clearing clippings beneath the deck. In lawn mowers this means you don't have to tip the machine on its side.

Sliding-clip cord keeper or flip-over handle

For electric mowers: On corded electric mowers, this feature helps you to avoid running over the cord when you turn the machine.

Premium engine

For mowers: An engine with overhead valves or an overhead camshaft should run more efficiently and start more easily than a traditional side-valve mower engine as it ages.

Blade-brake clutch

For mowers: When you release the handlebar, the clutch stops the blade but not the engine, so you don't have to restart the engine to empty a full bag of clippings or to move a toy or lawn chair.

Electric starter

For mowers: Standard on some models and optional on others, it eliminates the inconvenience of pull-starting the engine.

Rear-wheel drive

For mowers: On self-propelled mowers, it provides better traction than front-wheel-drive, especially uphill with a full bag of clippings.

One-lever height adjustment

For mowers: Some walk-behind self-propelled mowers have this feature, which lets you raise or lower the entire mowing deck at once. Most require adjusting each of the four wheels.

Automatic drive

For tractors: Unlike gear-drive models, which require manual shifts from one ground-speed range to the next, models with automatic drive vary ground speed infinitely via a hydrostatic transmission or other system. Most are now controlled with a pedal rather than a lever. Prices are falling for models with this feature.