Get FinancingEvery Lawn, Every Field & Every Course: Know Your Mowers
Remember hearing “the grass isn’t going to cut itself” when you were a kid? Your parents were right, of course. But now you’re a little older and wiser. You’ve probably learned that if you have the right tools, any job—including cutting the grass—is easier.
That’s where NeedTurfEquipment.com comes in. There are dozens of mower brands on the market. Some manufacturers specialize in residential lawn mowers. Others have product lines that run the gamut from modestly sized walk-behind mowers all the way up to golf course rough mowers with 16-foot (5-meter) cutting widths, and everything in between.
What Job Do You Need To Tackle?
Do you have several acres to mow each week? Are you a lawn care contractor with yards to cut all over town? NeedTurfEquipment.com and NeedTurfEquipment magazine are go-to sources for a wide selection of mowers. Listings include stand-on mowers, riding lawn mowers, and zero-turn mowers designed to save you time and effort.
Are you a turf management professional tasked with caring for sports fields or golf courses? Do you need precision mowers to manicure golf course greens, fairways, rough slopes, tees, or trimmed walkways? Read on for more about the many types of mowers you’ll find on NeedTurfEquipment.com and their common uses.
Residential & Commercial Mowers
Sellers on NeedTurfEquipment.com list all types of mowers to fit residential and commercial needs. Your best choice depends on factors such as:
- The size of the area you need to mow
- How quickly you need to mow
- Whether you need the added functionality of an attachment like a front blade, lift kit, spreader, or snow blower
Walk-Behind Mowers
Entry-level, 20- to 25-inch (51- to 64-centimeter) walk-behind mowers are commonly available on NeedTurfEquipment.com. You’ll also find commercial-grade models fitted with high-performance engines and wider decks, which make it easy to handle tall or wet grass.
The largest walk-behind mowers have deck sizes similar to those found on professional stand-on, riding, and zero-turn mowers. They have cutting widths between 42 and 54 in. (107 and 137 cm).
The largest walk-behind mowers have deck sizes similar to those found on professional stand-on, riding, and zero-turn mowers. They have cutting widths between 42 and 54 in. (107 and 137 cm).
Most of these machines have gas engines. But there is a growing number of battery-powered electric models. These run quieter and eliminate harmful CO2 emissions.
Riding Lawn Mowers
There are two subcategories of riding lawn mowers: lawn tractors and garden tractors. Both types resemble small tractors. They can be used with various attachments to aerate soil, spread seed, apply fertilizer, haul materials, and more.
Garden tractors often have more powerful engines relative to lawn tractors. They have more durable components, frames, and overall construction as well.
Mowing widths for riding lawn mowers typically range from 42 to 54 in. (107 to 137 cm), but some have decks as large as 60 in. (152 cm) across.
Compared to zero-turn and most stand-on mowers, riding lawn mowers lack the ability to make sharp terms. But because they can be used in combination with attachments, riding lawn mowers offer greater versatility. This can be ideal for those who need a single machine to handle a variety of turf maintenance jobs.
Stand-On Mowers
Stand-on mowers have a small standing platform on the back of the mower instead of a seat or lengthy operator's platform. This design enhances maneuverability when mowing landscapes populated with trees and bushes.
Stand-on mowers also take up less space on a trailer than a riding or zero-turn mower. Their compact size makes stand-on mowers attractive options for landscape and lawn care professionals who need to fit several mowers on one trailer.
The standing position can also potentially reduce back strain for operators. And the ability to quickly step on and off the mower makes it easy to remove debris, downspouts, and signs from the cutting path.
Stand-on mower decks often measure anywhere from 32 to 72 in. (81 to 183 cm) wide.
Zero-Turn Mowers
Zero-turn mowers, sometimes called "ZTR" (zero-turn radius) or "z-turn" mowers, allow operators to use one of the rear wheels as a pivot point. This works well for steering around obstacles and mowing easily around bushes, gardens, edging, and trees.
Zero-turn mowers have wide mowing decks, typically 42 to 72 in. (107 to 183 cm). They often boast relatively high mowing speeds thanks to a high-performance rear powertrain.
Zero-turn mowers get as close as possible to bushes, gardens, edging, and trees. They also increase productivity because they have wide, 42- to 72-in. mowing decks. Zero-turn mowers often have relatively high mowing speeds as well due to a high-performance rear powertrain.
There can be safety-issues with zero-turn mowers, however. They are generally not recommended for use on slopes of more than 15 degrees or in areas with sudden drop-offs.
Mowers For Turf Care Professionals
For a uniform cut and a perfect playing surface, the following types of turf care mowers are the best options.
Rough Mowers
Rough mowers can be divided into various groups. There are ride-on and pull-behind models, but there's also an important distinction between rotary and reel types.
Rotary rough mowers give golf course superintendents and turf professionals a rugged cutting system with wide decks that cover between 6 and 16 feet (1.8 and 4.9 meters) in one pass.
Because ride-on rotary rough mowers are designed to operate on or near playing surfaces, many models have three or four wheels with tires ready for flotation and minimal surface damage. Some models offer 4-wheel drive or all-wheel drive plus traction-control capabilities for mowing in wet conditions or climbing hills without damaging turf.
Reel rough mowers use cylinders of twisted blades that cut grass against a bottom blade or bed knife in a scissor-like action. This is instead of the horizontal chopping motion of rotary mower blades. The result is a consistent cut, which makes reel rough mowers great for golf course fairway surrounds and walkways as well as parks, municipal areas, and sports fields.
Operators can typically adjust the height of cut to fit the preferred field conditions or playing surface. And as is often the case with rotary rough mowers, reel rough mowers have some of the greatest cutting widths available, often measuring 6 to 12 ft (1.8 to 3.7 m) wide and up.
Fairway Mowers
Fairway mowers are similar in design to reel rough mowers, but with a reel-cutting action that’s adjustable to millimeter precision.
Fairways often require cut heights between 3/8 and 3/4 of an inch (9.5 to 19 millimeters). To achieve a uniform fairway playing surface, fairway mowers often have controls for cut height and limits on mower speed, turning speed, and transport speed. These settings can sometimes be password-protected by course superintendents. That way, no matter who is operating the mower, the cut will be accurate.
To minimize grass clumping, some fairway mowers include powered roller brushes on the back of the unit. Common cutting widths range from 8 to 10 ft (2.4 to 3 m) or more.
Greens & Tees Mowers
Most, if not all, greens and tees mowers fall into one of two main subcategories: riding and walk-behind.
Riding greens mowers tend to have greater cutting widths, around 59 to 62 in. (150 to 157 cm) compared to self-propelled walk-behind greens mowers, which usually range from 18 to 22 in. (46 to 56 cm). Both types can produce uniform putting green surfaces cut to 0.12 in. (3 mm) or less.
These mowers also have easy height adjustment controls to match grass on the tee to the turf on the fairway. Many models feature detachable cutting units so operators can quickly repair or upgrade cutting blades. As with residential walk-behind mowers, there is a growing number of battery-powered walk-behind greens mowers hitting the market.
John Deere offers the E-Cut Electric Walk Mower line, for example. These can mow 50,000 square ft (4,645 sq m) on a single charge, according to the manufacturer.
Trim, Surrounds & Slope
Severe inclines, such as hillsides and sloping contours around the green, require mowers with floating decks to avoid scalping the turf. There's an abundance of new and used trim, surrounds, and slopes mowers for sale on NeedTurfEquipment.com. These can quickly adjust to changing contours in the landscape.
Most also include traction systems and advanced brake systems to help mowers climb and stop on hillsides. These mowers can often disengage and raise their side-mounted cutting deck wings, allowing them to operate around tee boxes, walkways, and other areas with limited space.
Find All Mowers For Sale
You'll find listings for every type of mower covered in this post for sale on NeedTurfEquipment.com. If you don't see what you're looking for, check back often as new listings are added every day.