What is the Difference Between a Lawn Tractor and a Zero-Turn Mower?

Whether you’re the proud owner of a landscaping business or a private property owner, having the right equipment to attend to your lawn is essential to your overall success. It can be a real challenge to keep your lawn maintained, particularly if you have a large parcel of land. Luckily, there are many different options available when it comes to lawn mowers, including both zero-turn mowers and lawn tractors.

So which one is best for you? Prairieland Partners is your Kansas lawn mower dealer, with several locations scattered throughout the state. That’s why we’ve drawn up this comparison between lawn tractors and zero-turn mowers to help you determine which one will more adequately meet your landscaping needs.

Lawn Tractors

This type of mower is, as the name indicates, a tractor, but one that’s made specifically for lawn maintenance. Lawn tractors are powerful machines that run like a big agricultural tractor, but are easy to use and reasonably affordable. They tend to be cheaper than zero-turn mowers. The simple design of a lawn tractor makes it popular with both private residents and professionals when it comes to maintaining their grass.

However, if you want speed, a lawn tractor isn’t really the way to go. They are not very agile, which makes them better at going in straight lines back and forth. Many lawn tractors have wide turning radii, so they will need some repositioning in order to go back in the opposite direction after you’ve mowed a strip of grass.

Zero-Turn Mowers

A zero-turn mower is another type of riding lawn mower, but it’s much more agile than a lawn tractor, since it has a turn radius of zero (hence the name). This means you can precisely trace the line you’ve just mowed back up when turning. Zero-turn mowers have a bit more speed and power behind them.

The wide cutting deck on a zero-turn mower, combined with its agility, is what makes it so useful. You can use one on large areas or on a small, uneven space with many obstacles like flower beds, bushes, fences, and trees. You’ll get professional results with a zero-turn mower each time you use it.

However, a zero-turn mower is not that good at cutting tall grass, so anything over half a foot in height will be much too difficult. You’ll need to go over tall grass in multiple passes, which is highly inefficient. A zero-turn mower is also not very useful if you have no obstacles in your path for which you’ll need the zero-turn capability. Finally, they are the more costly option, which can put them out of some people’s budgets.

Which Option Should You Choose?

For tall grass and more acreage, lawn tractors are probably going to be the best option for you. They will give you more professional and manicured results, even if it takes you a little longer to accomplish the task. Smaller plots of grass or grass that is dotted with a number of obstacles will be easier to manage with a zero-turn mower. Both of these choices are, of course, rather expensive, but lawn tractors are slightly less expensive overall.

Ready to find the perfect lawn mower for your needs? Come by to see us at one of our many Kansas dealership locations to take a look at our wide stock of new and used lawn mowers for sale, including zero-turn mowers and lawn tractors. Prairieland Partners is proud to be your Kansas lawn mower dealer.