How much does a riding lawn mower weigh? You could ask this question to a hundred people and get one hundred different answers. The main reason for that is there are different types of lawn mowers, so the first one that comes to mind is what they’ll base their answers on. For people used to push mowers, their answer might be 25 lbs. Homeowners who use tractor mowers might say in the 300s, and commercial lawn maintenance employees might guess something closer to 1,000 lbs.
Truthfully, all of these answers can be correct: it just depends on the equipment in question! If you’ve ever wondered just exactly how much your favorite riding lawn mowing machines weigh then this is the article for you. Put in your guesses now, and keep reading to find out if you’re right!
The Different Types of Riding Lawn Mowers
Lawn Tractor
Many homeowners are familiar with these types of mowers. If you’ve ever lived in a nice neighborhood where people take care of their own lawns, it’s likely you’ve seen quite a few people riding around on them. Lawn tractors have an obvious advantage over their push-powered counterparts: you can sit down while you mow your lawn! They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Deck sizes typically range between 42 to 54 inches wide. Although they’re perfect for most small to medium-sized lawns, the ability to sit down does come at a cost.
Lawn tractors are best known for their poor maneuvering skills, which means navigating tight corners or cutting close to objects is nearly impossible. While you can mow the majority of your lawn using a lawn tractor, you’ll still have to go back and line-trim the spots you couldn’t reach.
Lawn tractors are usually powered by gasoline, although there are a few electric models on the market today. These gasoline engines vary in size and power, with smaller models using 18-horsepower single-cylinder engines and larger models using twin-cylinder engines up to 25 horsepower. L
Lawn tractor engines aren’t light; many weigh over 80 lbs., but the majority of a lawn tractor’s weight actually comes from the deck & deck shell. Depending on the size of the lawn tractor in question, the machine may weigh anywhere from the low 400s to the upper 600s (the average lawn tractor weighs 470 lbs.).
Zero-turn mowers
Moving to the commercial side of lawn care, zero turn mowers are the go-to machines when it comes to professional lawn care. Big, fast, and surprisingly agile, this type of mower is perfect for all but the smallest of spaces. Whereas a 54-inch lawn tractor can take up to 40 minutes to mow a single acre, a 54-inch zero-turn mower can mow the area in as little as 15 minutes! They come in a multitude of sizes: 42, 48, 52, 54, 60, and 72 inches are the most common, but some models even offer deck sizes up to 120 inches!
At 3,395 lbs, the WZ1000 Commercial Zero Turn Mower is undoubtedly the world's heaviest zero-turn mower, but thanks to the $56,899 price tag, it’s unlikely that most of us will ever be able to operate one. Fortunately, the smaller, more affordable models weigh far less, starting around 650 lbs. on the low end.
Unfortunately, since zero-turn mowers lack any suspension, the riding experience on these lightweight models can be quite bumpy. However, many units weigh over 900 lbs., and these will provide a fairly smooth ride while cutting a lawn. This is very important as many zero-turn mowers can mow at rates up to 8 MPH! The downside? Zero-turn mowers are prone to sinking in wet terrain.
Rear Engine Riding Mower
Last but not least we have rear-engine riding mowers. A step up from push mowers (but a step down from tractor mowers), these small riding mowers are ideal for small spaces such as fenced-in backyards or little courtyards. Available as both gas-powered and battery-powered units, rear-engine lawn riding lawn mowers come in a variety of layouts and sizes, but most have decks of 34 inches or less. They also don’t mow very fast, usually topping out around 5 MPH.
We’d recommend these units for one-acre areas or smaller. These units are essentially scaled-down versions of tractor mowers, with engine horsepower ranging from 11 to 15 HP. They usually weigh between 300 to 450 lbs., although most models seem to hover around the 350-lb. mark.
Wrapping It Up
So, how much does your mower weigh? Well, unless you have a large livestock scale you may never know, but at least this article should have given you a ballpark figure. Did you learn anything new? Let us know in the comments below!
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