Zero Turn Mowers – Now Thats a Lawn Mower
The volume of zero turn lawn mower sales has been growing over the last few years while the number of conventional riding lawn mowers has been declining. In fact, the demand for zero turn lawn mowers has increased so dramatically that some companies no longer even make the conventional riding models. When comparing rear-engine riding lawn mowers, conventional and zero turn are the two types. While the older conventional rider models are relatively agile and nimble, they do have some disadvantages, particularly in turn radius. Depending on the model, a conventional rider will actually use as much as 28 inches and as little as 4 inches to make a 180 degree turn. Mathematically this is wasted movement that cannot be avoided in a conventional rider, at the end of each directional cut.

In comparison, a zero turn lawn mower does exactly as its name implies. It turns with no wasted movement or surface area coverage. A zero turn lawn mower actually turns around within its own track so that no movement is wasted at all. Not only that, but many zero turn lawn mowers also operate and travel at nearly twice the speed of a conventional rider lawn mower. The Main Primary Different Between Zero Turns and Convential Riders
One of the primary operational differences between these two lawn mowers is in how the steering system is designed. Conventional lawn mowers have a steering system where the wheel is placed in a position which enables the front wheels to turn with the radius controlled by the physical design of the lawn mower. Meanwhile, zero turn lawn mowers actually have two steering grips which independently control each of the two rear wheels. If the controller moves one of the grips forward while simultaneously putting the other one in a reverse position, the entire zero turn mower will make a complete rotation in one single spot.

The Cost Factor..

As convenient as it is to have a zero turn lawn mower, another factor that many people consider when choosing which rider to purchase is the cost of each lawn mower. There is a considerable difference between the two different types. A conventional riding lawn mower will range in price between $1,600 and $3,000, while a zero turn lawn mower will range in price between $2,600 and as high as $7,200. Many people would argue that that’s a substantial amount of money to spend on a machine that runs only one hour every week. Obviously there is another factor that buyers take into consideration when choosing which lawn mower to purchase – the fun factor. Up to 8 MPH…
Zero turn mowers are arguably much more fun to drive and operate than conventional models. They nimbly move and cut around trees and other lawn obstacles. Driving a zero turn lawn mower has been compared to driving a bumper car, except without crashing into other bumper cars. Also, like anything that is driven, speed is a factor that everyone takes into consideration. Conventional lawn mowers only move at about 4 miles per hour, while there are some zero turn lawn mowers that go nearly double that speed. Although people continue to buy conventional riding lawn mowers, sales for them are declining every year. It appears as though pretty soon all anyone will want are zero turn lawn mowers.