Riding Mowers

Your local scribe remembers a host of things fondly from his childhood. Scampering out to the ice-cream truck, basketball one-on-one’s with Dad, trips to the grocery store with Mom (in exchange for a special treat) and lawnmowers you could ride. This last one however was never achieved. Mom and Dad did not have a lawn mower you could ride, rather a push one, and a boring push one at that. The dream was always to have a riding mower, and alas was never achieved.

It is for this reason that writing this post brings up such great memories. This was the one item that got away! As an 8-year-old, once you get a look at a riding mower, forget about it – game over. The potential of that thing was otherworldly - cutting grass, hauling around lawn, getting some decent velocity going, it was an awesome dream. Fast-forward and the same holds true today. Riding mowers are spectacular pieces of machinery. Plus, they’ve come a long way from their humble beginnings, way back in 1868 when the first lawn mower was invented by Elwood McGuire in Richmond, Indiana. A rudimentary device, it cut grass, was lightweight, and took care of business. As such McGuire’s invention was a roaring success.

Nowadays however, the technology and mechanics one finds in current day riding mowers is in a word – spectacular. If you’re strapped for cash and cannot spend over $1,500, the Troy-Bilt Pony mower is a great value that certainly does not sacrifice fundamental features. Sporting a 42-inch deck with up to 5 cutting heights, the Pony’s engine is 17.5 horsepower with a 7-speed transmission. The mower features a very low back seat and is known in mowing circles (those are people who mow consistently in a circle – just kidding), this model is considered a “tough little workhorse.” As an aside, wouldn’t it be great to be part of a mowing circle and opine on these things over mini-pizzas and Coronas? You bet, so now let’s hit the granddaddy of them all …

Drumroll and go – the RYOBI Electric Riding Lawn Mower. A 38-inch beast of a mower, the RYOBI is a battery powered grass cutter with the juice to cut up to two full acres of grass. With 12 deck positions and powered by 75Ah batteries, the RYOBI can run for up to two hours and because it is electric say goodbye to pricey maintenance on things like filters or spark plugs. Equipped with LED headlights, cruise control and a USB phone charger, we can’t imagine a more enjoyable Saturday morning than atop this puppy cruising the estate, cutting and jamming away on your iPhone. Also, if you enjoy mulching (who doesn’t in 2019) the mulching feature works like a charm.

While the RYOBI is king, the John Deere E160 is the prince in waiting. Not electric, but don’t hold that against Mr. Deere. The E160 is as powerful as the RYOBI and provides an exceptional cut based on the multitude of deck lift options. Reaching speeds up to 5.5 mph, the seat is a dream to sit in, excellent lumbar support with 10 different positions. Ideal for lawns measuring 2 to 4 acres, this is a great choice if you want to go over the $1,500 options but aren’t ready to hit the RYOBI quite yet. Most important however is to have fun mowing – for us guys out there, it’s the only quiet time in conjunction with the bathroom we got. Keep it correct and sacred!