Best Riding Lawn Mowers of 2021 for Hills and Rough Terrain

If you are someone who wants to maintain a beautiful lawn but also yearns for convenience, then you would surely want to have the best riding lawn mower in your house. While conventional lawn mowers get the job done too, riding lawn mowers make mowing much easier and less energy-consuming.

Best
Choice

Simplicity Conquest Mower
This riding lawn mower has a powerful Briggs and Stratton engine, amazing forward and backward mowing speed and cruise control for convenient mowing of any lawn.
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Best
Budget

Husqvarna YTH18542
Despite being an affordable option, this riding lawn mower has an 18.5 ho Intek engine and hydrostatic transmission for easily changing speed and direction.
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Editor’s
Choice

Husqvarna Z254
This riding lawn mower has a 26HP Kohler Engine, a forward speed of 6.5MPH, and zero turning radius, which makes it ideal for any household.
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Best Riding Lawn Mowers 2021

[amazon table=”1014639″]

1. Husqvarna Z254

Husqvarna Best Riding Lawn Mower

Features

  • Has a cooling fan
  • Has an air filtration system
  • Zero-turn radius
  • 24HP Engine and Auto-brake system

Engine

97%

Style

95%

Functionality

96%

When it comes to lawn essentials, we were certain that Husqvarna would make the best riding lawn mower 2021 because the company is a pro at it.

The Husqvarna riding lawn mower is the best riding lawn mower for 2 acres. Since it has a strong 26HP Kohler engine, it can deliver the best on bigger lawns and rougher terrains. It has a maximum speed of up to 6.5MPH.

There is a park brake mechanism that automatically starts or halts when you move the steering levers in or out. It is essential that the riding lawn mower does not only make it easier for you to mow the lawn but also gives the grass a superior cut.

Due to the presence of air-induction technology, this lawn mowers help in doing just that. On top of that, the deck is made of steel to keep the mower durable for many years.

Pros

  • Control panel is easy to work with
  • Cooling fans keep the mower working well
  • Air filtration for a superior cut

Cons

  • Cannot cut horizontally

2. Husqvarna YTH18542

Husqvarna Riding Lawn Mower

Features

  • Reverse mowing system
  • Air induction mechanism
  • 16-inch turning radius
  • Anti-scalp wheels ideal for uneven terrain

Engine

96%

Style

95%

Functionality

96%

This lawn mower from the company has an 18.5HP Briggs and Stratton engine, which gives an impressive performance. In addition to that, the operation of the lawn mower is controlled by a foot pedal. Thus, you have increased control over speed and direction.

Also, there is a 16-inch turning radius that allows you to get into tighter spaces and move the lawn mower around obstacles in the lawn. The mid seat can be adjusted according to your level of comfort.

Just like the previous model from the company mentioned above, this one also has an air induction technology for creating a superior cut. Along with that, there is a 42-inch cutting deck and a reverse operating system. This gives you the liberty to reverse the lawn mower and mow backward by simply turning a switch off. It is surprising that all these features have been packed in a lawn mower that is so well-priced, making it the best riding lawn mower under $2000 on our list.

This machine could be considered the best riding lawn mower for rough terrain as it has anti-scalp wheels. They prevent scalping of the two wheels even when mowing in rougher terrains.

Pros

  • Allows you to mow in reverse
  • Can go into tighter spaces
  • Can go around obstacles
  • Has a strong engine
  • Controlled by a foot pedal

Cons

  • Does not have a gas gauge

3. Snapper 560Z

Snapper Riding Lawn Mower

Features

  • 50lb. capacity cargo bed
  • 61-inch deck
  • Seven adjustable cutting heights
  • Anti-scalp wheels

Engine

96%

Style

96%

Functionality

98%

This riding lawn mower from Snapper has been inspired by commercial designs. It has a 24HP engine with two cylinders that start electrically. The highest speed forward is 9MPH, and the highest reverse speed is 4MPH. Therefore, this lawn mower is best for people who want speedy lawn mowing.

There is a 61-inch cutting deck that trims grass in one go. Since it has a hydrostatic transmission for conveniently changing directions on the lawn, it is a reliable lawn mower for superior performance.

There are four anti-scalp wheels, as compared to two that are usually present in a lawn mower. This might even be the best riding lawn mower for hills on our list as the wheels do not scalp due to rough terrain.

The fuel indicator keeps you updated with how much fuel is left in the machine. It has an 18-inch seat to give you enough back support to mow the lawn for a longer time. With 7 adjustable cutting heights and electric blade management, you can use this lawn mower to cut the grass the way you want.

Possibly the most distinctive feature of this riding lawn mower is the presence of a cargo bed. This bed has a capacity of 50lb. so you can carry flower pots or other material to different parts of the lawn for maintenance.

You can realize the company’s trust in their machine from the fact that they offer a 3-year warranty on it.

Pros

  • Can be used in uneven terrains
  • Works professionally
  • Has a cargo bed for carrying flower pots or other things
  • Gives a smooth grass-trimming experience
  • Has a powerful engine

Cons

  • Deck belt requires replacement from time to time

4. Troy-Bilt 382cc

Troy Bilt Riding Lawn Mower

Features

  • 30-inch cutting deck
  • 18-inch turning radius
  • 382cc OHV Engine

Engine

95%

Style

95%

Functionality

94%

Troy is also a known name in the riding lawn mower market as the company has given us some really awesome products. This particular riding lawn mower has a 382cc Auto Choke OHV engine that goes forward with a maximum speed of 4.25 MPH.

Also, it has a 30-inch cutting and 5 settings that can be adjusted. The 18-inch turning radius allows you to mow the grass from difficult-seeming places too. If you want to adjust the blade, go for manual power.

If you have a standard-sized, flat lawn at home, then this riding lawn mower would be the best for you. You can check the remaining fuel from the fuel tank window easily. With six-speed transmissions and five height settings, this lawn mower can be used by anyone in the family.

Pros

  • Has five adjustable height settings
  • Made of steel
  • Steers smoothly and cuts evenly
  • Is light and easy to maneuver

Cons

  • Not suitable for hilly areas
  • Is very loud

5. Ryobi 38 inches

Ryobi Riding Lawn Mower

Features

  • Has LED headlights
  • USB Phone charger
  • Runs for 2.5 hours

Engine

94%

Style

94%

Functionality

95%

Some people do not like to use fuel-powered riding lawn mowers and might want to opt for electric riding mowers. This is the ideal choice for such users. This Ryobi lawn mower has 3 motors so that there is no compromise in performance.

It can run for 2.5 hours on one charge. Basically, it can mow a whole lawn of 2.5 acres in just one charge, which is quite convenient for people with standard lawn sizes.

Just plug it in a 120-Volt outlet and charge it before use. With a 28-inch cutting deck and remarkable traction, this lawn mower is a convenient option for every household.

Pros

  • Works quietly
  • No need for fuel
  • Can mow a whole lawn in just one charge

Cons

  • Not for bigger lawns
  • Expensive replacement batteries

6. Simplicity 2691339

Simplicity Riding Lawn Mower

Features

  • Has an electronic fuel management
  • Fuel capacity of 3.6 gallons
  • Has a rear and front suspension
  • The forward speed of up to 7.2MPH
  • Reverse speed of up to 5MPH

Engine

97%

Style

97%

Functionality

98%

This Simplicity riding lawn mower is a beast on the lawn with its strong Briggs and Stratton V-Twin Engine and automotive-like starting. It has a cyclonic technology that pushes away the debris and keeps the engine clean.

The striking feature of this Simplicity machine is the free-floating mower deck, which makes it the best riding lawn mower with attachments. This is the signature of the company. The floating mower gives a scalp-free cut to the grass.

Also, the superior traction system of this riding lawn mower ensures that you can easily maneuver through the obstacles and cuts in the lawn. You can mow forwards or backward, using this lawn mower at a very impressive speed.

Pros

  • Has cruise control
  • LED headlights to make everything visible
  • Can mow forward and backward
  • Has a sufficient fuel capacity

Cons

  • Is very expensive

7. Craftsman T225

Craftsman Riding Lawn Mower

Features

  • Has hydrostatic transmission
  • Is easy to assemble
  • 19HP engine
  • 46-inch cutting deck

Engine

93%

Style

93%

Functionality

95%

We wanted to make sure that there is a lawn mower for everyone on our list, so we have added this gas-powered lawn mower from Craftsman too. It features a 19HP Brigs and Stratton engine, which gives the ultimate performance you need for lawn mowing.

The gas-powered machine is suitable for bigger lawns as it has a 46-inch cutting deck. It will simply trim or clip away the grass in just one sweep, making the mowing process less time-consuming.

Along with that, it comes with a 1-year warranty from the company. When you buy this lawn mower, you will also get a mower cover to keep the machine covered when not in use.

Pros

  • Is easy to maneuver
  • Comes with a warranty
  • Allows you to mow in reverse
  • Has a ready-start ignition mechanism

Cons

  • Lever is awkward
  • The fuel tank is not easy to read

8. ARIENS APEX 60

Ariens Company Riding Lawn Mower

Features

  • Has hydrostatic controls
  • The forward speed of 8MPH
  • Reverse speed of 4MPH
  • Oil lubrication system

Engine

95%

Style

96%

Functionality

94%

When you look at this riding lawn mower, you instantly become confident that it would be a high-end machine for your lawn. This lawn mower has a zero-turn radius, which means that it can trim grass even in tighter spaces and go around lawn obstacles. It has a 25HP Kohler engine, which gives excellent performance. 

Additionally, it has a high-torque starter that allows you to start the lawn mower easily. The seat is pretty comfortable, while the tubular frame design keeps the lawn mower easy-to-use. It has a forward speed of 8MPH and reverse speed of 4MPH. The rear tires measure 22 inches while the front tires measure 13 inches. 

The control panel is placed in just the right position so that you do not have to get into the hassle of awkward controls. 

Pros

  • Can mow 4 acres of lawn in just one hour 
  • Has a stress-resistant tubular frame 
  • Seats are padded for comfort
  • Has armrests
  • Easily start-able due to presence of inertia-drive

Cons

  • Is noisy in its function 
  • Weak LED headlight 

9. Ariens Zoom 34

Ariens Zoom Riding Lawn Mower

Features

  • A Kohler twin engine
  • Overhead Valve Design
  • Cooling fans are installed
  • Has hydraulic reservoir
  • Mechanical foot for moving the deck

Engine

95%

Style

94%

Functionality

95%

This Ariens zero turn lawn mower has a 19HP Kohler engine, which gives it enough power for an impressive performance. The 34-inch deck is made of gauge steel, making it durable enough for long-lasting use on the lawns.

The food-pedal operational design makes this lawn mower easy to use for regular mowing. With the tank capacity of 2.0 gallons, you can mow a regular lawn without having to refill the tank. The highest forward speed is up to 6MPH, which allows you to get the mowing done in time.

The manufacturers of this riding lawn mower have added an armrest on the side so that you do not get tired while mowing. Since the deck is adjustable, you can cut grass of different heights. Also, there are two blades so you can cut the grass quickly.

With the tough steel axle and the heavy-duty steel build, this lawn mower is pretty durable and worth the money. You would never find such features in the best riding lawn mower under $1500.

Pros

  • Is tough in construction
  • Allows you to make varying cuts
  • Cooling fans keep the machine working nicely

Cons

  • Has a small fuel tank as compared to other machines in the same price range

10. Husqvarna MZ61

Husqvarna MZ61 Riding Lawn Mower

Features

  • 6-inch caster wheels
  • 27HP powerful engine
  • Zero-turn

Engine

96%

Style

93%

Functionality

95%

One of the problems that most people have with their riding lawn mowers is that they do not start easily. You do not have to worry about this with the Husqvarna riding lawn mower as it has a choke less start. It does not matter what the weather is like, the lawn mower will start immediately.

The lawn mower starts only when you are sitting on it. This is a safety measure to ensure that accidental starting does not cause an accident. In addition to easy starting, the lawn mower also has a 27HP Brigs and Stratton engine and a tank capacity of up to 5 gallons. Both these features make the lawn mower a great machine for your home.

Since it is a zero turn mower, it can take difficult turns and cut all parts of your lawn. Even though the wheels look risky, they are quite sturdy and well-balanced. Moreover, the levers are padded so that there is minimum vibration when the mower is in action.

Pros

  • Has safety features
  • Padded levers for reduced vibrations
  • Can access hard-to-reach areas

Cons

  • Is very expensive

This was our list of the ten best riding lawn mowers for your home or commercial usage. You might have noticed that most of these riding lawn mowers are quite expensive. This is due to the multiple features and powerful engines that are present in it.

Some people want to find the best riding lawn mower under $100, but trust us when we say this: you would not be able to find a riding lawn mower in this range. However, you can try to look for second-hand lawn mowers as they are more affordable.

Having a good lawn mower in your house can really be a gamechanger for lawn maintenance. Hopefully, you would have found the best riding lawn mower for your lawn, according to your requirements, in this list.


Riding Lawn Mower – Buyer’s Guide


Riding Lawn Mower Buyer's Guide

No matter what kind of place you own that needs a manicure now, your hard work needs to be rewarded, and you deserve to do all the work while riding in the lap of the luxury that is this riding lawn mower.

It helps you cut down all the grass in no time while still enjoying the summer breeze and not working yourself out a lot every week. You can now even check your lawn every day and give it the cut anytime you want.

There are many different kinds of riding lawn mowers, which can be differentiated by different things. If you are trying to get your hands on any of the best riding lawn mowers, there are multiple things that you will need to consider before you do that.

Riding ability

If you are thinking of getting yourselves a riding lawn mower, then as the name suggests, you must be able to ride it perfectly. There are different ways through which you can do that.

There are a lot of different ways by which you can judge whether the riding ability of that lawn mower is good or not. These might include the seat, the control that you are given in the hands and in your feet, and the control that you will be having on your lawn mower.

Comfortable seat

As this is just a lawn mower and you need to ride it all the time, you would need a comfortable seat that you do not mind sitting in for a long time. It is, of course a time taking job to cut all those pesky overgrown grass, so you will have to be patient, and for that, comfortable seats are a must.

If you are having any issues with the seats or they are not the perfect size for you, you must move on to the next mower, which maybe has the ideal seats for you.

Do not choose any of the riding lawn mowers without considering their seats because that is one of the biggest things that differentiate between other kinds of mowers and the riding lawn mowers.

Controls

Noticing where all the controls on your riding lawn mower is also very important. You need to make sure that you are able to handle it and it will not be causing any kind of problem for you.

They are ridden more like cars, but you still need to make sure that all the controls are at the right places where you need them to be so you can have the perfect control.

You command over the machine

While you will be sitting in the machine, it is very important that it’s steering, brakes and race is very easy to press and does not require any certain technicalities.

People buying all these machines need to realize that they need to be driven fine or they can cause some problems for not only themselves but also to others because of its sharp blades.ffd6ce

Machine

After we have talked about your control and your seating arrangements on the riding lawn mower, you need to make sure that your machine is of good quality and that it can mow your lawn perfectly.

Some of the basic things that you might need to check are the horsepowers, the speed, brakes, or the blades of it. The blades will need to be cleaned very often too, so make sure you are buying the product, which can be used and cleaned perfectly at any time that you want.

Engine Size

While engine size does not matter a lot while you are dealing with the grass. However, this can be a very important fact for when you are dealing with anything else.

The normal grass can be cut easily with normal engines, but if you are going to move to some thicker grasses with your lawn mower, you will need to make sure that your engine is strong enough for that.

Washout port

While cleaning your tractor’s blades is very important after every use due to different reasons, it can be hard to clean it in the normal riding lawn mower. One of the add on that you will require on your lawn mower now is the washout port.

That port can come out of your mower easily and can be cleaned easily and thoroughly without having any problems.

Storage

Not all kinds of lawn mowers feature this one important feature, but if you are trying to make the perfect purchase, which would be ideal, you would need to go and check if it gives you some storage too.

That storage can be of any type, and you can store anything typically in it. Most of the people that buy the riding lawn mowers with storage are the ones who carry their tools to fix the mower if any problem occurs at any time.

Budget

Budget is one of the very main and basic things that you need to consider before thinking about anything else.

If you do not have a really big budget to make a big purchase at the moment, there are a lot of products available, which would fit right in your budget.

A lot of people make mistakes by buying the products which were not in their budget to make themselves look good, but that is the worst thing that you will do.

If you cannot spend freehand on your riding lawn mower, you can leave out a few specifications and still work out just fine with your product.

If you are still having trouble, you can compromise on the brand and buy a product with full specifications from a slightly cheap brand.

This would give you all the specifications that you wanted and also at fewer rates. This will be a perfect gift if you know any lawn caretaker, as they would have all their problems solved very easily and quickly now.


Frequently Asked Questions


Riding lawn mowers is superior to all these kinds of lawn mowers as you can hire one person to ride it and you will have the work done in no time then. They would not require a lot of money as all they have to do is sit in the lawn mower and control it without actually doing any of the physical work.

As the name already suggests, you can easily ride these lawn mowers by sitting in the seats and riding it all around the field. If you have already driven a car once before or have the basic understanding of it, then it must not be very difficult for you to ride a lawn mower or even if you have not used any of it, you can still ride them as their controls are very basic.

Anyhow, the use of the lawn mowers might vary with the different kinds of lawn mowers and the kind of fuel they use. There are different kinds of lawn mowers, which use different kinds of fuels. Those different fuels are:
Gas
Petrol
Electric charge

As there are many different kinds of fuels on which a riding lawn mower can run, the ideal is petrol or gas. Electric riding lawn mowers are not very ideal or practical as it requires a lot of energy to work, and the electric power can run out very quickly. Even if it does not run out that quickly, there are still some chances that you will not be able to mow properly while using this riding lawn mower.

If you want to work like a professional, you need to choose either the gas or petrol to run it, as they are more reliable ways of working with the mowers.

While riding lawn mowers do relate to the cars a lot, they are still not the same. They have reverse and forward gears, but they have a lot of other options too. You can use the guide given along with it and easily get a hand on it.

It is also better if you already have a little knowledge about driving cars before you move to this, but even if you do not, you will still get a good grip over it.

Yes, this is a concern of a lot of people, as it is not only cutting while having blades but it is also being driven.

If the person has very good driving skills and gets what he is trying to do with the lawn mower and where he is going, then there is nothing much left to worry about.

The weight that the riding lawn mowers can bear depends upon each of them individually. While a lot of them can bear a lot of weight, there are also some of them who would only work properly if a normal sized person was riding it.          


Conclusion


We have made an ideal list of the best riding lawn mowers for you to use. You can ride them at any time, and they are so easy to use that you will probably not be needing any professionals to operate them.

Choose any of these riding lawn mowers to work for you, or you can use the guide given in the end to choose the right kind of lawn mower that will be doing all the work for you without causing you any problems.

As the list consists of the top riding lawn mowers, which have the highest rating on Amazon, you can easily pick from any one of these and get the best results without having to worry about its quality and reliability.

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