Do you know the popular riding mower sizes for less than 1 acre? In this article, I will guide you through the process of finding the right mower for this type of acre.
There are two main types of lean mowers namely:
- Riding mower
- Walk behind mower
For a lawn above ¼ acres, you will need a riding mower to finish the job quickly.
How to make an estimation of the mowing surface of your lawn:
You can do this by simply walking off large rectangles and counting your steps while doing so. Add up the areas of the rectangles. Since it’s a quick estimation, you do not need to be precise.
The stride of an average woman is about 26 inches while that of an average man is about 30 inches. You can also measure your own stride for more precise measurements.
An acre is 43,560 square feet. This means that ¼ acres is 10,890 square feet. Thresholds above ¼ acres may require that you use a riding mower.
Mowers best suited for lawns that are ¼ acres to 2 acres are:
- rear-engine riding mowers,
- light-duty lawn tractors, and
- Residential-duty zero-turn mowers.
A commercial-duty zero turn mower should be used for lawns measuring more than 2 acres.
Popular Riding Mower sizes for less than 1 acre
Do you have less than 1 acre and want the right mower size for your trimming or mowing? I recommend that you begin with a 30-inch to 42-inch riding lawn mower. Meanwhile, if you a riding mower, you need .36 to 42 inches for your 1 to 2 acres.
Implications that Different Lawn Mower Dimensions Can Have
The problem of finding the size of lawn mower that you need for your lawn is quite a common one. Below are few implications that can affect your mower in terms of size:
Larger deck size/dimensions means fewer passes
Normally, wider mowers can cover more ground and help to reduce the time spent in mowing. By cutting off extra ten or twenty inches of grass every time you make a pass, you can save a huge amount of time and also energy.
Moreso, the ease of turning with a zero turn mower helps to make the work much easier.
However, if you have a small or medium sized lawn, you do not need to invest in getting a larger mower as it may only reduce a few minutes cutting time. Your lawn size influences the size of your mower.
Smaller mowers are easier to store
One big disadvantage of using bigger mowers is that you may not have enough storage space. With smaller mowers, you can store your mower and other equipment needed for mowing conveniently.
For instance, if you purchase a riding lawn mower, you will require a full extra car stall’s worth of space for you to store it.
Size affects maneuverability
When trying to manoeuvre obstacles or sharp turns in your lawn, the size of your lawn mower can either be helpful or not.
With a small push mower, you can easily corner and squeeze into tight spaces. Also, you can climb hills easily as the smaller cutting deck helps to reduce the weight of the mower and allows you to push the mower uphill easily.
You can use the zero turn mower to mow larger areas in your lawn and switch to the push mower to get into places that are harder to reach with the zero turn mower.
If you have a medium or large lawn with hills and you do not have a riding mower, it is highly recommended that you get a wider mower. Self-propulsion helps you to climb hills a lot easier and thanks to the larger rear wheels, you can make a heavier mower very easy to turn.
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Riding Lawn Mowers for 1 Acre
Before you make your selection for the right riding mower size for your less than one acre yard, I have listed some of the things to consider.
Engine Power and Source
You need adequate power to quickly mow your grass. The most popular model you need the gasoline-powered mower because of their power. However, this type of mower emits exhaust and needs oil and filter changes, emits exhaust and need fuel handling and storage.
Battery-powered electric riding mowers does not produce emissions, and works with significantly less noise. However, the model does not come cheap and require battery changes every five years.
Cutting Width
You should consider the cutting deck of a mower because it can affect the quality of cut and the speed. While you consider the width of the deck, the depth of the deck and number of blades play vital roles. A wider, deeper deck with more blades offer the most effective cut, while the larger, deeper deck with more blades is less mneuverable and needs more power.
If you between 0.5 acre and 2 acres, you should go for a 42- to 46-inch-wide deck with a 17- to 24-hp engine.
Transmission
The transmission could be automatic, manually geared independent electric motors, or hydrostatic. You should pick the most preferred mower’s transmission depending on what you want to achieve and your budget.
FAQs
What size mower do I need for 1/2 acre?
For ½ acre of land, a riding mower ranging between 40-50 inches would be ideal. With a wider deck mower, you can cut more grass and reduce the mowing time drastically.
Also, you can collect the grass in debris or mulching bag and dispose of it somewhere else.
What size zero turn mower do I need?
For 2.2 acres of land, manufacturers recommend a deck width ranging between 48 and 54 inches. With a 54-inch deck, you can finish mowing about 7% faster than a 50-inch deck.
This means that if it takes about two hours to mow 2.2 acres with a 50-inch deck, the 54-inch deck reduces the mowing time to about 1hr 50 minutes.
What size mower do I need for ¼ acre?
For a small yard, a 21-inch blade standard push mower can help you with the mowing job. You should know the size of your yard before you buy such mower.