If you need help deciding which is the best lawn tractor you should buy hop on to my Top List below where I listed my top picks for this year. If you need a few tips for using your lawn tractor you can check the Tips For Buying & Using lawn tractors that follow after the list. In any case, have fun with your new tractor!
The Top List
Product | Description | My Score | Price |
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My Choice![]() | Poulan Pro PB24VA54 V-Twin 24 HP 54” Riding Lawn Mower ReviewOverall, I think it's a great mower. While it isn't the cheapest one, it is priced nicely for the amount of power it had and its size. It's a great mower for those large mowing jobs and is a machine that is built to last. Read Users' reviews | ||
![]() | Poulan Pro 960420206 Briggs 24 hp Automatic Hydrostatic Riding Mower, 54″ ReviewIt's well built, pretty quick and handles a variety of different terrains well. It also starts quickly, cuts the grass well and is a joy to use. I think it's well worth its money. Read Users' reviews | ||
![]() | Husqvarna GTH52XLS 52″ Riding Lawn Mower ReviewIt's a great mower that really has some great things going for it. It cuts grass well. The only things I really didn't like about it was the price and the fact that the deck tended to dig into the ground on uneven ground. Read Users' reviews | ||
![]() | Husqvarna YTA18542 42″ Riding Lawn Mower ReviewAll things considered, I think it's a great machine and does a great job. This is especially true for a machine in its price range. If you're looking for a good riding lawn mower, then this is the mower to check out - especially if you're looking for a budget model. Read Users' reviews | ||
![]() | Snapper SPX 22/46 46-Inch 22 HP Riding Tractor Mower ReviewAll things considered, the Snapper SPX 22/46 is a decent mower, but it's build quality and its reputation of high maintenance costs prevents it from climbing any higher on my list. Read Users' reviews |
Tips For Buying & Using
My Lawn Tractor Reviews
The Poulan Pro PB24VA54 V-Twin is a riding lawn tractor that’s equipped with a 24 HP Kohler engine, a CVT transmission, 54-inch reinforced steel cutting deck and has a forward speed of about 7 MPH. It also has 20-inch rear tires and 15-inch front tires, a 2.5-gallon fuel tank, and a cast iron front axle. This riding lawn tractor is also sleek and looks like it’s ready for business. So without wasting any more time, let’s see what this nice looking mower can do.
After I uncrated it, I set it up and was ready to go in no time flat. The first thing that I noticed was this machine had a 15-inch high-back seat that was really comfortable and it also had a cup holder for my drink. So far so good I thought as I started it up; A task that was as simple as it could be thanks to its Ready Start System. I was then off on my grass cutting adventure. However, I have to say that it was less of an adventure and more of a pleasure to cut my grass with this mower.
This lawn tractor handles well and has a 54-inch cutting deck that really cuts the grass well. While it wasn’t hard to push the pedal to keep this mower moving, I do wish that it had some form of cruise control, especially when I’m doing my back 3-4 acres. But you can’t have everything I suppose and I felt that this mower did a great job doing what it was designed to do: cut grass.
If I had any complaint, it was the fact that the engine block is large and blocks a portion of my view in the front. It’s pretty large and I at times I had to lean really far forward to see what was just ahead of the mower. Not a big complaint for sure, but something that I feel needs to be mentioned.
Overall, I think that the Poulan Pro PB24VA54 V-Twin Lawn Tractor is a great mower. While it wasn’t the cheapest one I’ve bought, it was priced nicely for the amount of power it had and its size. It’s a great mower for those large mowing jobs and is a machine that is built to last.
Up for my review, is the Poulan Pro 960420186 Briggs 24-hp Automatic Hydrostatic Riding Mower 54″. It’s a lawn tractor that I’ve been looking forward to reviewing for quite some time. After all, who doesn’t love to ride around on these things as they cut their grass? Let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of it.
While it didn’t present me with too much of a problem, I did notice that they way it was created might pose a problem to some people. It did require some effort. In other words, they may find it hard to unpack. However, once it’s out, then it’s actually pretty easy to get it up and running.
After I had it all setup, I then proceeded to get on it and start it. I immediately took notice that it started right away. I didn’t need to prime it, it just started. I’m sure that’s thanks to its Ready-Start Starting System – a system which evidently works very well.
I have a pretty large piece of property and I had let it get a little high just so I could test out the Poulan Pro 960420186 Briggs 24-hp Automatic Hydrostatic 54” Riding Mower – as I do with all my reviews. Sometimes that results in frustration when the mower can’t do its job, but that wasn’t the case today. Nope, it handled even my tall, wild grasses very well and did a beautiful job of cutting it. It’s 54” deck is vented so it allows air underneath as I mow these taller grasses and I think that makes all of the difference. If air is obstructed under the deck, then that can result in a messier cut. However, I don’t think anyone will have that problem with this lawn tractor.
Another thing that I liked about this riding mower is that it’s easy to adjust on the fly. Some of the older riding mowers you had to stop to make speed adjustments. Not with this baby, however! As I able to make speed adjustments and not lose time in doing so.
I was also able to get pretty close to my fence and the white oak trees in my yard. Sure, I wasn’t able to cut as close to them, as say a mower with a zero-turn radius but it did get pretty close. It was easier to cut close to my trees than it had been with some of the push mowers I’ve owned over the years.
Another thing that really impressed me about the Poulan Pro 960420186 Briggs 24-hp Automatic Hydrostatic 54” Riding Mower is that it cut the grass on my property pretty quickly and I’m on a few acres. I didn’t time exactly how quickly I finished it (I was having too good of a time) but it was quicker than a lot of other riding mowers I’ve used. If there were anything I’d change about it, I’d add a forward cruise control. Not that it really needs it. After all, it’s already really easy to drive and that would probably just make it too easy to drive. However, I really can’t think of anything else I’d change about it.
The Husqvarna GTH52XLS is a riding lawn tractor that comes equipped with a Briggs & Stratton Endurance Series V-Twin 24 HP engine, Hydrostatic with Rear Locking Differential transmission, electric cutting blade adjustment, 4-gallon fuel tank, a nice seat with armrests and a heavy-duty heavy-cast front axle. It’s a mower that seems well built and one that I just couldn’t resist trying out. So here are the results of the time spent with this mower.
The first thing that I want to mention about this mower is that it does a pretty good job of cutting grass and thanks to its 52-inch powder coated cutting deck can cut quite a bit of it. It also handles itself exceptionally well on hills thanks to its locking rear differential and large rear wheels that really gives this mower some really good traction. Another great thing about this mower is that it also has a cruise control. And to top it all off, it has ergonomic seats and steering wheel.
This mower has a top speed of about 7.75 MPH and a reverse speed of about 2.1 MPH. Its 4-gallon fuel tank allows you to take it on longer mower sessions than comparable mowers and it has a transparent fuel level that makes it easy to check to see how much gas is in the mower. I also like that the fact that it has an electric blade engagement that allows me to engage the blades simply by pulling the switch on the control panel.
I would also like to add that the Husqvarna GTH52XLS is comfortable to drive and it was pretty easy to climb up and down off of. While this mower does have a cup holder, I’m afraid that it’s the wrong size for a water bottle. Not a big deal, but something I felt I needed to mention.
Overall, this is a great mower that really has some great things going for it. The only things I really didn’t like about this mower was the price and the fact that the deck tended to dig into the ground on uneven ground. It cuts well on the even ground and on hills, but if the terrain is kind of rough and uneven, then the deck will dig into it. Other than those two problems, I think this is a great mower that really cuts grass well.
The Husqvarna YTA18542 is a riding lawn mower which has a 540 cc 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton single cylinder with a Fast CVT Transmission, a 42-inch stamped metal deck, a 16-inch turning radius and a cutting height that can be adjusted from 1.5-inches to 4-inches. It has a maximum speed of about 7 MPH forward and about 2 MPH in reverse. I’ve heard great things about this mower, so I was quite eager to get it to review it. And I wasn’t disappointed.
In the past, Husqvarna hasn’t been a riding lawn mower brand that I would’ve chosen. Honestly, their previous products have been pretty mediocre. However, that may have all changed with this particular model. While it’s not without its flaws, it does have some pretty good features and handled pretty well. When the crate arrived at my door, it was easy to unpack and after getting it prepped for service, it was ready to cut my lawn in no time flat.
This side-discharge mower does a really good job cutting grass—especially on even ground. It also does a fairly good job with hills, although it isn’t recommended for hills larger with over a 15-degree slope, handles well on slopes up to 15-degrees. This mower was also pretty easy to get up and down off of and had plenty of leg room. It also provided a really smooth ride and the seat was very comfortable. The only complaint I have about this mower is that it doesn’t a cruise control, so you’ll have to use constant foot pressure to keep it moving. While some people like having this level of control over their mower, I found that it caused my leg to cramp slightly when I was doing large parts of my property.
Cleaning the machine was easy because it came with a deck wash port that allows you to connect your hose to it to wash the underside of the deck. It’s a system used more and more frequently on modern mowers and one that works pretty well.
All things considered, I think the Husqvarna YTA18542 Riding Lawn Mower is a great machine and does a great job. This is especially true for a machine in its price range. If you’re looking for a good riding lawn mower, then this is the mower to check out—especially if you’re looking for a budget model. It was quite the surprise for me.
The Snapper SPX 22/46 is a riding lawn mower with a 46-inch cutting deck, a Briggs & Stratton Professional Series V-Twin 22 HP OHV engine, a foot pedal operated Hydro-Gear T2 Hydrostatic transmission, cruise control that is mounted on the dash and 7 height adjustments from 1.5″ to 4.0″. This mower is a nice medium sized mower that looks like it will do a good job of cutting my lawn, so I decided to put it to the test and see what it can really do.
The first thing I’d like to mention about this mower is that it does a pretty good job of cutting grass. It’s not the fastest mower and certainly doesn’t have the largest cutting deck, so you can expect to spend some time cutting grass, especially if you have quite a bit to cut. But I will say that it does a great job of turning. It has a 14-inch turning radius that is very welcome after testing out some of the larger mowers out there that tend to not turn very well. Sure, this mower will never be mistaken for a Zero Turn mower, but it does do a good job of going around trees and such.
I also like the fact that this mower has a deck mounted cruise control system. Those are always welcome in a mower, at least in my opinion. This mower’s 22 HP engine does a good job of taking on hills, too. It had a little bit of a problem on uneven ground, but not so big of a problem that it cut into the ground or ended up scalping my grass.
The one thing I have to mention is its build quality. For instance, it only has a 14-gauge steel deck. I understand this isn’t a large mower, but I would’ve at least liked to have seen an 11-gauge steel deck on this mower. I’m afraid that what it has now will end up bending over time. I have also heard stories about the belts on these mowers having to be constantly replaced. While I didn’t have that problem during my short time with this mower, it’s something that you might want to research and consider. After all, you don’t want to spend all of your time and money having to do maintenance on a mower.
All things considered, the Snapper SPX 22/46 Riding Lawn Mower is a decent mower, but it’s build quality and its reputation of high maintenance costs prevents it from climbing any higher on my list.