Best Riding Lawn Mower Reviews of 2020

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.

Up for consideration, today is the Troy-Bilt 382cc Powermore OHV 30-Inch Premium Neighborhood Riding Lawn Mower. This rear-drive riding mower looked kind of like a combination of a scooter and a mower when I first saw it but the real test is not how it looks but how it performs on my yard. Let’s see if it can get the job done, shall we?

The first thing that I want to mention about this riding lawnmower is that it will take about an hour to assemble it and you’re going to need a number of different tools to do it (mainly, 1/2-inch and 9/16th-inch wrenches). I had to uncrate mine, attach the steering wheel, the seat, and the battery and make a few adjustments, add gas and so on. So factor in some time to do the job right.

Once it was assembled and ready to go, I decided to give it a run on my property. It did a pretty good job of cutting my grass on level ground but it couldn’t handle the hills that were not even steep. Now I know that rear-drive riding mowers aren’t good for hills in the first place, but this one did a particularly poor job and I thought it was going to flip on me. So for the rest of this review, I decided to keep it on level ground.

I did notice that the engine had quite a bit of power and it cut my grass well—even some of the tall, wild grasses I had growing on the edge of my property. While it’s 30-inch deck is smaller than other higher priced riding mowers, it’s a lot more than a push mower so it handled the job of cutting my grass fairly well. As long as it stayed on the level ground.

It also has a pretty good turning radius. An 18-inch turning radius to be exact. Sure, it’s not a zero-turn radius mower but I was able to get a lot closer to my oak trees than I have been able to do with some push mowers I’ve owned, so that’s always a plus.

While it did a really good job of cutting grass, it didn’t handle as well as I would have liked it to handle. For one thing, I found the controls were positioned oddly. This might be fine for some people but it felt really strange to me and like I was reaching. I also didn’t like the brake and clutch combination. For me, it was a bit oversensitive and this led to a quite jerky ride for me.

Another thing that I want to mention is that you have to disengage the blades in order to go in reverse. Yes, I know it’s a safety issue and more and more mowers have this feature, but this one wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked and added to my mowing time.

The last thing that I would like to say about this riding mower is that it really isn’t meant for large pieces of property. If you have a large piece of property, then you’d probably want to buy a bigger mower.

When I first saw the Yard Machines 190cc 24-Inch Rear Engine Riding Mower, I couldn’t decide if it was a lawn mower or a child’s ride-on toy. Of course, I being a little facetious here, but I do have to say that this mower is quite small. So if you’re a bigger guy who needs leg room, then this already might not be the rear engine mower for you. It also might not be the mower for you if you have a large yard because this mower only has a 24-inch cutting deck.

This mower does have a more than adequate 190cc Briggs & Stratton engine and a 6-speed transmission. When I first started using this mower, I noticed that it’s probably the perfect size to use in that space between my house and my outdoor shed, so I decided to give it a try and much to my surprise, I was able to squeeze the mower through it. Now I don’t have to use my weed whacker for that little alleyway anymore. And believe me, that’s a good thing.

I also noticed that it handled uneven terrain pretty well. While I wouldn’t use it on hills, I do have to say that it did a pretty good job handling the rougher terrain out behind my house. Which was a pleasant surprise to me. As far as cutting grass goes, it does a good job. Just don’t try to make it do heavy work because this little mower isn’t really suitable for anything but light grass cutting. It does have a good turn radius, however, and I could really zip around the trees in my back yard.

All things considered, this machine is not intended to be worked really hard or used on large stretches of land. I think that it’s durable enough for day-to-day use but I really wouldn’t push it too hard. After all, it still feels like a cross between a toy and a mower to me. I don’t really trust the build quality. It’s good for cutting the grass around a small yard but that’s all I’d use it for.

The Poulan Pro P54ZX Zero-Turn Riding Mower features a 24 HP Briggs V-twin engine, a Hydro-Gear EZT transmission, an electric clutch, 54-inch cutting deck and a 3.5-gallon fuel tank. It also has 18-inch rear tires, a welded frame, and a 15-inch high back seat. All of these features combine to produce a well built zero-turn mower that has a top speed of about 6 MPH and can cut approximately 2 to 2.8 acres an hour, depending on the terrain you are using it on.

When this zero turn first arrived, it took a little bit of effort to get it out of the crate and then I had to assemble the seat and control arms, and then get it all ready to mow. A process which took me about 30 minutes altogether. Once I did that, I was then ready to put it to the test on a 3-acre plot of land that I own. The first thing I noticed about this mower was that it cut extremely well. It not only cut grass well but also did a pretty good job on some of my brush piles. It handles all of those tasks without complaint.

I tried it around some of my trees and once again, this mower performed well. I really like its turn radius and I always felt like I had full control throughout the entire mowing session. I then tested my mower out on some hills of mine and that is when I ran into my first problem. While It did manage to cut my hill, a hill that was less than a 15-degree slope, it didn’t do it efficiently. I don’t know why but it felt like the back tires were kind of digging in a little too much. Anyway, it would seem this mower really doesn’t do great on hills, unfortunately.

However, this mower does seem like its well built and it cruises on level ground like nobodies’ business. I also like the fact that it has a 3.5-gallon gas tank and you can adjust its cutting height from 1.5″ to 4″ in half-inch increments. All in all, I think this is a great zero-turn for use on level ground but if you’re looking for something that will handle hills, then I’d probably look somewhere else.

Today, I get the chance to test out a mower I’ve been waiting to test out for some time. The Poulan Pro P46ZX Briggs V-Twin Pro 22-hp  46-Inch Zero Turn Radius Riding Mower. I’ve been waiting quite some time to review this zero-turn mower, so let’s not waste any more of it. Let’s get it reviewed!

When I received it, the first thing I had to do was to uncrate it (which required me using both a crowbar and hammer), assembled the seated and then rolled it off the pallet crate. After that was done, I then filled it with gas and connected the battery. I finished it by checking the oil and I was good to go.

Before I start this review however, I would like to say that if you don’t have any experience with a zero-turn mower, then you might want to give yourself some time to pick it up. There’s a learning curve for most people to use this machine effectively. I’ve had some experience with these type of mowers, so I was able to hit the ground running. It’s just something to think about.

The first thing that I did was take it out on my property and cut down a strand of tall grass that was bothering me. It handled this job perfectly. In fact, it handled the job of cutting my lawn very well. It gave it that brushed look that us lawn enthusiasts are always trying to get. Which really made me happy and gave me great confidence on how the rest of this review was going to go.

My property has all kind of trees on it. Most of them are white oak, but I also have some post oaks, some huge sweet gums, and some winged elms. And because there are so many of them, they are always a pain to mow around. However, that wasn’t the case with this zero-turn mower. I effortlessly went around these trees and before I knew it, I was almost done with my property. I know there are a lot of rural homeowners who are going to love the Poulan Pro P46ZX Briggs V-Twin Pro 22-hp  46-Inch Zero Turn Radius Riding Mower. I know, I did.

However, it didn’t handle every sort of terrain I asked it to handle. It did seem to have a problem with some of my hills. Some of the hills that lead down to the lake are fairly steep and while I was cutting them I didn’t feel real confident if you know what I mean. This zero-turn mower didn’t scare me as bad as some other riding models have in the past, but it did give me a start on an occasion or two. I wouldn’t recommend using this mower on steep inclines.

The rest of my mowing session was a breeze. This mower’s 46-inch deck was large enough to get the job done, especially when coupled with the amazing handling and speed of this mower. Before long, I had my property done and was relaxing under one of those sweet gum trees enjoying a nice cold glass of lemonade. I really don’t get the opportunity to say it enough but the Poulan Pro P46ZX Briggs V-Twin Pro 22-hp 46-Inch Zero Turn Radius Riding Mower was a joy to review and a whole lot of fun to use. It’s something I would recommend to anyone who had a bit of land they were looking to cut and wanted it to look great.

The Husqvarna 967324101 is a zero-turn riding mower with a 54-inch cutting deck, a Briggs & Stratton 24 HP V-Twin Endurance engine, a Dual Hydro-Gear EZT transmission, an electric clutch that easily engages the blades and a durable frame with LED headlights and an automatic park brake system. While many of Husqvarna products are hit-or-miss, I thought that this model looked interesting enough for me to want to review it. So without further adieu, let’s get this thing unpacked and get on with this zero-turn mower review.

Once you get it out of the crate, it only requires a few parts to be assembled and its ready to go. Before long, I had this zero-turn mower all set up and ready to go. I then immediately put it to work on my property. One of the first things I noticed when I fired this zero-turn up was that it was quite noisy. In fact, it kind of startled me at first because modern riding mowers aren’t as loud as they used to be, except for this one apparently. However, once I started mowing using it, I did notice that it ran fairly smoothly and I soon began to ignore the noise of the engine.

As I was mowing, I noticed several other things about this mower. One, it has a pretty powerful engine that seems determined to go through anything set before it. I cut grass and a little bit of brush and this mower had no problems with either one. I also noticed that it didn’t do too bad on several of my hills. Of course, no zero-turn is really good on hills and you should never use one of the mowers on a hill with a 15-degree or higher slope, but anything under that and it should be fine. At least, it was with this mower.

I really liked this mower’s LED headlights and its anti-slip foot area as well. This mower was easy to get on and off of and I had no problems steering it. Everything felt very intuitive and seems located right at your fingertips. One thing I really didn’t like was that it didn’t have a fuel gauge—which is an obvious design flaw. Being able to keep an eye on the fuel level is something that I consider very necessary. Especially when you have a lot of acres to mow.

Overall, I would say this is a great mower with a lot of power, a great turn radius and is pretty easy to use. While I don’t like the fact it didn’t have a fuel gauge and the engine was kind of noisy, it seems to be well constructed and designed. I would have to say that it’s a pretty good zero-turn mower.

The Husqvarna Z246 Zero Turn Riding Lawn Mower might not be the best zero turn mower on the market, but it does have some features that are worth talking about. For instance, it has a Briggs & Stratton 23 HP V-Twin 724cc Endurance engine, a Dual Hydro-Gear EZT transmission, a bumper with integrated LED headlights, an automatic park brake system, an anti-slip foot area and a rear engine guard. It also comes with 3 anti-scalp rollers. It looks like a smaller sized z-turn mower that should be able to handle about 2 to 3 acres without a problem. Let’s see how it does, shall we?

Uncrating it was fairly easy and I had it up and running within about 30 minutes. While I was getting it ready for its maiden mowing voyage, I took a good look at its frame. To be honest with you, it doesn’t look like the sturdiest frame construction I’ve ever seen. It is 13 gauge stamped steel cutting deck that is reinforced with additional steel. It should be fairly sturdy for day-to-day normal use but I’d be wary of trying to use it for heavy-duty use or you may end up with a bent or broken frame. Starting it up, I did notice that the engine was quite noisy—a lot noisier than I would’ve liked. And since the frame was kind of light, the ride was sort of bumpy. However, it did a pretty decent job of cutting grass, so I guess I’ll have to give it points for that point.

As long as you don’t use this zero turn mower on steep hills, it handles inclines well enough. It does have a pretty good turn radius and can really go around things like posts and trees without a problem. It was one of the easiest zero turn mowers I’ve used, so I really have to give it points for that as well. All things considered, I think this is a decent z-turn mower that should be good for light use. As long as you don’t push it too hard, then it should work out alright. Unfortunately, it’s priced as if it was a better mower when it really isn’t. I would expect for what the price I paid for it that it would be a workhorse, which it isn’t.