Today, we’re lucky to live in a world where high-quality lawn maintenance gear isn’t just widely accessible, but easy on your budget, too. However, if you run a professional landscaping company, odds are that you take on jobs that would give your run-of-the-mill walk-behind lawn mower fits and starts. Sure, ride-on mowers might be easier on your back, but they’re not quite agile enough to cut large lawns and still keep to your company’s tight schedule.
Rather than throwing money at the problem and buying more equipment that doesn’t fit your needs, there’s another state-of-the-art lawn mowing system that can slice you and your employees’ time on big yards practically in half: zero-turn mowers. If you think your business can cut corners with dirt-cheap but sub-par equipment, you need to learn how zero-turn mowers are the best professional option for lawn maintenance on the market.
It’s a poor craftsman who blames his tools, but it’s a poor businessman who skimps on them.Reason No. 1: The fastest show on turf
When your crew shows up to a residential address, a municipal property or even just the median strip on a highway, your first concern is always quality. However, if you spend all day crawling along with a push-behind mower that only goes about as fast as a brisk walk, there’s no way you’ll be able to make your other appointments.
That’s the first major improvement that zero-turn mowers offer over all other models: speed. Top-of-the-line zero-turn mowers from Husqvarna average around 6 to 10 mph, which is about the pace of a moderate to heavy jog. Other models top out at the breakneck speed of 13 mph, or a full sprint for most people. By contrast, most ride-on yard tractors don’t break the 4-mph range, and push-behind models only go as fast as you can walk.
If speed is the name of the game, you can’t go wrong with zero-turn mowers.
Reason No. 2: Take a big cut
Speed is all well and good, but if you’re only trimming a narrow strip of grass on every pass, you’ll be wasting more fuel traversing yards than you’ll actually be getting work done. Not to worry, though: Zero-turn mowers come with some of the biggest cutting decks on the market.
Landscapers have their pick of models that eat up a generous 40-inch lateral swath of grass on each pass or lawn-guzzling behemoths with 50- to 60-inch cutting decks. Moreover, the more powerful engines in these machines turn the blades at a higher speed than other models, meaning you’ll be getting a cleaner and more even cut with less torn grass on each go.
If you combine zero-turn mowers’ wider cutting surface with their greater rate of speed, you’re going to see an exponential decrease in the time it takes you to mow even the largest properties on your to-do list.
“The most important feature of zero-turn mowers isn’t apparent until you see them in action.”
Reason No. 3: Handles like a dream
To this point, zero-turn mowers just seem like bigger, faster versions of their smaller and slower lawn maintenance counterparts. However, the most important feature of these cutting-edge mowers isn’t apparent until you see them in action, but you can tell from the name.
Zero-turn mowers are famed for their expert maneuverability, and it all stems from the way their drive systems are designed. Instead of other models that have either both front or both back wheels on a single axle, zero-turn mowers have individually articulating back wheels that are controlled by dedicated levers. Because you can move one wheel without adjusting the other, you’re able to make 180-degree turns without moving from a spot.
When you reach the end of a pass, all you need to do is swing the far side of the zero-turn mower all the way around and you’re set up for a perfectly straight run in the other direction. This increased measure of agility also makes oddly shaped yards and obstacles like fountains and other features a breeze: Instead of cutting the entire lawn, packing the mowers back on the truck and then bringing out the hand-held trimmers and edgers, zero-turn mowers can hug edges and turns with such precision you’ll feel like an F-1 driver.
Running your landscaping business is all about reinvesting your revenue in the most efficient ways possible, and zero-turn mowers help you cut more grass at a higher quality in less time. There aren’t many no-brainers when you’re behind the helm of a company, but zero-turn mowers might be one of them.