When choosing the right lawnmower, factor in the size of your lawn, the terrain (hilly or flat) and obstacles (trees or garden), how long you want to spend mowing and what kind of finish you desire (clippings or no clippings). We’ve tried a few mowers in our years of experience so here’s a quick rundown of the main options and a couple of expert recommendations.
Push mowers
If you have a small area of ½ acre or under (or perhaps you simply like putting in some time mowing a larger area), a walk-behind push-mower could be for you. These come in various models such as petrol powered, self-propelled, electric or manual reel mowers. Push mowers are cheaper to invest in and run but take more time and effort to use. If mowing takes over two hours with a push mower, consider a ride on.
Our favourite push mowers:
- Testarossa Honda GCV160
This is a top-notch walk-behind push mower so it’s better for smaller areas or to clean up any tight areas the ride-on might have missed. It’s lightweight and leaves your lawn with the most perfect finish. Lots of contractors choose this mower.
- Lawnmaster reel mowers
Another walk-behind push mower, these are ideal for precision grooming of small to medium sized lawns. These are the only lawnmowers designed and manufactured in New Zealand so they’re built for our lush grass and conditions.
Ride on Mowers
Ride on mowers are best suited for larger lawns or even medium sized if you’re looking to do it faster. These come as lawn or garden tractors, which are just what they sound like, mini vehicles that operate as such. Or there are the increasingly popular zero-turn mowers. These use less fuel, offer an amazing cut, much better manoeuvrability and they’re super fast!
Our favourite ride-ons:
- John Deere 1580
This is a front-mount ride on mower good for large area spreading (this means it does not catch the grass clippings). If you have a large area to mow and you want to do it as quickly as possible, this is a good choice. It has good manoeuvrability so it gets around obstacles nice and tight.
- Gianni Ferrari Turbo 4
Like the John Deere, this is another ride on front-mount mower for large areas, but this one has a massive 1300L collector to catch the clippings and leave you with the ultimate pristine finish. As well as precision maneuverability, this mower also has good traction and power so it can be used on slopes. WARNING – talk to the dealer about this first though as there will be definite limitations to how steep a slope you can mow safely.
- Walker Mower D21d
Walker is one of the best names in mowers and this is their top end commercial catching mower. It’s a ride-on front mount model with a handy diesel engine that’s powerful and efficient. And you can choose to either spread or catch using different decks. We recommend this one for large to medium sized areas.
To invest or not to invest?
Getting the right mower can mean a big outlay of capital up front. If you’re not ready for that kind of investment you can rely on us. We are fully equipped with the best lawn and turf care machinery perfectly maintained and expertly operated for precision every time.
Check out our convenient maintenance packages to save you time and get all the other benefits of our expertise and top-notch equipment.