5 Great Riding Lawn Mowers Under $1,000

April 13, 2011, By Christian Cawley 1 comment

There is something highly satisfying about being able to mow your lawn, not with a standard upright rotary blade or hover mower, but with a good quality riding mower. Using an upright means walking backward and forward, pushing, pulling, emptying, avoiding stones and sticks, and a whole lot of other stuff that's not fun.

If you’re happy with turning a walk in the garden into a chore, then you’re welcome to it. I prefer a riding mower. I enjoy planning the route around the lawn to make sure that every blade of grass is covered without a return visit--and then executing my plan from the seat of my mower.

It doesn't require a huge investment, as you'll see in the following list. Now, these mowers aren't cheap, but there are several nice models under $1000.

The Low-Budget Model

Unfortunately, you won’t find anything that can be described as a “good buy” or an “investment” until you head into the $850+ price bracket. All the general rules about choosing a riding mower with a decent engine and sturdy axel fall by the wayside until you raise your budget.

However, one good choice under the $850 mark is the Weed Eater 261, available for as low as $675 online. With 3+1 transmission and a 30- to 40-inch turning radius, the Weed Eater 261 has 13" rear tires, 10" front tires and a two-quart fuel capacity. The 190CC (825 Series) Briggs & Stratton motor isn’t going to win a race with anything faster than a tortoise, sadly, but this is probably the cheapest model you should consider.

More Budget Garden Tractors

The 38" tractor from Yard Machines is another option, powered by a 13.5 hp Briggs & Stratton HPI/C series engine. With a 38" precision-cut mowing system and 18" turn radius, this riding mower isn’t the most versatile, but it is sturdy for the price and should be pretty long-lasting. You’ll also be able to push the six-speed, shift-on-the-go transmission to five MPH going forward, enabling you to make light work of your lawn.

This $900 tractor works best on flat terrain, and the narrow axel width means a large person will not get the same fuel efficiency as a slender one.

Silent Running

If you like to mow in the evening, the Ariens 42" 19.5 hp Briggs & Stratton riding mower is regularly found online and in stores for under $1000. This model is recognized for its quiet engine that is still powerful enough to deliver five and a half MPH going forward without waking up the babies.

Despite its quiet demeanor, the tractor also carries a (comparatively) massive two and a half gallons of gas, and the 42" cutting deck means that fewer passes are needed for a uniformly cut lawn.