Best Lawn Tractors

Lawn tractors mow, use accessories and attachments

Lawn tractors are flexible: With a front-mounted motor, they have the familiar look of a farm tractor. All can mow, but the best lawn tractors can increase their functionality by accepting optional attachments, including plough blades, baggers, carts or tilling attachments. If you mainly want to mow, you might consider bypassing lawn tractors and going for a zero-turn mower. These have the engine in the back; they aren't as flexible as tractors because they don't take as many attachments and don't do well on slopes. But if you mainly need to mow big flat areas, they are a good option (discussed in our section on zero-turn mowers).

The John Deere X304 lawn tractor (*Est. $3,600) continues to earn top marks for performance and maneuverability (with four-wheel steering), but the less expensive Cub Cadet iSeries zero-turn lawn tractors are giving it close competition. The 15-inch turning radius on the John Deere X304 is unusually small for a lawn tractor, leaving a circle of uncut grass (at the end of a row) with a radius of about 16 inches. The 42-inch deck is the size reviews recommend for the cutting the most evenly.

More recently, though, newer and less expensive zero-turn lawn tractors by Cub Cadet and Craftsman are challenging the supremacy of the John Deere X304. Zero-turn tractors leave no circle of uncut grass; like other types of lawn tractors, they steer with regular steering wheels, do well on slopes and can take attachments. Mowing tests show that both brands compare favor ably with the John Deere X304 for performance, though they're not as easy to use. (They lack cruise control and change cutting height with a lever rather than a rotary dial.)

At TodaysMower.com, a review of the zero-turn 42-inch Craftsman Revolution 28933 (*Est. $3,000) says it's much faster than most lawn tractors. It's powered by a 22-horsepower Briggs & Stratton Platinum OHV engine (656cc) with full-pressure lubrication and a spin-on oil filter -- high-end features that are usually signs of engine durability. It also has a deck-washing port to ease cleanup.

New last year, the 42-inch Cub Cadet i1042 -- now called the Cub Cadet ZTT 42 (*Est. $2,700) -- attracted quite a bit of attention as the first zero-turn lawn tractor. Like the more expensive Craftsman model, the Cub Cadet ZTT 42 has full-pressure lube and a deck washout port. It's powered by an 18-horsepower Kohler Courage OHV engine, but reviews say that comparing engines by the manufacturers' horsepower ratings isn't a good idea. (The John Deere X304 uses a 17-horsepower V-twin Kawasaki OHV engine.) All three mowers get good reviews for use on moderate slopes of 10 degrees or less.

Comparison tests of the John Deere X304, Cub Cadet ZTT 42 and Craftsman Revolution 28933 find that the John Deere has the edge when it comes to ease of use. One veteran tester says that the John Deere X304 gives a very comfortable ride. It gets good marks for cutting evenly in all three modes: mulching, side-discharging and bagging. (Bags are options at extra cost on all three of these tractors.)

The Cub Cadet ZTT 42 outperforms the John Deere X304 when it comes to side-discharging clippings, but it doesn't mulch as well. (Lawn experts recommend mulching clippings as the best mode.) The Craftsman performs as well as the John Deere in all three modes -- side-discharging, mulching and bagging -- and comes ready to mulch. (The John Deere X304 requires a blade change to mulch rather than side-discharge.)

It's worth noting that Cub Cadet mowers in the same series that have bigger mowing decks don't perform nearly as well. This is typical of all lawn tractors. The wider the mowing deck, the harder it is to get an even cut unless the lawn is extremely flat.

More significant comparisons are based on the tractors transmissions, durability and warranties. The John Deere X304 has a good repair record, on average. Experts say its build-quality should make it last about half again as long as less expensive lawn tractors. The polymer deck can't rust. The warranty is for four years or 300 hours, whichever comes first.

The Cub Cadet carries a shorter three-year or 120-hour warranty, and it is made by MTD, a company that has a poor record for quality-control issues and durability. We found quite a few users who say it needs frequent repairs. Nearly all of the two dozen or so owner-written reviews at Popular Mechanics are negative.

The newer Craftsman Revolution 28933 zero-turn tractor uses a different transmission, but this Infinitrak transmission is also made by MTD. Other Craftsman lawn tractors are made by Husqvarna and have better repair records, on average, than those made by MTD. It's not clear, though, whether the rest of the Revolution is made by Husqvarna. About half the owners reviewing the Revolution 28933 at Sears.com say they had transmission problems, with many saying the tractor is noisy or it jumps forward when their foot leaves the brake.

Quite a few owners are very happy with this tractor, but overall, the jury is still out. The warranty is for only two years on the whole Craftsman lawn tractor, five years on the frame and front axle. You can buy an extended service plan, and the review at TodaysMowers.com recommends this, based on many reports of noises from the transmission. The review says Sears will come to the house to make repairs.

All three lawn tractors come in separate CARB-certified models for California's stricter emission standards. We were unable to reach anyone at Cub Cadet for more specific information about how it meets the standards, but Greg Weekes at John Deere says that all the CARB-certified John Deere models do meet the evaporative fuel standards (with nonpermeable fuel tanks and lines).

However, the engines don't necessarily have the carbon canisters that reduce engine emissions. He says that like most manufacturers, John Deere sells few enough units of the X300 series and other high-end lawn tractors in California that the engines can be the same as those sold in other states. .

Other John Deere X300-Series lawn tractors

If your lawn doesn't have a lot of obstacles to mow around, you can get most of the benefits of the John Deere X304 by stepping down to the John Deere X300 (*Est. $3,000), the base model in the same series. This lawn tractor uses the same Kawasaki engine and durable body as the more expensive John Deere X304 and carries the same warranty, but it's slightly less maneuverable. The 16-inch turning radius is only an inch wider, but the two-wheel steering (instead of four-wheel) means you leave a 27- to 28-inch radius of uncut grass whenever you turn around.

You can choose between 38-inch and 42-inch mowing decks at the same price. Switching among side-discharging, mulching and bagging is as quick and easy as on the John Deere X304. If you don't want to switch among modes and want to mulch the clippings every time, you can also get the John Deere X300 (*Est. $3,000) with a dedicated 42-inch mulching deck. Once you choose this lawn tractor, though, you're stuck -- this model can't be adapted to side-discharge or bag clippings.

The John Deere X300R (*Est. $4,000) discharges to the rear, with no side-discharge chute sticking out. This means you can mow closer to obstacles on either side. You can bag clippings, with a bag that lifts off easily to reveal the towing ball for attachments. The 19-inch turning radius is a disadvantage.

Both the John Deere X300 and X304 are recommended for mowing lawns up to about 1.5 acres. For mowing larger areas, the manufacturer recommends other lawn tractors with larger engines in the same series. To mow four acres, for example, Deere recommends the X340 (*Est. $4,750), which is essentially a garden tractor with a 25-horsepower engine.

Some owner-written reviews say that John Deere discontinues parts for its tractors too early. Some users say they have had to buy a new lawn tractor because they could no longer get a part they needed. This might be verification that Deere tractors are durable, but it's also a drawback worth noting.