If I were in your position and could justify the cost of a riding mower over a walk behind, that is what I would go with if it were my only lawnmower.
Some positives to consider if you go with a riding mower:
1. To state the obvious, riding mowers offer much less fatigue if you're going to be mowing a lot of grass.
2. Can be used for other things as well such as pull behind attachments: lawn sweeper, dump carts, thatcher, blade etc...
3. Cuts down on mowing time.
Negatives:
1. Initial cost.
2. Not nearly as maneuverable in tight areas. If you have a lot of these typs of areas where it requires a lot of back and forth turning, you will more than likely need to use a walk behind for those areas. Think of driving a car and making multiple point turns.
3. More costly to maintain and upkeep. You would have 2 or more blades to sharpen each time, more fuel, more belts to replace etc.
Those are a few of the main things in my mind to think about when considering a riding mower over a walk behind. Really the main thing is cost though. If you have any lawnmower dealers in your area, go check out some riding mowers and compare them to the walk behinds and see what you think. They will even probably let you test drive the riders too.
If you want a step above what you already have, yet don't want to pay a good chunk of cash for a riding mower, I say comprimise and get yourself and nice quality self propelled walk behind such as a Honda or Toro.
Whatever it may be though, be sure to research the particular machine to find out how they hold up.
Some positives to consider if you go with a riding mower:
1. To state the obvious, riding mowers offer much less fatigue if you're going to be mowing a lot of grass.
2. Can be used for other things as well such as pull behind attachments: lawn sweeper, dump carts, thatcher, blade etc...
3. Cuts down on mowing time.
Negatives:
1. Initial cost.
2. Not nearly as maneuverable in tight areas. If you have a lot of these typs of areas where it requires a lot of back and forth turning, you will more than likely need to use a walk behind for those areas. Think of driving a car and making multiple point turns.
3. More costly to maintain and upkeep. You would have 2 or more blades to sharpen each time, more fuel, more belts to replace etc.
Those are a few of the main things in my mind to think about when considering a riding mower over a walk behind. Really the main thing is cost though. If you have any lawnmower dealers in your area, go check out some riding mowers and compare them to the walk behinds and see what you think. They will even probably let you test drive the riders too.
If you want a step above what you already have, yet don't want to pay a good chunk of cash for a riding mower, I say comprimise and get yourself and nice quality self propelled walk behind such as a Honda or Toro.
Whatever it may be though, be sure to research the particular machine to find out how they hold up.
