Lawn tractors are typically small tractors meant for farm work up to 2 acres. There are various attachments to the tractor, which can reduce you manual work. This will help you making use of your available time effectively in maintaining your garden in trim condition. Typically, (up to a maximum of 7 to 10 HP), these tractors come with a ZTR (zero-turning- radius) feature, which is very useful for working on a small field.

Versatily on Lawn Tractors

Garden tractors are versatile pieces of equipment. It can do a slew of jobs as mowing, tilling, lawn rolling, lamppost hole digging, and many other jobs. These jobs are possible through power take off spindle. This makes lawn tractors as the gardener's best friend.

Buying a Tractor for Your Garden

Buying a lawn tractor is like buying a car. The value of car may be less but a range of optional accessories increases it. Therefore, consider the tractor you are buying very carefully. You may purchase the accessories at one time, as you go along using your lawn tractor. It is recommended that you try the tractor at the showroom and get an idea about the time required in attaching and detaching the accessories. Test-drive the tractor and try to get a feel of getting in and out of tractor.

Basic Cost of Garden Tractors

The cost of small size lawn tractor starts at $900 and goes on until $6000. The basic model available just under $900 is Bolen 762F76, and the John Deere Spin-Steer SST-16 is available for $3300. Poulan Pro PK185H42ST sells at about $1400. This is just the cost of tractor alone without accessories. Accessories cost a ton with canopy starting at $110 and grass collection bag costing $300, small and large carts costing $110 to $220, can make it a costly proposition. If you are going to use your tractor just for lawn mowing, and you have a small farm of to 1 acre, you can have a look at the stand behind lawnmower costing $350 instead of going for lawn tractor.

Using Lawn Tractors Safely

The lawn tractors have a low center of gravity, and hence there is a low possibility of toppling and the accidents with lawn tractor are low. All the same, following precautions are useful while driving a lawn tractor.

• Do not ride at high speeds, especially up a hill. A small stone can throw you out of track and injure you.

• While dismounting make sure that the engine is off and the attachments are all touching ground, wherever possible.