Ten top ride-ons to tackle the late summer growth

The lawns and orchards have certainly appreciated the recent rains and a summer flush of new growth has certainly freshened things up a bit.
But those of you lucky enough to have larger areas to keep spick and span are faced with the job of keeping everything neat and tidy and a ride-on is currently worth its weight in gold.
So here are ten top ride-ons and lawn tractors for consideration should you decide you need a bit more help in the garden.
And remember that you can buy a wide range off attachments to fit the majority of ride-ons and lawn tractors – imagine how much hard work a towed leaf sweeper could save in the autumn.

So the first of our machines is the Mountfield 827M Compact Lawn Rider.
This compact little machine has proved a real favourite and is useful if you have narrow gates to negotiate.
Mountfield’s own 196 cc engine provides the power and is started with a key and it has a five speed gear box – four forward and one reverse.
The grass box can hold 150 litres and can be emptied by using a lever while still in the driving seat.
Cutting heights are easily adjusted from 25 to 80 mm with six options.
Extras you can order at the time of purchase include a very useful tow hitch for £59, a rear deflector for £79 for use when cutting longer grass and a mulch plus for £89.
Mountfield’s recommended retail price is £1299 but we have it for sale for just £1199.
Delivery is free within two to three days and there is a two year warranty from the manufacturer.
Next is a machine on special offer, the Efco Storm 95/11.5T Side-Discharge Lawn & Garden Tractor.
This has a 96 cm free floating cutting deck and a pivoting front axle and a Briggs & Stratton 11.5 hp engine with key start.
Transmatic drive means that the foot operated clutch gives variable speed through the seven gears and leads to better speed control. And it has an extra tight turning circle.
There are three ways of disposing of the clippings – either discharged at the side, collecting, an optional extra, or mulching. Cutting heights are from 30 mm up to 90 mm.
This is delivered within three to five working days and has a mulch kit worth £50 absolutely free.
The optional twin bag grass collector costs £339.
It costs £1295 compared with the maker’s recommended price of £1645 and has a three year warranty.
Here’s one from a favourite manufacturer.
The Cub Cadet CC114TA Ride-On Mower has a very tight 46 cm turning circle and a working width of 76 cm.
It has a 420 cc engine transmatic drive and six speed gear box and deals with the clippings either by collecting in the 200 litre grass box, discharging at the back or mulching.
Cutting heights are from 38 up to 95 mm and it has a large 4.9 fuel tank to keep you working longer.
The machine is delivered free within three to five working days and has a two year manufacturer’s warranty. Cost: £1499.
Now here’s one with a great off of a free steel tipping trailer worth £179 absolutely free.
The Al-Ko T12-74HD-A Edition Lawn Tractor is a great German engineered machine suitable for grounds between .5 and 1.25 acres and has a really tight turning circle to get round the flower beds.
The hydrostatic drive is hand controlled for better control and has a low discharge chute and aerodynamic high lift cutter blade which can cope well with damp grass and minimise blockages to the 220 litre grass box.
It has a 452 four stroke engine and has six cutting heights from 30 to 90 mm. Plus there is a large selection of extras available at special prices including a dethatcher which is towed behind the machine and a leaf sweeper.
Delivery is free within three to five working days and there is a two year warranty from the makers. It costs £1699.
Now one on special offer from a major European manufacturer.
The Efco EF91-PLUS/14.5 KM Lawn & Garden Tractor will take car of larger lawns and has a 432 cc four stroke Emak engine started with a key. It has six gears.
The carefully-designed cutting deck and shaped blades mean the collection of wet grass is easier into the 210 litre grass box.
And this grass box has an audible warning when it gets full.
Another useful feature is a deck wash facility, just attach the garden hose and runn the engine nad the machine cleans itself.
It costs £1599 compared with the maker’s recommended price of £2229.41 and has a three year manufacturer’s warranty.
Delivery is free in three to five working days.
Here’s another on special offer and with a couple of extras absolutely free.
The Mountfield 1538H-SD Lawn & Garden Tractor has a 98 cm cutting deck, ideal for a property up to two acres.
This tractor is ideal for rougher areas as the clippings are discharged to the side, but for the smoother lawns there is a mulching facility – the mulch plug is included free.
It has a variable speed hydrostatic drive which gives precise speed control and the maker’s cutting system on this machine increases air flow under the deck and leads to more efficient mulching. Cutting heights are from 25 to 80 mm and there is a tow bar fitted as standard.
It costs £1699, £200 less than the maker’s recommended price and has a two year warranty. Delivery is free within three to five working days.
When you but this lawn tractor there is also the opportunity to purchase other useful equipment at special prices, like a dethatcher for just £69.
Now another from the same stable and it’s the Mountfield 3000SH Lawn Tractor.
This one has a twin-bladed cutter deck with a width of 82 cm and a 389 cc engine from Honda, a real top performer giving bags of power and using little fuel.
The engine automatically decompresses to make starting easier and has a dual air filter for a longer life.
Twin blades provide a powerful air stream under the 82 cm deck to deal with damp cuttings, blasting them into the 240 litre collector. Hydrostatic transmission gives precise ground speed control and the drive wheels have wide heavy tyres which give great grip but also minimise damage to the lawn.
Cutting heights are from 25 to 80 mm and there is a deck wash facility included on this machine. As an optional extra a mulch plug can be obtained for £99. And there are other special offers available when you buy this lawn tractor.
It costs £1999 compared with the maker’s recommended cost of £2209 and is delivered free within three to five working days. There is a two year warranty from Mountfield.
Now a really serious lawn tractor machine packed with featres. The Toro DH210 Rear-Collect Garden Tractor with Recycle-On-Demand is the machine you need if dealing with rougher paddocks or orchards or with smooth formal lawns.
It has a powerful 500 cc Briggs & Stratton high performance engine and has an oil pump with a driven continuous oil flow. Plus it has an electric key start.
Twin blades produce excellent airflow under the deck to minimise blockages and the recycle on demand technology means that the operator can switch between collecting cutting and mulching them just be depressing a pedal.
Cutting heights are from 30 to 98 mm and there is a 300 litre grass box which has a buzzer to sound when it is getting full.
The hydrostatic drive means speed is controlled by a foot pedal and the 1023 cm working width makes it suitable for really large areas.
Our price is £2999 compared with the maker’s recommended retail price of £3499. Delivery is free within five to seven working days and there is a two year warranty from the manufacturers.
Now a classic British-made mower, really well made and really versatile.
The Westwood T1600H Garden Tractor has a 603 cc Briggs & Stratton engine, twin cylinder and quiet when running thanks to a double-skinned cowling under the bonnet.
It has a 97 cm Combi deck which can mulch as well as discharge at the rear.
If you want to collect the clippings a 300 litre powered grass collector driven by the power take-off is available and a high grass mulching deck to deal with longer grass.Hydrostatic drive gives excellent control and cutting heights go right down to 12 mm and up to 101 mm.
As an additional feature it has an indicator to give performance information to the driver it even tells you when throttle adjustment is necessary.
There are many attachments which can be obtained to turn this machine into a year round workhorse.
This machine costs £3695, is delivered free within three to five working days and has a two year manufacturer’s warranty.
And finally a machine often the choice of park keepers and gardeners responsible for larger country houses.
The Stiga Park Pro 21 4WD Ride-On Lawnmower has the out-front cutting deck and is designed to deal with really large areas.
Powering it is a 627 cc Briggs & Stratton engine, twin cylinder and developed for professional use.
The chassis pivots between the front and rear wheels giving a very tight turning circle and meaning the back wheels follow the exact path of the front ones, giving very precise cutting results.
The split differential eliminates wheel spin and protects the lawn and the powerful engine makes it suitable for any Stiga Combi rear discharge cutters decks.
This Stiga comes with a White Gloves delivery service where the machine is demonstrated by an engineer on hand-over.
There is a choice of cutter decks and it is delivered free within five to eight working days with a three year warranty from Stiga.
It costs £7324 compared with the manufacturer’s recommended price is £8685.
And for a fuller selection of our ride-ons and lawn tractors see these pages on our site.