If your outside lawn is more than just the stereotypical "postage stamp" property, you want to give serious consideration to your lawnmower. Today's mowers offer many features that make cutting the grass easier, safer and even quicker overall. Rather than assuming that a standard upright mower is the only option you have or the best option for your home, note a few features every homeowner should consider when in the market for a new mower.
Cruise control
Like the cruise control in your car, having this feature on your mower can make easy work of those long, level sections of your property. Setting the cruise control will keep you from getting fatigued, and it will also mean not running over the grass too quickly because you're not paying attention to your speed; in turn, your mower is more likely to make even cuts and your lawn will look its best.
Automatic parking brakes
These brakes switch on when you move the lap bars -- the handles that control the mower -- outward in order to stop the mower. This can keep you safer if you should forget to put on the parking brake as you step off the mower to clear an obstacle.
Automatic transmission
Larger mowers need to have more than one gear so that they can get added power when climbing hills or mow faster on any long, flat stretch of grass. An automatic transmission will make switching gears easier on you and allow you to keep both hands on the wheel or lap bars at all times.
High-back seat
Don't discount the need for comfort when on a riding mower, especially when you have a large lawn to cut. A high-back seat can mean added support for your upper and lower back and even your shoulders. It can also absorb more of the vibration of the lawnmower so that your body is not as jarred while the engine is running and when you go up and over bumps in the lawn.
Zero turn
A zero turn mower has caster wheels that turn completely; this allows you to spin the body of the mower wherever you need to go more easily. If you have tight corners around landscaping features or need to mow right up to a wall or other such border, a zero turn mower can give you the control over your mower that you need to make those tight turns without needing to back up or maneuver around those obstacles.
