4 Lawn Tractor Brands To Avoid (Buy These Brands Instead!)

There are riding, push, and self-propelled mowers. There are mowers that self-bag, that have no bags, and that have built-in mulchers. There are high-powered and pricey riding mowers, and more affordable and basic pushing mowers, and seemingly a million different options for mowers in between. While having choices in mowers is a good thing, it also creates more potential for finding lawn tractor brands to avoid.

When deciding on a lawn tractor, avoid buying Earthwise, Cub Cadet, Troy Bilt, and Sun Joe brand mowers. These brands have had poor customer review ratings in addition to issues like bagging and cutting complaints, to performance and reliability problems. Instead, consider choosing leading brands like John Deere, Honda, or Toro.

Purchasing a lawn tractor is no small investment, and it also isn’t something we don’t intend on buying often. We also don’t invest in a lawn tractor with the expectations of having problems or issues with it doing its job. That means doing exactly what we bought it to do, which for most homeowners, is to help maintain and keep our yards looking good.

The truth is, mowing our lawns shouldn’t be a headache, and that can often be the difference between getting a lawn tractor you can rely on or one you can’t. Here is a look at the lawn tractor brands to avoid, and why it might be a good idea to look elsewhere.

There are more than a few electric mowers on the market today. The problem with the Earthwise lawn tractor is that it falls prey to a common issue among many of its electric mower counterparts, namely battery life. The lead-acid battery used to power the Earthwise lawn tractor has failed to show reliability comparable to its competitors.

Unfortunately, for Earthwise lawn tractors and their owners, this also isn’t the only issue that puts this mower on the list of lawn tractor brands to avoid. In addition to its battery issues, Earthwise lawn tractors have also received complaints about the cut of the tractor, citing it as uneven or not clean. Lastly, and perhaps not surprisingly, Earthwise lawn tractors have less than impressive customer satisfaction numbers.

This might be the most surprising brand on the list of lawn tractor brands to avoid, but there have been grumblings. Those complaints and customer reports have led to agencies like Consumer Reports issuing this well-known lawn tractor manufacturer a 40% customer satisfaction rating. That means six out of every ten Cub Cadet customers are less than satisfied (for those non-math majors).

The most common knock against Cub Cadet lawn tractors hits right at the heart of a company that prides itself on making high-quality lawn tractors, performance. These poor performance issues combined with complaints about basic functions such as bag clippings have hurt this normally reliable brand’s reputation. And it also places them firmly on the list of lawn tractor brands to avoid.

If you don’t mind raking, cleaning up the mower, and cleaning up mulch that gets – well everywhere, then Troy Bilt lawn tractors may be just fine for you. In fact, Troy Bilt makes a wonderful motor and a powerful lawn tractor, the problem is with the basic bagging function on these machines. Although this might not initially sound major, the problem has loomed large enough to knock their customer satisfaction rating down to 55%.

The bigger probably may arguably be either the company’s inability or lack of desire to make any effective efforts to remedy this known issue. These are also the reason why Troy Bilt ends up on the list of lawn tractor brands to avoid.

If the only factor or consideration when it came to lawn tractors was the price, Sun Joe lawn tractors would be at or near the top of the list. In reality, a good product regardless of what it is concerns more than the price alone. And perhaps the complaints regarding the quality (e.g. poor construction) of Sun Joe lawn tractors are indicative of that fact.

Some of the specific issues cited regarding Sun Joe lawn tractors included bags tearing, poor customer service, and reliability. These, of course, are all reasons why Sun Joe is on the list of lawn tractor brands to avoid. Sometimes saving a dollar might cost you ten, and that is just a bad deal for anyone.

Investing in a lawn tractor that isn’t dependable, that you will have to replace in five years, or that doesn’t do the job is a bad investment. These aren’t the only reasons, however, to be concerned about getting a proven and reliable lawn tractor.

There are no ties to the mowers on the list of lawn tractors to avoid and accidents involving lawn tractors. It is only a matter of reason and peace of mind that suggests that the leading lawn tractors may be inherently safer too. Yes, the logic is thin, but then again, there are an average of 35,000 people injured every year as a result of lawn tractor-related accidents.

Additionally, there are nearly 100 fatal accidents each year as a result of mower-related accidents. So if it is an ounce of prevention or being overly cautious to avoid lawn tractor brands that are having complaints and problems, then we will gladly take that medicine.

Some of the most common injuries as a result of lawn tractor accidents include cuts, burns, and bruises. And it has to be pondered, how many of those accidents are the result of a mower breaking down or malfunctioning? One report from Johns Hopkins reveals that emergency rooms receive more than 6,000 serious injuries annually.

The Toro Brand found its beginning in manufacturing push mowers, in fact, that beginning started all the way back in 1948. Today, Toro lawn tractors are considered to be one of the most durable and to have one of the most solid designs on the market. That is also a testament to having been in the mowing industry for a long time.

Toro lawn tractors can be recognized by their classic high-wheel design. It is worth noting too that Toro riding mowers are powered by a Briggs & Stratton engine. And that is one more reason why Toro finds itself in the conversation of leading lawn tractor brands. The average cost of a Toro lawn tractor ranges from $1500 to $2000.

Aside from the obvious, how each type of lawn tractor is powered, there are a few distinct differences between gas and electric lawn tractors. To begin with, gas-powered mowers are better options for larger yards or areas as they can run for hours at a time. Electric-powered motors, however, typically can run for no longer than 60 minutes on a charge.

Another major difference between gas-powered and electric lawn tractors is the price to operate. Here, there is a decided advantage in favor of using electric-powered mowers, which can cost less than $20 per year to operate. Try getting away with that using a gas-powered mower.

Electric mowers are typically considered to be quieter compared to their gas counterparts and require less maintenance. Yes, there are some distinct differences between gas and electric-powered lawn tractors. Choosing the best lawn tractor though will mean picking the one that is reliable and that best meets the needs of you and your yard.