Ride-on mowers with grass catchers. These are the advantages.

After mowing, grass clippings should be removed from your lawn to help it thrive optimally. If done manually, this step is time-consuming, especially on large areas. A ride-on mower with a catcher bag makes the work here much easier.

For large lawns, a classic push mower is generally not enough to efficiently mow the lawn on a regular basis. A ride-on mower or lawn tractor is designed to be more comfortable to operate than a push mower, and helps to complete lawn care in a fraction of the time. If clippings are left on the green, there is a risk that the lawn could rot, fungi could invade and the grass might not grow optimally due to a lack of light and aeration. Manual collection takes time and is labor-intensive. To make your job easy, a ride-on mower with a grass catcher is the ideal solution. This offers several advantages.

Ride-on mower or lawn tractor?

In principle, lawn tractors are also ride-on mowers. With that being said, the term is more commonly used to describe compact mini-riders, in which the engine block is installed under the driver's seat rather than under a hood. These are usually not as versatile around the house and garden due to their amount of power, but they do an excellent job mowing large areas. Nevertheless, there are also models that are suitable for year-round use thanks to a wide range of accessories.

On account of cutting widths of 60 cm (24 in) or more, mini-riders are also desirable for areas of several thousand square meters, where they impress with their maneuverability, compact handling and small turning radius while mowing lawns as efficiently as they do accurately. Even in terms of their equipment such as headlights or RevTek technology for reverse mowing, they don‘t take a back seat to the features of lawn tractors.

In principle, a purchase is recommended for areas of about 1,000 m² (10,764 ft2) or more. For areas around 3,000 m² (32,292 ft2) or more in size, a lawn tractor may be the better alternative for getting lawn care done quickly.

Equipment with a catcher box

While a grass catcher is included directly in the scope of delivery for some ride-on mowers, it must be retrofitted for other mini-riders. This is usually possible for models with rear, as well as side discharge. Some models also have an integrated mulching kit that shreds the lawn clippings directly.

The volume of the grass catcher for ride-on mowers is usually somewhat less than that of the powerful lawn tractors, where certainly models come equipped with a volume of 360 liters (79 gal). However, with a volume of around 200 liters (53 gal), the intervals for emptying are still manageable so that speedy lawn mowing can be achieved.

.There are catch baskets for ride-on mowers that are emptied manually via a lever. Other models require only the push of a button, which empties the catcher electrically.

These are the advantages of a grass catcher on a ride-on mower.

A grass catcher makes lawn care easy. The clippings are collected in a grass catcher directly during mowing and can then be conveniently disposed of. This has several advantages:

  • The need for labor-intensive and time-consuming manual collection is eliminated, as it is done directly in one step during the mowing process.
  • The lawn is optimally aerated and can flourish. The risk of fungal infestation and rotting is minimized.
  • The catcher is also suitable for collecting leaves in autumn. Here, too, it helps to reduce the risk of lawn rot and significantly reduces physically strenuous garden work compared to manual work.
  • Emptying the catcher bag is often easy and convenient from the driver’s seat via a lever or an electric emptying system, helping to make lawn care convenient.

Alternative to the catcher bag: the mulching kit

If you mow your lawn frequently and attach importance to a natural fertilization process of the soil, then mulching is an excellent option. However, in order to help make sure your lawn is not harmed, the blades of grass should be short. Otherwise, decomposition can take too long increasing the risk of grass root rot.

A mulching kit, which can be retrofitted as an option on many models (if not already included as standard equipment), shreds the stalks into fine mulch before they are ejected in the mower deck. That is not enough though, as regular mowing is highly recommended. Otherwise, the quantity of clippings will be too great and can severely disrupt the lawn's aeration.

Note, however, that there are situations where disposal of clippings is strongly advised, e.g. to prevent the spread of lawn diseases or to avoid an infestation of grass mites. The purchase of a ride-on mower with a catcher bag brings with it a number of advantages. If you don't want to make a direct commitment when buying, you would do well to choose a model that at least offers the option of retrofitting. This retains full flexibility to make lawn care easier even after the fact.