Is 300 Hours A Lot For A Riding Mower? (Solved & Explained!)

Generally speaking, you can expect a riding mower with 300 hours to be at around the mid-point in its lifecycle so no, 300 hours is not that much. However, there are a few caveats to this. A well-cared for riding mower will last much longer than one that was not taken care of.

Keep reading to learn about what hours of riding lawn mowers mean and how you can take care of your riding mower to keep it running longer. 

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What Do Hours On Riding Mowers Mean?

While you may be familiar with mileage on automobiles to calculate factors such as age and usage, tractors, agriculture equipment, and riding lawn mowers have their usage presented in hours. Hours on a piece of machinery are a measurement of each machine’s duty cycle. 

Most modern riding lawn mowers now come with standard-equipped hour gauges, but if you have a small or older riding lawn mower you can calculate the number of hours by using a simple math equation.

How to Calculate Hours on a Riding Lawn Mower

To get a rough estimate of the number of hours that a riding lawnmower has on it, start by first estimating how much mowing time you did in minutes. Once you have that number, multiply it by the number of weeks that the mower was used in a one-year period. 

Take that second number and multiply again by the number of mows in a week, multiply that number one more time by the age of the riding lawnmower. Once you have that final number, divide it by 60. This will be the estimated amount of hours on your riding lawnmower. 

Is 300 Hours A Lot for a Riding Lawn Mower?

Most newer models of riding lawn mowers are built to last anywhere from 600 to 1000 hours so no, generally speaking, 300 hours is not a lot of hours for a riding lawnmower. However, there are many different factors that could mean the difference in your lawnmower dying at 500 hours or 800 hours.

Let’s explore some different factors that could have an impact on the life of your riding lawnmower.

Maintenance Plays a Big Role

The biggest thing that will determine if your riding lawn mower will last a long time is maintenance. A properly and well-maintained riding lawn mower will most certainly last much longer than one that has not been taken care of.

Changing oils, belts, and cleaning filters are all basic maintenance tasks that, when completed on time, can greatly extend the life of your riding lawnmower. On most riding lawn mowers, it is easy to perform the basic maintenance tasks on your own. 

If you don’t feel comfortable doing this maintenance on your own, there are many different maintenance service providers for small to large riding lawn mowers. 

Engine Size

Another factor to consider when presented with a 300-hour riding lawn mower is the machine’s engine size. Smaller engines will wear out faster than larger engines. This is why choosing the right size riding lawn mower for the project you have is crucial.

If you are using a small riding lawn mower to cut acres of grass each week, you will certainly have repairs to be made sooner than if you choose a larger-sized riding lawnmower. 

Riding Lawn Mower Brands

Not all riding lawn mower brands are created equal. Some brands are built to last much longer than their competitors. These are usually more expensive so you will want to weigh the cost when deciding on which brand to purchase. 

Here are some of the most popular riding lawn mower brands and the average life cycle of their standard riding lawn mowers:

• Husqvarna: The Husqvarna brand is a well-priced, entry-level lawn mower that is built for small lawns and works well under light loads. The average expectancy of the Husqvarna is from 400 – 800 hours.
• Briggs and Stratton: Another brand that is good for small yards and small loads is Briggs and Stratton. The company guarantees 500 hours of worktime but these have recently flooded the market with thousands of hours and are still in great running condition.
• Cub Cadet: Cub Cadet is the closest brand to the Husqvarna mowers in terms of load capacity and life expectancy for their standard riding lawn mowers. With 500 hours of life expectancy, the Cub Cadet mowers are another great choice for an entry-level riding lawnmower.
• John Deere: John Deere boasts a whopping 1000 average life expectancy for their standard riding lawn mowers and it is easy to see why the brand is the gold standard in lawn care. Even the smallest of models from John Deere has stronger load capacity and a more quality build overall. 

How To Extend the Life of Your Riding Lawn Mower

To keep your riding lawn mower running in good condition and extend its life expectancy there are a few things that you can do. The first and most important is to complete all of the regular and scheduled maintenance completed on time and with quality workmanship.

Another great way to extend the life of your riding lawn mower is to use it regularly. Just like with automobiles, leaving the machine to sit causes rot within plastic and rubber tubing, deterioration of belts and tires, and organic buildup within your oil and gas tanks. Using it regularly ensures all of the parts are being lubricated and avoids rust build-up.

The final way to keep your riding lawn mower running for as long as possible is to sharpen your lawnmower blades regularly. When your riding lawn mower has dull blades, the engine must work harder to achieve the same result as it does with sharp ones. 

You can find pre-packaged kits online that contains all of the things you would need to sharpen the blades yourself. As long as you have a safe way to prop up your machine, this is another easy maintenance item you can do. If you feel uncomfortable with the blades, there are many different providers that will sharpen them for you.