Cut the Grass and More With Mower Attachments and Accessories
Your riding lawn mower’s main job is to make lawn maintenance easier and less time-consuming, especially if you mow a yard larger than 3/4 acres. But these versatile machines can do so much more than cut grass. With the right attachments, they help make other outdoor chores easier. From bagging grass clippings to blowing snow, use this guide to find the attachments and accessories that'll work for your mower.
When choosing attachments, determine what your mower can handle first. If you’re shopping for zero-turn riding (ZTR) mower attachments, keep in mind the selection may not be as extensive as what’s available for lawn tractors and garden tractors.
Baggers
The most common choice for mower attachments, a bagger is handy for collecting grass clippings as you mow, making clearing and disposal a breeze. Sizes include 6-bushel twin baggers and 9-bushel triple baggers, so you can match the bagger to your lawn size and mow for longer periods without stopping to empty grass as often. In the fall, you can also use a bagger to effectively collect leaves along with your grass clippings, making seasonal yard upkeep an easier task.
Aerators
When you’re reseeding or fertilizing your lawn, an aerator attachment can help you achieve better results. An aerator perforates the ground, creating little holes where seed, fertilizer and water can get closer to the lawn’s roots and essentially create a lush, green yard. This tool is especially helpful for lawns with poor or compacted soil, that tolerate a lot of foot traffic or are being started from scratch. If you’ve never aerated before, read How to Aerate Your Lawn to better understand the process.
The best time to aerate a lawn is during growing season for the grass type. Early spring or early fall for cool-season grasses and late spring or early summer for warm-season varieties.
Dethatchers
The keys to a healthy lawn are oxygen and nutrients, which grass requires to grow. But matted grass and other debris can keep new grass from getting what it needs, stunting its growth. With a dethatcher, you can easily remove and prevent tangled grass barriers and ensure all nutrients get to the lawn’s roots, yielding a beautiful and healthy green lawn. There are a few steps to dethatching your lawn, and it’s important to follow them to get the results you want, especially if you’ve never dethatched your yard before.
Carts
Yard upkeep and its landscaped features can require a lot of heavy lifting. A dump cart or trailer can help, hauling mulch, garden tools, soil and garbage anywhere in the yard. With less trips back and forth to the work areas, it makes other yard chores go much faster, giving you time to tackle other projects around the home.
Lawn Rollers
After a long winter, getting your yard ready for the spring season is a top priority. Filled with water or sand to add weight to the roll, a lawn roller is the best way to even out ground damaged by winter weather. It's also great for smoothing the ground in preparation for sod, pressing seeds into the soil so they don’t blow away or flatten any tunnels or hills made by rodents like moles.
Different sizes and capacities are available to accommodate your yard size and lawn-care needs. To make the chore easy, it attaches to your riding mower. There are some push models available, but those are best suited for smaller areas.
Lawn Sweepers
The season changes from summer to fall and that means leaves all over your yard. You could grab a rake, but there’s another option: a lawn sweeper. An ideal tool for larger lawns, it not only tackles leaf and pine needle cleanup but can corral twigs, acorns, pine cones and other yard debris too. It collects the debris into a hopper bag using a rotating sweeping brush. When it’s full, empty the contents and keep going.
Mulching Kits
If possible, using grass clippings as mulch is a great way to continue feeding your lawn nutrients after you mow. To achieve this, you’ll want to use a mulching kit. Designed to clip grass into smaller pieces than standard blades, the mulching component recycles the clippings and spreads them back over your yard with each pass. Since the pieces of grass are smaller, they don’t take as long to decompose, allowing nutrients to get back into your soil faster, resulting in the lush, green, healthy lawn you want.
Mulching is better for more frequent mowing. If it’s grown too long in between cuts — several weeks since you last got your mower out — it’s better to bag the clippings to keep them from smothering your lawn.
Snow Blowers
Live in an area prone to lots of snowy winters? Consider investing in a snow blower attachment for your lawn mower to help plow through snow drifts and create cleared walkways, driveways and other areas around your home and lawn with ease.
Other Attachments to Consider
In addition to the attachments above, there are other options to make various lawn tasks easier or more comfortable.
- A disc harrow attachment is the perfect tool for preparing garden beds for replanting or breaking up tough ground to start a new one.
- For long days of yardwork, a canopy attached to your riding mower can keep you shaded from the sun.
- If you manage a large amount of land, investing in an attachment like a trail mower or trail cutter can help cut down on the time it takes to mow. It can also help clear any paths on your property of brush and saplings, and is great for other areas that require heavier cutting power.
- A tank sprayer is another beneficial option for larger lawns and landscapes, making it easy to treat all areas of your yard without worrying about refilling as often.
Lawn Mower Attachment Compatibility and Installation
The easiest way to ensure compatibility of a lawn mower and attachment is to purchase a lawn mower collection. Collections include a lawn mower, lawn mower attachments and other accessories to make yard care easier. For example, in this collection, you can purchase a riding lawn mower, a lawn sweeper attachment, a bagger attachment and 30-gallon paper trash bags.
If you already own a mower and want to purchase attachments, one of the best ways to determine compatibility is to check your owner’s manual. Most outdoor power equipment manuals have a parts list indicating commonly used parts and attachments. You can also look for the parts list on the piece of equipment. On many riding mowers, this list is under the hood. On zero-turn mowers, the list can typically be found under the seat’s mounting bracket. If you’re unable to find a parts list, most outdoor power equipment brands have a customer service number you can call for help identifying compatible attachments.
Some lawn mower attachments, like this lawn roller or this lawn aerator, feature universal hitches that easily attach to all tractors, regardless of brand. For any attachments that require installation or adjustments, always refer to the owner’s manual for instructions.
How to Maintain Lawn Mower Attachments
To keep lawn mower attachments in good working order, you’ll want to make sure you clean off any debris after use and ensure the attachment is dry before storing it away. If you don’t have a garage to store your lawn mower and attachments in, consider investing in a storage shed.
Some lawn mower attachments, like lawn aerators, may need to be treated with a general lubricant. Lubrication creates a barrier of protection that repels moisture and helps keep moving parts in order. Before using any lubrication product on an attachment, check your manufacturer’s instructions. Proper maintenance and storage are essential for protecting any lawn equipment investment.
Lawn Mower Attachment Safety Considerations
Before mowing, always ensure children and pets are kept away from the area. Also, make sure to clear toys, sticks, furniture, metal, glass and other objects and debris from the lawn prior to mowing.
Be cautious around driveways and sidewalks when working with any attachment that engages the ground, such as an aerator or disc harrow, to avoid wearing out metal parts and blades. When using an attachment on a mower, keep in mind that you won’t be able to take turns as tightly. Be sure to take this limited turning radius into account.
Before working with any lawn mower attachment, read the manufacturer’s instructions to become familiar with its parts and best practices for safety. Always wear eye protection, work shoes or boots, and other safety gear specified by the manufacturer.