I’m a lawn-geek.
So I was more-than-ready to try out the Troy-Bilt Mustang Mower.
I’ve mowed small lawns, in-and-out of the usual annoying obstructions. And I raced flat-out on wide-open, nothing-in-my way turf.
Mow and Go. While it took me a few mows to get used to the speed, power and action, this mower means business.
Control. Set up like a landscaper-style zero-turn mower, the hydrostatic handle controls are right in front of you. You can literally spin, almost on a dime without getting out of your seat. The handles are responsive, which I like for navigating objects like gates, fences, garden beds, playsets and other yard obstacles. I found that turns on grass went faster the slower and more controlled my turns were–especially in tight quarters where there might be an obstruction like a sidewalk curb, pergola post, etc.. It’s easier on the grass and easier to control the unit. Driveways and streets were where I whipped it. This thing gets around in a hurry. Be careful of your surroundings, including people and pets that might be in them.
Speed. On a wide open stretch, the Mustang runs wide open. I mowed a yard that usually takes 1-1 1/2 hours with a push mower in about 30 minutes and gave it the tightest cut it ever had.
Working Clean. The Mustang leaves the cleanest cut of any mower I’ve used. Ever. Tall, fast-growing Spring grass was no match for the 22-hp Kohler engine and Troy-Bilt design. When the lawn was really tall, I side-discharged. Troy-Bilt says the clippings are mulched small enough to not clog up your lawn. I like it. But they’re still there.
Mulch Plug. Clippings still fly 2 to 3 mower-widths away; on a huge, wide lawn, I’m not sure I care. In a yard with lots of items you want to keep grass off of (walks and drives to flower bed or gardens), I preferred using the easy-to-install mulch shield (shield was easy; blade change on a zero turn is little trickier, see below). It works. And it creates a major-league suction that I know is keeping grass up in the mower deck and pulverizing it, which I like for keeping my grass extra healthy. Plus, it feels like there’s about 90% fewer clippings to blow off the driveway, etc. Note: Like any mulch set-up, it can only process so much grass so it is most effective when the lawn is being regularly cut.
Money Saver. If you have a lot of grass you’re paying someone else to cut, you might just be able to put some money back in your pocket by doing it DIY-style. With the power, speed and cut-quality the Mustang delivered for me, a weekly war with a too-small mower versus a too-big lawn turned into a weekend drive that was, well, kind of fun. One thing to consider is that zero turn units may require professional maintenance. For example, the blade change is DIY-able, but it requires removing the deck, which is a somewhat complicated operation of removing belts and bolts and moving the deck itself. The blades are also secured with a nut that’s a size larger than homeowner socket sets (like mine) and it simply won’t budge if you try to hack it with a pair of Channel Locks. You might be able to end-around the deck removal by raising the mower (sort of like a mechanic would get under your car) but that’s another operation. Since oil and filters need to be changed anyway, adding blade changes or sharpening to a typical tune-up schedule might just make life easier and keep you mowing and going. So check into the mower’s maintenance requirements when you’re doing your home improvement math.
Pony-up.
