A lawn mower tractor is different than a riding mower in that the tractor typically utilizes a frame and not just a stamped sheet-metal chassis. The design of the lawn mower tractor allows many implements to be operated by the tractor and its engine. Many designs of lawn mower tractor use a hydraulic system that is driven off the tractor's engine and is used to power attachments and tools.
While the typical lawn mower tractor is able to operate a lawn mower cutting deck, it is not as nimble as the typical riding lawn mower. Being larger and more utilitarian, the lawnmower tractor is best suited to mowing large expanses of grass in open areas. A smaller riding mower is much more adept at mowing around bushes, trees and out buildings. Compared to a riding mower, the lawnmower tractor is a tractor that also mows.
People with large yards, farms and horticultural businesses are more likely to require the use and benefit of a lawn mower tractor than the typical homeowner. The heavy frame and chassis of the tractor allows it to pull heavy loads from one area to another. While a riding mower has an aluminum trans-axle that is operated by belts, the lawn tractor typically uses a heavy cast-iron rear-axle housing that houses heavy-duty steel gears and axles more suited to heavy use and more strenuous pulling conditions.
Attachments, such as front-end loader buckets, rototillers and snow blowers, make the lawn mower tractor a very useful addition to a variety of users from landscapers to golf course greens keepers. One particular accessory that makes the lawn mower tractor appealing to greens keepers is the gang-reel mower. By attaching several reel-type mowers together, the lawn tractor is able to cut an entire fairway in a single pass. This dramatically reduces the time it takes to mow the grass on a golf course.
Even though the lawn tractor is much more suited to heavy work, it is as easy to operate as the typical riding mower to most people. The designers took all of the features of a large tractor and recreated them in a smaller and easy-to-use version. Offered in diesel variations for the more construction-oriented uses, the tractors are also offered in gasoline-powered versions. Modern safety equipment makes the lawn mower tractor safe for a large age range of operators; however, operators should be familiar with the user's manual and with all controls prior to operation of the tractor.