Which is the best all-terrain mower?

Unless the thought of walking your entire property with a lawn mower sounds appealing, a ride-on lawnmower is virtually a necessity if you own a lifestyle block. They’re valuable tools that pay themselves off in the time they save and the great finish they provide, but when you live somewhere that’s neither flat, steep, rough or landscaped the decision can become a little tricky – which lawn mower will let me mow everything.

At OMC, we sell a wide range of mowers that are designed to handle every kind of lawn and environment found across New Zealand. But when it comes to one mower that will work effectively across all terrain, there are a two brands worth considering. Let’s take a look at both and see how they stack up against each other.

Which mower is right for your property? Find out everything you need to know before you start. Get your free guide now.

BOB-CAT XRZ Zero Turn Mower

Designed in the US but almost perfectly suited to New Zealand conditions, the BOB-CAT range of zero-turn mowers come in a variety of deck sizes that lend themselves to different budgets and applications.

Zero turns are known for their maneuverability (they can go a full 180° on the spot) which means if your property has a number of bushes or trees to navigate they’re far more suitable than lawn tractors. They’re also relatively fast as well, so you can turn a two hour walking job into a 40 minute blast with ease.

Available with catchers to collect clippings, or mulch kits for a cleaner finish, their design allows them to the handle wet, clumped grass we get here in winter as well. However, their only disadvantage is their ability on steeper slopes. To mitigate this, many BOB-CAT mower customers chose to upgrade to all-terrain turf tyres which offer much more traction over standard turf tyres – this enables you to take on some moderate slopes where traction is an issue.

However, if your backyard is rather hilly and steep, then you’ll need to consider something that will keep you safe while you’re out there.

Canycom CM 1402 Slope & Brush Mower

When your property pitches anything steeper than 10-15°, it’s worth looking at something designed to handle the hills.

Canycom Slope and Brush mowers are renowned for their low centres of gravity and the ability to tackle anything from lawns to weeds and even small saplings. The low centre of gravity lets you mow across a slope without fear of tipping, and some models are available with 4WD drivetrains to power you up just about anything.

The other model to consider if you’re a mowing contractor, or require a large area, commercial slope mower, check out the Steiner.

These amazing machines are both articulating and oscillating – offering an excellent turning radius, and superior hillside performance giving you the ability to mow up to 30° intermittently, both up/down and side to side on slopes. Steiner offers a range of widths of mower decks to get the job done fast, and with powerful diesel or petrol engine options.

But, which should I go for then?

For lifestyle and rural properties, when stacking Canycoms up against BOB-CATs, the clear advantage Canycoms have mowing steeper properties is the deciding factor on which mower is the best all-terrain model. They can mow flat surfaces just like BOB-CATs, albeit a little slower and less maneouvrable. The Canycom mower range also has smaller width decks. Yet while they may not be zero turn mowers, they do boast a remarkably tight turning radius.

If you’re after something commercially, for mowing wide areas and slopes, you may want to consider the Steiner mower option as a faster and safer way to get your slope work done.

For more information on all our lawn mowers, feel free to download our free guide Choosing the right mower for your property. We offer free demos on all of our ride on lawn mowers as well, so feel free to contact us if you’d like to see one in action.