Whether you are buying or selling, if you are trying to get a price for a riding lawn mower, garden tractor, or zero turn radius mower, figuring out how much it is worth can feel like a guessing game. The Used Riding Lawn Mower Valuation Calculator can be helpful in determining a lawn mower’s worth. You can read more or skip to the bottom to use the calculator.
How Much Is A Used Lawnmower Worth?
Like cars, the value of a used riding lawn mower is based on depreciation, appearance, condition, hours, class, and region. Riding lawn mowers begin to depreciate the moment they are purchased, and continue to depreciate in value annually. Cosmetic appearance, structural integrity and performance can greatly increase or decrease the price.
Because some mowers are more popular in certain areas of the country than others, region also has an influence of the value of a riding lawn mower.
The best starting point for finding the value of a lawn mower is its age. If the lawnmower is 1-7 years old, you should begin with the original MSRP of the unit and then factor in depreciation rate.
If the mower is more than 7 years old, you should use the average selling price of comparable models in your area. Once you have that value, you increase or decrease the price based on condition.
Lawn Mower Blue Book
The used lawn mower value calculator was created to help you calculate what a lawn mower might be worth based on age, depreciation, condition and class. There are a few other online resources that will provide you with an estimated blue book value for a fee. Our calculator was built to find the value for free.
How Long Do Riding Lawn Tractors Last?
Most residential riding mowers that are well maintained and used within their scope of capabilities can last 10 or more years. Entry level riding mowers are meant for the average residential yard that does not have obstacles such as surface roots or slopes.
How Long Will A Riding Mower Last Based On Hours
According to Consumer Reports, residential riding lawn mowers are manufactured to last 250 to 300 hours, and higher-end mowers are designed to last 400 to 500 hours. Maintenance and use is the primary factor on how long a riding lawn mower will last. A well maintained residential mower that wasn’t pushed beyond its capabilities might have an extra 25 to 50% beyond that.
Cub Cadet, Husqvarna and John Deere are brands that are known to perform well.
If the useful life of a riding mower (for insurance purposes) is 7 years, that would equal an average 42 hours used per year for a standard residential riding mower.
How Many Hours Per Year Is Average For A Lawn Mower
On average, riding mowers will accumulate 35 to 65 hours per year. If the previous owner had a standard residential lawn, it will likely log closer to 20 hours per year. For commercial mowers, 120 hours per year would be considered average.
As an example, the typical level residential yard is .20 acres and should take no more than 40 minutes to mow. If the mowing season is May through November, the lawnmower would be used for 7 months, or weekly for 28 weeks. At 40 minutes a week for 28 weeks, you would expect a mower used on .20 acres to log about 18 hours per year. This specific mower might have a useful life of almost 14-16 years, if well-maintained.
Based on this example, for the average riding mower used on the average .20 acre residential yard, you would want to see about 18 hours logged per year on the hours meter. At 7 years, the hours should be under 130 hours.
But if it’s a standard entry-level riding mower that was used to mow a 2 acre lot running 2 1/4 hours each time once a week for 28 weeks, it would log 60+ hours each year. Its useful life might only be 4-6 years. If this 2 acre lot has slopes or surface roots, its useful life could be even lower if the rider is not rated for slopes or uneven terrain.
Riding Lawn Mower Depreciation Rate
How much do riding lawn mowers depreciated each year? The useful life of most residential lawn mowers is considered to be 7 years. For tax purposes, the annual depreciation rate is 14.29%. The depreciation rate is calculated by dividing 100 by 7 years.
When calculating value for damaged property, the military and movers use the Joint Military-Industry Depreciation Guide, which sets the depreciation rate for mowers at 10%.
After 7 years, the riding mower is considered fully depreciated (for tax purposes) and its value for resale purposes is defined by consumer demand and condition. Items generally aren’t depreciated more than 90%, so 10% of original MSRP may be a good starting point for garden tractors that are more than 7 years old.
Higher-end and commercial models that are built for endurance tend to hold their value longer. For some models, their base resale value can be much higher than comparable lower-end models. For that reason, we add a class-factor into the equation when determining the depreciation rate of mowers.
Depreciation Rates Of Mowers Based On Class
This calculator tiers depreciation rates based on riding mower class. Class I mowers are assigned a higher depreciation rate than Class III mowers.
- Class I – standard-grade economical riding mower for general residential use, basic features, usually 19 hp or lower, stamped deck, rated for mowing 1 acre or less, commonly available at most lawn and garden stores, attachments usually limited to a bagging system and cart. Usually classified as a Lawn Tractor.
- Class II – mid-grade riding mower, extra features, 19-24 hp, stamped or fabricated deck, heavier chassis, rated for mowing less than 2 acres, available at select lawn and garden stores and through dealers. Typically classified as a Garden Tractor.
- Class III – high-grade riding mower, 22 hp or higher, fabricated deck, heavy-duty chassis, rated for 2 or more acres, uneven lawns and slight slopes, available almost exclusively through dealers, full range of attachment options, also applies to commercial mowers and mowers that are regionally popular (sell for higher amounts due to popularity).
Adjustments Based On Riding Mower Condition
The following additions or subtractions can be applied based on the mower’s condition when you inspect it.
There’s a Used Riding Lawn Mower And Garden Tractor Checklist you can use during the inspection to help determine the mower’s condition.
Excellent Condition (Rarely used) – (+ 10% to 15%) Like new condition. Well maintained. No mechanical or cosmetic repairs are needed. This is very rare.
Above Average Condition – (+ 5% to 10%) Above average appearance and only has very minor cosmetic issues (fine scratches). No mechanical issues and mower has been well maintained. Repairs have been made as needed and mower was well cared for. This is not common.
Average Condition – (0) Good condition relevant to age and routine use. Runs great and in very good mechanical condition. May have some minor scratches or small dings which do not affect overall appearance. No obvious maintenance or repairs required.
Below Average condition (Slightly neglected)- (- 5% to 10%) Runs well but needs a minor repair or two OR needs minor cosmetic repairs. Some evidence of deferred maintenance but mower is otherwise in good mechanical condition. Will require minor repairs. This is common.
Poor condition (Badly worn) – (- 15% to 25%) Runs okay but needs moderate mechanical repair before regular use or needs moderate cosmetic repair. Deferred maintenance is obvious. Will require moderate repairs.
Rough Condition (Worn Out) – (- 25% to 50%) Runs rough and significant cosmetic work needed, numerous mechanical inadequacies. Excessive deferred maintenance and abuse is obvious. Will require significant repairs.
You can also factor in whether it is a popular model (+), mass produced (-), or mid-grade/pro (+).
Next: Determining The Starting Value
If the mower is 7 years old or newer
- Begin with the original MSRP
- To find the original MSRP you can:
- Search the model number along with MSRP on Google (for example: “2019 Toro LX 460 MSRP”)
- Search Tractor Blue book ($$$) or TractorData (free – 83 brands including Kubota, Craftsman, Scotts, Cub Cadet, Simplicity, Toro, Husqvarna, MTD, Troy-Bilt, Wheel Horse, John Deere)
- We are also developing our own database of used lawn mower original MSRPs. So far, we have most of John Deere added, some Cub Cadet years, and will continue to work on getting all the other brands added. You will be able to drill down to your mower model and can click on the corresponding link to have it automatically fill in the MSRP in this calculator. It’s still a work in progress, but if you would like to test it out, you can find the Used Mower MSRP Finder here.
- To find the original MSRP you can:
If the mower is more than 7 years old
- Use the average selling price of comparable models in your area or (if the mower is 7 or more years old)
- To find the comparable sales you can:
- Search the model number on Google (for example: “Toro LX 460 for sale”)
- Search eBay completed sales, OfferUp, Craigslist, etc.
- To find the comparable sales you can:
