Riding mowers are your best bet when tackling properties larger than a half-acre. But with all that cutting power comes maintenance challenges. Swapping out the blades to sharpen them entails elevating the heavy machine and then manipulating your tools beneath the mower deck. Thanks to Husqvarna, that task just got easier with the introduction of the 46-inch Husqvarna YT46LS, $2,300, one of a series of tractors that features tool-free blade removal.
When we first wrote about the Husqvarna YT46LS we hadn’t put it through our mower tests or tried the tool-free blade removal. Since then we’ve run the machine through a battery of tests on our Florida fields and guess what? It’s a dandy mower as well. It showed impressive evenness in the side-discharge mode most people use, and cutting in other modes was at least as good. We also named the machine a CR Best Buy, superb for its handling and ease of use.
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The tractor’s blades are held in place not with bolts but by clips and magnets that guide the blade into place. In addition to being able to change blades without tools, you’re prevented from installing a blade upside down because the holes won’t line up. But there’s one part of blade swapping that Husqvarna can’t change: the need to access the blades. To do that you’ll still need to elevate the deck using a tractor lift, ramps, or another secure method. We also think that you’ll need some practice working the clips before you’ll be able to install or remove a blade without looking.
Overall, however, more frequent blade sharpening through easier blade swapping could make a visual difference in your lawn. The Husqvarna is just one of the lawn mowers we recommend from our tests of almost 170 walk-behind mowers, lawn tractors, and zero-turn-radius riders. If you're in the market for a mower, check out our lawn mower buying guide.
—Ed Perratore
(On Twitter, @Ed Perratore)
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