Faster Mowers

Lawnmower manufacturers are offering faster mowers to their lineups. John Deere introduced the Z665 EZTrak zero-turning-radius mower, which can cut at nine miles per hour and boasts a 60-inch mower deck. And, Husqvarna introduced its ''Fast Tractor'', which boasts with a 48-inch deck that hits 7-8 mph and purports to be the fastest tractor under $2,500.

The longtime industry standard ranges from five to 5.5 mph in this tractor price class. At the higher speeds, you could slice through about 2.7 acres of grass in an hour versus 2 acres, says John Marchionda, vice president of marketing for Husqvarna.

The new Toro TimeMaster is a 30-inch walk-behind mower that promises it can cut lawns up to 40-percent faster.

According to Kris Kiser, CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, ''Speed has been one of the drawbacks on mowers. Now they've gotten the engineering to where you can do it faster. After two years of slowing mower sales, sales as a whole are up so far in 2012'', Kiser reported.

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