Before you head out to buy a new lawn tractor for your property, read our latest report on tractors (available to subscribers) and watch our video. Our testing revealed some performance and safety concerns you should factor into your buying decisions.

As with our testing of lawn mowers, no model managed to excel in all three cutting modes— side-discharging, mulching, and bagging. A few models cut unevenly, carving ridges or leaving clumps of grass. Some mulching tractors also left clumps instead of fine clippings in their wake.

Zero-turn-radius mowers are useful if your yard has many trees or obstructions, but making tight turns on slopes greater than 10 degrees could pose hazards. Read the details in "Hills Pose Risks for Some Riding Mowers." We also tested zero-turn mowers for stability during jackrabbit starts.

A couple of other takeways:
• Most tested models have plenty of power, so don't get caught up in horsepower hype.
• Automatic-drive models are more expensive but provide a smoother ride than gear-driven tractors.
• Since you're likely to spend hundreds of hours astride your tractor during its lifetime, a high seatback and a padded steering wheel are small touches that will enhance your comfort.

Essential information: Don't neglect these start-of-season maintenance tasks for your tractor.