Yard Machines 13AC762F000 Review

(Rated: 3.4 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Cut Quality
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Related pages: Best Lawn Mower, Best Riding Lawn Mower, Garden or Lawn Tractor Buying Guide, Lawn Mower Buying Guide, Lawn Mower Reviews, Riding Lawn Mower Reviews, Riding Mower Buying Guide, Yard Machines, Yard Machines Lawn Mowers,

If you are the owner of a property that has more than a half acre of green space, lawn care can be a major undertaking. Not only do you have to put a lot of time and effort into keeping your lawn properly fertilized and watered, you also need to cut it regularly to keep it healthy and looking its best. This is a big job no matter how you slice it, and it is usually too much work to do efficiently with just a walk behind mower. That is why most home owners with bigger properties opt for riding mowers and lawn tractors. Riding mowers offer two major advantages over walk behind mowers. The first is that they have a bigger cutting deck width, which allows you to cut your lawn in fewer passes, saving you time. The second is the fact that because you are not pushing the mower all over your yard, you will not be worn out after the job, and you will actually be able to enjoy your yard when you are finished.

The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 is a reliable and durable lawn tractor that is great for homeowners with between 1/2 and 1 acre of grass to maintain. It has a 38 inch wide cutting deck, which is almost twice the size of the average walk behind mower, meaning it will finish the job in half the time. It has a Power Built 344 cubic centimeter engine manufactured by Briggs & Stratton, a leader in the industry. It is competitively priced, which is good for homeowners on a budget. And it has a number of features that make it a great lawn tractor for residential lawn care.

Review Summary

The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 has a lot of great features. Because it is a lawn tractor with a powerful 344 cc engine built by Briggs & Stratton and 38 inch cutting deck with two powerful blades, it will allow you to finish cutting a large lawn quickly and efficiently. You will not have to spend hours cutting your lawn with a small walk behind lawn mower any more, and wind up spent at the end of the job. This riding mower is designed with comfort and performance in mind, and it will make mowing your lawn a lot less work.

The 13AC762F000 comes with a lever operated seven speed transmission with a top forward speed of 5.2 mpg and a top rear speed of 1.9 mph. Along with its 38 inch cutting deck, this lawn tractor can cut a 1/2 acre lawn in under half an hour when it is running at top speed. Before you know it, you will be finished with your lawn care chores and ready to relax by throwing the ball around with your kids or enjoying a cold beverage in the shade.

The lawn tractor comes equipped with three grass clippings management options included in the initial purchase price: side discharge, mulching, and bag collection. Many comparably priced lawn tractors only offer one or two grass management options, or make you purchase additional accessories for bagging or mulching. Yard Machines includes all three while maintaining a low price on the 13AC762F000.

The 13AC762F000 is a compact lawn tractor, with dimensions of 65.9 x 41.2 x 53.8 inches. Because of that it is easy to maneuver through even the tightest areas on your property, and it can easily handle obstacles such as closely planted trees or garden beds. It also means that this lawn tractor will not take up a lot of room in your garage. Overall, the Yard Machines 13AC762F000 is a durable, reliable lawn tractor for the price.

Specifications

The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 has a 38 inch deck width and overall dimensions of 65.9 x 41.2 x 53.8 inches. It has a gas powered Briggs & Stratton manufactured 1 cylinder 344 cc engine with 13.5 horsepower that will provide enough drive to handle demanding jobs reliably. It has a manual transmission that provides a top forward speed of 5.2 mph and a top reverse speed of 1.9 mph. The lawn tractor shifts easily between seven variable speeds using a hand operated lever located next to the steering wheel. It has five height options between 1 inch and 3.5 inches, and cutting height is controlled by a single lever conveniently within reach while you are operating the tractor. Its gas tank holds 1.36 gallons. The mower has 15 x 6 inch front wheels and 20 x 8 inch rear wheels so that it can handle uneven terrain without breaking a sweat.

The Yard Machines lawn tractor has two cutting blades that combine their spans to make the total width on the cutting deck 38 inches. It has three options for grass clippings management: mulching clippings back into the lawn, bagging them for later disposal, or discharging them out the side. It has a padded seat with spring shocks, and the cockpit is ergonomically designed to provide the operator with the most comfortable ride possible. The tractor weighs 475 pounds, which along with its compact dimensions will ensure that it will be able to handle uneven terrain without any problems. Its design, along with its durable Briggs & Stratton engine, provides a powerful, durable lawn tractor that is perfect for residential use on a property that has a lawn between 1/2 and 1 acre.

Description

The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 is a gas powered riding lawn tractor with a Briggs & Stratton manufactured 1 cylinder 244cc engine that provides 13.5 horsepower and a manual transmission. The engine provides enough power to drive the tractor as well as two durable cutting blades that combine to provide a 38 inch wide cutting deck size and reliably give you a clean, manicured cut to your lawn. The transmission allows you to conveniently shift between seven speeds. The lawn tractor has a top forward speed of 5.2 mph and a top reverse speed of 1.9 mph. You will have no trouble finishing your lawn care chores at a quick pace so that you can put work aside and enjoy your weekend.

The cockpit of the 13AC762F000 is designed with comfort and convenience in mind. It has a padded driver’s seat with a low back that is mounted on springs to make sure you are not jolted when the lawn tractor is working over uneven terrain. The seat is also adjustable to accommodate users of different heights. The steering wheel is mounted in a position designed to provide the optimal ergonomic support, and controls for the transmission and height are located conveniently within reach of the operator.

This Yard Machines lawn tractor features five height adjustment options between 1 inch and 3.5 inches, and they are conveniently adjusted with a single lever that is located on the left side fender and within easy reach while you are driving the tractor. You should never cut your grass any shorter than 1/3 its current height, because if you do you run the risk of damaging the grass, which can make it more susceptible to the effects of heat waves or drought, and make it easier for weeds, crab grass and disease to invade your lawn. Fortunately, the height of the cutting blades is easily adjusted, and you can even change it while you are in the middle of cutting your lawn.

The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 comes with three grass clippings management options right out of the box. The most basic one – the side discharge – will produce evenly spaced rows of grass clippings as you mow the lawn. Or you can attach the mulching plug, which will make the tractor shred the clippings into tiny pieces that mulch into the base of the grass, which will help keep it free of diseases and weeds as well as allow it to better retain moisture. Or you can attach a rear bag that will collect your grass clippings for convenient disposal or composting after the job.

The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 is a heavy lawn tractor for its size, which along with its large wheels (15 x 6 inches front and 20 x 8 inches rear) and compact dimensions (65.9 x 41.2 x 53.8 inches) makes it a powerful and durable machine that will be able to handle residential jobs for several years. It will also have no problems with uneven terrain. And its size means that it will not need a lot of storage space, so you should be able to keep it in your garage with no problem.

This model, even with its top quality Briggs & Stratton engine, does require periodic maintenance to keep it running smoothly, and it is important to be prepared for that. If it is used a lot, it is going to require periodic oil changes, and you may encounter the occasional clogged carburetor or spark plug that needs changing. If you have a mechanic’s thumb and know your way around gas powered engines, then you will have no problem maintaining this tractor, but if you do not know the first thing about changing a spark plug, this might not be the lawn tractor for you. Of course, there is no time like the present to learn a new skill.

If you own a large property and are responsible for mowing a lawn that is between 1/2 and a full acre, you will not be able to efficiently do the job with a walk behind mower: you are going to need a riding mower. Of these, the lawn tractor is the best option for residential jobs. The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 is a great option for the homeowner who wants a reliable lawn tractor but also does not want to break the bank buying it.

Pros

If you are responsible for a property that has more than a half acre of grass to maintain, a riding mower is the best machine for the job, and once you own one, you will understand why so many homeowners swear by them. Of the riding mowers, a compact, affordable lawn tractor is perfect for periodic residential use. In the following sections I am going to list some of the pros and cons this model offers so that you can have a complete picture of its advantages and disadvantages. To begin with, the pros the Yard Machines 13AC762F000 offers include its large cutting deck, powerful Briggs & Stratton engine, compact size, multiple grass clippings management options, and competitive pricing. Overall these features team up to make this a great lawn tractor for the price.

1. 38 inch dual blade cutting deck : The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 features a wide cutting deck with two durable steel cutting blades. The size alone is a great feature: at top speed, the deck width is big enough that you can cut a half an acre of grass in under half an hour. That is extremely fast, and the sooner you are done, the sooner you can be enjoying the rest of your weekend with a cookout or playing with your kids. The durable steel cutting blades are strong enough to handle even the densest patches of grass, and they make short of work of tough grass types as well. So if you live in a region such as the Southern United States that is commonly planted with varieties like St. Augustine or Bermuda grass, both of which are notoriously tough, you do not have to worry. This lawn tractor can handle them with no problems.
2. Powerful Briggs & Stratton 344 cc engine : The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 comes with a robust 344 cc, 1 cylinder engine that produces 13.5 horsepower. And that engine is a Briggs & Stratton Power Built engine. Briggs & Stratton has a reputation of manufacturing some of the best engines in the business. This one is powerful enough to run the dual cutting blades without letting up in even the thickest patches of grass. And along with the manual transmission that offers 7 different speeds, with a top forward speed of 5.2 mph and a top reverse speed of 1.9 mph, the Briggs & Stratton engine can bower this lawn tractor quickly around your yard to make sure you are getting the job done efficiently and in a reasonable amount of time.
3. Compact and sturdy : This lawn tractor weighs in at 475 pounds, and it has compact dimensions of 65.9 x 41.2 x 53.8 inches. Along with its sturdy, big wheels (15 x 6 inch front and 20 x 8 inch rear), this lawn tractor will easily handle the most uneven ground without breaking a sweat. Also, because the driver’s seat is padded and has spring shocks, that uneven ground will not bother you at all while you are operating the mower. Beyond those benefits, the fact that this riding mower is able to be so conveniently compact even with its super wide cutting deck means that you will not need to worry about how much room it’s taking up in your garage. It can easily fit into a small space, leaving plenty of room for your car and other lawn and garden equipment.
4. Three grass clipping management options included : When you are purchasing a riding mower for such a low price, a lot of the time the manufacturer will make concessions in certain areas of design or building to make that price tag profitable. Often, one of the first accessories to go is the extra grass management options, and if they are available at all you will be forced to buy them separately for even more money. This is not the case on the Yard Machines 13AC762F000. This mower comes with three grass clippings management options right out of the box and for the initial purchase price. They include side discharge, a mulching plug accessory that will allow the blades to shred your clippings into fine pieces, or a bag assembly that attaches to the tractor for collecting clippings for later disposal.
5. Competitive pricing : It is not common to find a reliable, durable lawn tractor with a big cutting deck width for less than fifteen hundred dollars. When you do, it is even less common to find one that is so well designed, has parts backed by the best names in manufacturing, and comes with convenient accessories and comfortable design. The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 has a price tag that means it will not be inconvenient for most homeowners with a lot of grass to cut, and it will not be too much of a strain on your wallet when you do buy it. While there are certain drawbacks associated with such an inexpensive tractor – and I will get into those in the next section – overall this is a fairly solid lawn tractor at a competitive price.

Yard Machines also offers a two year limited warranty on the 13AC762F000, so if you do encounter any problems with parts or performance, you are protected against additional costs. But the powerful Briggs & Stratton engine, the easy to use height adjustment and seven speeds for optimal convenience, the bonus of three grass clippings management options included out of the box, and the massive cutting deck width all combine to make this a great lawn tractor. Combine those features with the super competitive price tag, and you have a really good purchase on your hands. Overall this is a good lawn tractor at a fair price that is perfect for periodic residential use on a property bigger than 1/2 acre but less than a full acre. The Yard Machines 13AC762F000 will make sure you keep your lawn looking healthy and manicured for years to come.

Cons

Of course, even with all of its great features, the 13AC762F000 is still a budget lawn tractor, and that means it will have certain drawbacks. There are a number of aspects to this model that you should carefully consider before you purchase it, because they tend to be fairly common problems with it. The tractor is made out of stamped parts, instead of fabricated and welded parts, so that means it will not stand up to heavy or repeated use. It also requires periodic maintenance by the user to keep it running well. Certain parts are made of cheaper materials as well, which means they are more prone to breaking down. The customer support provided by Yard Machines is less than optimal. And the engine type can be variable from one unit to the next. In this section, I will go into each one of these drawbacks in more detail so that you have a complete picture of what this product offers.

1. The tractor requires periodic maintenance : Any riding mower – and in fact, any gas mower – is going to require periodic light maintenance, but the Yard Machines 13AC762F000 requires more from the user than most other machines. If it is used often, the oil will need to be changed regularly or the engine will not run well and can be damaged over time. Spark plugs require frequent changing, and air filters have to be cleaned periodically. The tractor will also occasionally experience clogged carburetors, which require some finesse to clean. If you have experience doing engine work or have a mechanic’s knack for fixing these sorts of things, and you do not mind tinkering with your machines, then this should not be a huge problem. But if you are inexperienced with engine work and do not want to be servicing your lawn tractor more than the bare minimum, then this probably is not the right machine for you.
2. Certain parts are plastic and wear out quickly : This is particularly the case for the parking break, which will begin to lose its ability to grip the wheels as quickly as in a year from purchase. The parking brake also an excellent example of an endemic problem with the Yard Machine 13AC762F000: the latch on the brake is made of plastic, which results in it frequently breaking. If the tractor is still under warranty, this is a simple matter of contacting the manufacturer or supplier and having them provide a new part or fix the broken one. But when this becomes a chronic problem, it can be a lot more than a minor inconvenience. Other parts are made of stamped rather than fabricated and welded steel, which means they will also be weaker and prone to breaking down over time. This is a perfect example of the fact that you do get what you pay for, and in a budget lawn tractor all of the specs will not be particularly high quality.
3. The mower does not stand up to heavy or frequent use : It is important to understand that this lawn tractor is designed for periodic residential use on a property that has a lawn smaller than a full acre. It is not meant for repeated use on larger areas and it is certainly not intended for use by a professional lawn care company. If you only intend to use it twice a month or less during the spring and summer, and you have to cut an area between 1/2 and 1 acre, then this lawn tractor can be a great purchase. But in the event that you need to use it more often than that, you will find that after a year or two it will start to break down and require a lot more maintenance than other lawn tractors. If you do need a lawn tractor that can stand up to repeated use on bigger, tougher jobs, then this lawn tractor is probably not the right one for you. While the price tag can be tempting, it is important that you do not buy this product with the intention of giving it more work than it is designed to stand up to.
4. The engine manufacturer can vary from one unit to the next : This is a fairly serious problem, especially because the Yard Machines 13AC762F000 is typically advertised as having a powerful Briggs & Stratton engine under the hood. In all fairness, this usually is the case and the Briggs & Stratton engine is the standard one for this model. But certain units are also sold that have a Kohler engine instead. Briggs & Stratton is a leader in the engine manufacturing industry, and while Kohler does make quality engines, they are not nearly as good as the ones produced by Briggs & Stratton. A Kohler engine will tend to break down more and will not be as powerful in the long run as a Briggs & Stratton engine. Make sure when you are purchasing the 13AC762F000 that it is equipped with the better of the two engines before you buy, so as to make sure you are not paying for an inferior product.
5. Yard Machines customer service department is not the best : A common thread with Yard Machines products is the problems their customer service department presents. They are not well known for quickly and conveniently resolving consumer problems, and you should be prepared for that if you decide to purchase one of their products. This does not mean, of course, that the entire department is bad, but it is not well known for its customer service. This is an especially important consideration if you are buying a budget lawn tractor like the 13AC762F000 that is probably going to need servicing or parts replacement while it is still under warranty, and will definitely need them sometime during its lifetime.

So there you have it. As you can see, there are a number of drawbacks to purchasing a low budget lawn tractor like the Yard Machines 13AC762F000. It is going to have parts that are not as well made or designed as those on more expensive lawn tractors, and you are going to have to tinker with it more often than you would expect to with a better lawn mower. Beyond that, it simply is not going to stand up to repeated use on tough jobs without breaking down eventually, and it is safe to assume that its total life will be a bit shorter than a more expensive lawn tractor’s would be. But if you feel comfortable getting under the hood of your lawn tractor, and you do not intend to use it for more than periodic lawn care, then a tractor like the 13AC762F000 is a great way to save a lot of money up front for a reliable mower that can fill your needs.

Product Comparison

A great way to determine whether a lawn tractor like the Yard Machines 13AC762F000 is the right one for you is to compare it to similar products manufactured by its competitors. By doing so you can get a more complete understanding of how each product stacks up in different areas. There are a number of specs that together provide a clear snapshot of what one lawn tractor offers and in which areas it is better or not as good as the competition. By doing some comparison shopping, you can decide which tractor is best for your needs. In order to help make this process as simple as possible for you, I have provided a short table that compares specs for the Yard Machines 13AC762F000 with two similar tractors, the Weed Eater WE-ONE and the Husqvarna YTH23V48-CA.

	Yard Machines 13AC762F000	Weed Eater WE-ONE	Husqvarna YTH23V48-CA
Dimensions	65.9 x 41.2 x 53.8 inches	60.8 x 31.0 x 35.2 inches	69.2 x 59.7 x 41.4 inches
Power	Gas	Gas	Gas
Engine Manufacturer	Briggs & Stratton	Briggs & Stratton	Briggs & Stratton
Engine Specs	PowerBuilt 344-cc Engine	875 OHV 190-cc Engine	Intek 727-cc Engine
Transmission	N/A	N/A	Tuff Torq
Transmission Type	N/A	N/A	Hydrostatic
Gas Tank	1.36 Galons	0.30 Galons	3.00 Galons
Starter	Key	Key	Key
Deck Size (cutting swath)	38-inch	26-inch	48-inch
Number of Blades	2	1	3
Mulch/Bag/Discharge	Mulch, bag, and discharge	Side discharge	Mulch, bag, and discharge
Drive System	Lever-operated	Lever-operated	Lever-operated
Max Speed	5.2 mph forward 1.9 mph reverse	3.8 mph forward 1.1 mph reverse	5.2 mph forward 2.9 mph reverse
Height Adjustment	Single lever (5 positions)	Single lever (4 positions)	Single lever (6 positions)
He Yard Machines 13AC762F000 Check Price Click the button to get the best deal for Yard Machines 13AC762F000Check Price Hey, nice to meet you! I'm Frank: gardener, dad and blogger. I love spending time in my garden and sharing my love of gardening with my family and friends. More Popular Guides Popular Reviews Garden Dad © 2012-2024       Privacy Policy       Contact Garden Dad is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Click this link to enjoy Exclusive DECEMBER 2024 Deals » »