Are Murray Riding Lawn Mowers Any Good? What We Know

Lawn maintenance requires many steps, patience, and love. Some folks put a lot of time and energy into ensuring their lawn and overall curb appeal look perfect. They create a schedule with a carefully crafted maintenance routine that will help them remember when to mow their lawn. Other folks might not have the time to spend their weekends or afternoons trimming and mowing the lawn, so they try to find the easiest and fastest solution to prevent their lawn from overgrowing. Instead of using a simple gas-push lawn mower that can take time to cut the grass, some folks prefer using a riding lawn mower since they're designed to cut grass quickly and efficiently.

The Murray Company, owned by Briggs & Stratton, is known for its riding mowers; it offers a variety of riding mower sizes, from compact to full-size, aimed to cut grass on small to massive-sized lawns whether they be flat, rough, or hilly in texture. Murray has been in business since 1913 but got bought out by Briggs & Stratton after they went bankrupt in 2005. Now, they're releasing new models of their riding lawn tractor to give their customers the best lawn-cutting machines. However, it seems the riding mower has multiple pros and cons regarding its efficiency in cutting grass, the quality of parts, and its ease of operation. The original MT 100 riding mower sits at a 4.1-star rating on Home Depot; here's what we gathered from the customers.

Many customers who purchased a Murray riding lawn mower claimed that it gets the job done quickly and efficiently. Riding mowers are meant to cut grass evenly in half the time it takes with a push mower. You shouldn't have to re-cut the same spots with a riding mower unless you don't drive in a straight line or accidentally swerve and miss a patch of grass. However, Murray riding mower owners seem to generally consider their mowers easy to use and manage to cut their grass without any trouble. One customer stated they cut their entire lawn with a single gas tank; according to Home Depot's description of the mower, one full tank of gas should manage up to 2 acres of land.

Some of the more recent reviews from ConsumerAffairs raved about the Murray riding mowers' durability and longevity. In addition, its mow-in-reverse feature allows you to drive backward to hit any snug spaces without driving around again. Many customers who purchased the Murray riding mower through Home Depot and Walmart had no delivery or quality issues, but a few did.

While some folks had good experiences with the Murray riding mower, others had multiple issues. For instance, many buyers had problems with the quality of their riding mower. In some cases it was delivered with missing parts; in others, the gas cap fell off, or the deck plate split and broke. Even though any product can have defects, its parts can always be replaced. However, Home Depot and ConsumerAffairs reviewers claimed that when they needed to replace a part for their riding mower, there wasn't a place to purchase it. One customer tried purchasing a new blade but couldn't find one online, nor could they receive help from customer service. Another customer reported they couldn't purchase part replacements because the Murray model wasn't listed in the manual or on the website.

Another significant issue buyers had with the riding mower was how quickly the engine stopped working. Some customers stated their mower would turn on for a few minutes and then abruptly turn off. Others claimed they would cut their grass perfectly a couple of times, but by the third time, the riding mower wouldn't start. When buyers contacted customer service, they recommended taking it to a mechanic to get it fixed. Overall, it seems like you could get lucky with a good quality Murray riding mower or get one delivered with various problems.