This review will have a look at the Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower, which is another choice for you if you are still looking for a great riding lawnmower. You can also check out some of our other choices on the site as we have reviewed a few other Husqvarna models as well as Ariens, Craftsman and more.
This particular model will give you something that is very easy to use due to the size, it also gives you a wide range of features and a quality engine that you can rely on to get the job done that will also give you peace of mind in terms of reliability.
We will walk you through the ratings that the Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower has received. We also highly encourage you to go through to Amazon.com, you will be able to see the product page directly and you will also be able to see the ratings. This is one of the key areas that you will want to have a look, as all of the reviews come from people that have purchased this product.
When you are making a buying decision for something as expensive as a riding lawnmower, it is a good idea to take a look at reviews, the problem comes because you don’t know which reviews are just trying to sell you a product, and which are from real people that have used the product. This is what makes Amazon a quality site to have a look at as all of the reviews come from people that have purchased and left their feedback both good and bad.
If you are in a hurry and you just want to check out the Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower you can click here and go straight through to Amazon.com.
Table of Contents
Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower Ratings:
These ratings are taken directly from Amazon.com.Bear in mind that if you want to get updated results you will need to look at the product page directly and all of the latest reviews.
The first thing that we will do is give you the overall rating of the Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower:
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5
As you can see above, this has a very good rating and at the time of writing there are over 20 reviews on Amazon.com. The thing to remember with a product like this, at such a high price point is you will never see thousands of sales coming in every day.
The people that have purchased directly from Amazon.com have given some really good feedback and you will be able to see that the majority were very pleased with their purchase.
In fact, 75% of people that purchased the Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower have rated it five-star, a further 16% of people have rated it four-star and going right down to the one- and two-star ratings you will say that they have 5% and 4% of the total number of ratings.
Another tip for you when you go to check this out at Amazon.com is to make sure that you go straight to the one-star reviews, you will then be able to see the issues that people have had with the product and it will help you to make a buying decision.
To give you a little bit of insight, we check out the one-star review and it was someone complaining that the mower stopped working after about 4 uses, bear in mind that this is very rare because most people were very happy with their purchase, so we are thinking that they got a faulty mower.
Let us have a look at the individual feature rating so you can see what people like the most about this zero-turn mower:
Stretch: 5/5
The first rating that you will be able to see the score for by feature is the “stretch” rating. This is a very peculiar rating, but we think it means the length of the cutting. So, you are getting a very wide base especially when you consider the size of this zero-turn mower. In terms of individual features, the wider track on this mower means that you can get the job done quickly and it was one of the features that was rated highest.
Manoeuvrability: 4.8/5
If you are looking for something that is very manoeuvrable then you will definitely find it with the Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower. As you can see from the score it has received fantastic feedback and you will be able to use this to get any job done in the garden. This would be ample for a medium to large sized garden, if you had a smaller garden you still wanted to use this mower it would definitely be manoeuvrable enough to cope with smaller spaces.
This was another feature that was rated very highly from people that have purchased this mower.
Safety features: 4.7/5
Despite giving you a solid riding lawnmower, the thing that commonly get overlooked are the safety features. With this particular mower you will get plenty of safety features to make sure that it is not starting when it shouldn’t, the safety features also help you to remain safe when you are using this.
When you look at all of the ratings and then you take a look at the individual features, we think you will have something here that will get the job done quickly for you and will be ample for any size garden. The chances are if you are reading this then you are looking for a riding lawnmower for a medium to large sized garden, due to the manoeuvrability of this particular mower it will also work very well in a smaller garden.
We will now take a look at the main mower and review its features:
Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower Review:
The first thing that we will do is have a look at the features that you get so you can see exactly what you are getting for your money.
Here are the main features that you are getting:
- 5 hp Briggs and Stratton Intek engine offers powerful performance.
- Foot pedal-operated hydrostatic transmission allows you to change speed and direction, which lets you keep both hands on the steering wheel for optimum driving control.
- Tight 16 in. turning radius allows you to mow in tighter spaces and navigate around obstacles Adjustable 13 in. mid-back seat, ergonomic steering wheel and easy step-through design provide comfort and easy operation.
- 42 in. reinforced cutting deck with air induction mowing technology and dual anti-scalp wheels.
- Reverse operating system allows the operator to mow in reverse with a simple turn of a switch.
The first feature of note that this riding lawnmower will give you is a powerful engine. It gives you an 18.5 hp Briggs and Stratton Intek engine, this will give you powerful performance. The reason that this work so well is because despite the engine being powerful, the design of this lawnmower is also made to be small and very manoeuvrable.
As the lawnmower does not carry as much weight as some of the bigger models you will find that with the extra power from the engine and the manoeuvrability that it is very easy to use.
You also get a foot pedal operated hydrostatic transmission, this will allow you to change speed and direction and to do all of this while you still have both hands on the steering will for optimal driving control.
The hydrostatic transmission means that you can select the amount of power that you wish to use from the engine. This can be very useful if you are working in a smaller garden, or you are committing to a smaller job where you do not need to have the full power from the engine.
The other way that this feature will help you is if you have just started with the lawnmower and you are getting used to the power, you can use this transmission to simply keep on increasing the power as you get better and more confident.
As mentioned above the fact that you are able to change this while keeping both hands on the steering wheel is also a fantastic safety feature and it means that you will feel more confident using the mower.
This mower will also give you a tight 16 inch turning radius, this will allow you to mow in tighter spaces and also navigate around obstacles. Bear in mind, due to the design of this mower you will find it very easy to use and it should be able to navigate in the smallest of spaces. However, check out our other choices if you want a true zero turn mower.
This will require a turning radius to be able to turn round however small.
You will also be able to easily adjust the back seat to make sure that you are comfortable. The backseat itself is 13 inches in height, this makes it a relatively small seat, but it should still be able to offer enough comfort for most people.
The steering wheel is ergonomic so you will be able to use this for longer periods of time and it also gives you an easy step through design that will provide comfort.
The cutting deck for this mower is very impressive and will give you a width of 42 inches, this is also a reinforced cutting deck so you will find that it is sturdy enough to use without having to worry about it breaking even on tough jobs.
It also gives you air induction mowing technology, this was explored in some previous zero turn mowers that we had a look at on the site, it will help with the engine power and also with the effectiveness of the blade and its ability to give you a clean cut.
You will also have dual anti-scalp wheels, this is a really good feature, and it means that when you are using this mower you don’t have to worry about your grass looking too bare, when you are driving over it.
This is a common concern if you are using a riding mower because of the weight of the mower itself, it can sometimes make the grass look a bit ‘bald’ where the wheels ended up going, with this particular model you will not need to worry about that because of the way that the wheels have been designed.
The Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower will also give you a very good reverse operating system which allows the operator to mow in reverse with ace import turn of the switch. Again, this is not a zero-turn mower, but it does give you a very small turning radius which is why we decided to put it in with our reviews.
The other reason is because it has such glowing feedback, the reverse system will work well and you will reverse this just like you would a car, you will need to steer and of course it will need some room to be able to move back in a straight line.
We will now take a look at the standout features of the Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower, these are the features in our opinion, that will give you the main selling points of this riding mower.
Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower Standout Features:
Engine:
The first thing of note with the Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower is the engine. As mentioned above you are getting a powerful engine which is 18.5 hp, this is also made more powerful due to the frame of the lawnmower. With it being more compact than some zero turn mowers that we have reviewed you are getting a very powerful engine that does not have to carry as much weight.
The other thing about this engine that is impressive, it comes from Briggs & Stratton – these engines are reliable and that means that you have to worry less about having issues with your riding lawnmower over time.
Of course, as with any engine you will need to do the standard maintenance, keep it well-oiled etc… But it should give you a reliable engine to do so.
Hydrostatic transmission:
If you are searching for a good riding lawnmower and this is one of the first that you have purchased, you will love the hydrostatic transmission. The way this works is allowing you to change the speed and direction while keeping both hands on the steering wheel for optimum control.
The other benefit of a transmission like this is that you will be able to limit the engine power, if you wish that will be fantastic when you are getting used to the lawnmower, so you are not using the full 100%.
The other use for this feature could be if you are working in a smaller space and you are only doing light work and you do not need to use as much power.
Turning Radius:
The Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower is great for a first-time buyer of a riding lawnmower, it will give you a very tight 16 inch turning radius and that will allow you to mow in tighter spaces and navigate around obstacles.
Bear in mind, as we mentioned above this is not a true zero turn mower, as it does require a turning radius. You can check out our top choice for a zero-turn mower here.
We still recommend the Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower even though it does have a small turning radius, as it is very easy to use, and the design is very compact so you will still be able to work in small spaces with this mower.
Comfort:
The Husqvarna YTH18542 42 in 18.5 HP Briggs & Stratton Hydrostatic Riding Mower also gives you numerous adjustments that you can use to make sure that you are comfortable. You will actually be sat on a 13-inch mid back seat while mowing.
The fact that this is just a mid-back seat, should not bother you and it works very well so you should have no concerns about not having some padding for your upper back as the seat is very comfortable. The mid back design works very well because you are able to move with the mower as you are going over slopes and the grass.
You will find the seat very comfortable, and you should be fine using this for hours of mowing if necessary.
It will also give you an ergonomic steering wheel, looking at the reviews people did not complain about vibration coming through the steering wheel so you should not end up with any tingling in your hands.
Wide cutting deck:
For such a compact mower this is a fantastic feature. It will give you a 42 inch extra wide cutting deck, this means that when you are using this mower you will be able to do so and get the job done quicker.
This cutting deck is also reinforced so it is sturdy enough for any job, you should not have to worry about it breaking or being damaged no matter how long the grass is.
It also gives you the air induction mowing technology, this will help the cutting deck to be more efficient and it will also help the engine to run cooler. This is not a direct feature that will help you that it will mean that your riding mower runs more efficiently.
Anti-Scalp Wheels:
We love the fact that this gives you anti-scalp wheels. It is no good being able to cut the grass if you are going to put huge tram tracks and wheel lines into the areas where you have been.
The tyres will give you a lot of grip but they are also designed to be “anti-scalp” so they should do a good job at making the grass look like it has been professionally cut without any awful tyre marks.
Reverse Gear:
You will also get a reverse operating system which allows you to mow in reverse with a simple turn of a switch. This does help if you are weighing up whether to get a zero-turn mower and looking at the turning radius, it is good to know that this is able to mow in reverse so you can go over spots that you have missed, it is also far easier to manoeuvre around.
Who Is The Husqvarna YTH18542 Riding Mower For?
Although this is not a zero-turn mower it does give you all of the characteristics of a compact, powerful, ride on lawnmower with all of the features that you need.
It will give you a very easy to use riding lawnmower, it gives you a tight turning radius so you should be able to use this in small spaces.
It is very easy to use due to the fact that the engine is reliable and also hydrostatic so you can pick how much power you are getting to the engine any time.
We recommend this riding lawnmower to anyone that is looking for a competent mower for small to medium-size jobs.
The other person that this would suit is someone that is looking for a riding lawnmower but does not want something that is very complicated, this would be perfect as your first riding lawnmower.
Even when you consider the price of the Husqvarna YTH18542 Riding Mower it is very reasonable compared to its competitors, especially when you are looking at the engine quality that you are getting and the features.
If you want to get a very reliable riding lawnmower with all of the features that you need then this is definitely want to put on your shortlist.
The downsides that we can say about the Husqvarna YTH18542 Riding Mower are a few things to bear in mind:
- It is not a zero-turn mower. Meaning it does not have a 0° turning radius, if you are absolutely dead set on getting a zero-turn mower then you can click here and read our review of our number one choice.
- This riding mower may not be powerful enough if you have a large commercial job to do and you are looking for something that will be able to cover a lot of ground efficiently.
We think that it would start off ok, but the engine would take a lot of wear and tear so you might be better getting a more powerful riding mower or zero turn mower if you are buying for a commercial purpose.
Apart from these 2 points above, you should find everything you are looking for in the Husqvarna YTH18542 Riding Mower.
Click here to check out the Husqvarna YTH18542 Riding Mower at Amazon.com…
Also be sure to check out any warranty options that you can pick up at the same time. At the time of writing which is April 2021 there is a three-year lawn and garden protection plan that you can pick up with this mower. It also works out to be quite cost-effective and it is worth bearing in mind if you want to be able to use this with added peace of mind.
We think you’ll be very pleased with what you are getting with the Husqvarna YTH18542 Riding Mower.
Click here to check out the Husqvarna YTH18542 Riding Mower at Amazon.com…
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