Poulan Pro 960420188 46” 20 HP Briggs & Stratton Lawn Tractor Review

Let’s take a closer look at what makes the Poulan Pro 960420188 worthy of your consideration.

You don’t have to be a fan of unicorns to appreciate the value of an investment that combines commercial quality and performance for a consumer price. With Poulan’s Pro lineup, you’re looking at just that: an excellent balance of power, efficiency, agility, and build quality with a wonderfully delicate touch and comfort features that will keep you going even when facing down the most gnarled of tough grasses. The Poulan Pro 960420188 46” 20 HP Briggs & Stratton Lawn Tractor is built to last year to year while still offering a quick start and easy operation on top of quality-of-life improvements. When it comes to maintaining an attractive, healthy lawn, you want to build a toolkit that not only makes your job easier but won’t break the bank.

DESIGN & BUILD | Agile and Strong

Starting with the Poulan Pro 960420188’s heart, a 20-horsepower strong Briggs & Stratton twin cylinder engine beats steady with the ReadyStart auto-choke system, providing a smooth and easy start-up that requires no priming or choking. Poulan touts the Poulan Pro 960420188 Briggs and Stratton as having near-automobile ease of use, tossing out the need for clutching or stopping if you wish to change direction, and it can push forward at almost 8 MPH. Combine that with a cutting deck that offers a wide reach of 46”, six cutting heights with spring-assisted adjustment and a tight 6” turning radius, you’re looking at one of the agilest lawn tractors on the market today. The Poulan Pro 960420188’s delicate touch comes into play with anti-scalp deck wheels and the Turf Saver tread on its tires, an extra detail that preserves all that hard work you’ve put into keeping your lawn looking good.

“The overall design is sleek and stylish in subtle greys and black with a splash of Poulan Pro’s accent orange…”

Poulan encourages you to take their machine around difficult landscaping and over difficult terrain: flat, hilly, uneven, or otherwise. The overall design is sleek and stylish in subtle greys and black with a splash of Poulan Pro’s accent orange, pulling together a final product that you won’t be embarrassed to drive around. Whether you’re pulling in tight to clean up the base of a tree, sweeping long comfortable passes from one end of your two acres to another, or utilizing the Poulan Pro 960420188’s mow-in-reverse system, you’re going to look great and have fun keeping your lawn looking even better.

Poulan Pro 960420188 46” 20 HP Briggs & Stratton Lawn Tractor full view

SAFETY & DURABILITY | Luxury in Safety

When it comes to safety, the Poulan Pro 960420188 follows industry standard features, including a mow-in-reverse override that, combined with that excellent 6” turn radius, will allow the operator to more easily grab even the most annoying corners and outliers. The blade engagement is manual, so you don’t have to worry about surprises. You have control, and that control means there are going to be no surprises so long as you remain aware and alert. Because the Poulan Pro 960420188 is touted as being able to handle the uneven and hilly terrain, the operator presence switch is even more important, and the large wheels with Turf Saver tread work to avoid turf compaction while still providing exceptional traction. It is built to mow, not to slide.

“…the Poulan Pro 960420188 is touted as being able to handle the uneven and hilly terrain…”

The Poulan Pro 960420188 Briggs and Stratton 46” cutting deck is constructed from 13-gauge, reinforced steel, corrosion resistant and built to last alongside the rest of the machine. Thanks to the cast iron front axle and ten-year warranties on the automatic transmission belt and cutting deck, you know you’re getting a machine that is built, sold, and operated with confidence.

Poulan Pro 960420188 46” 20 HP Briggs & Stratton Lawn Tractor front view

PERFORMANCE | As Simple as a Car

Ease of Use

There is plenty of comforts built into the Poulan Pro 960420188, and chief among them is the automobile-like simplicity of its start-up and operation. Want to go forward? Simply push on the foot-operated pedal and off you go to the races. That and the easy-start system make up a huge portion of ease that has been packed into this machine. Of course, there are headlights to make early morning or late night seasonal operation safer and simpler, and a cupholder to ensure that you stay hydrated, but where it really counts, the Poulan Pro 960420188 delivers.

Best Features

The cutting deck itself is the central feature of any lawn mower, tractor or otherwise, and the Poulan Pro 960420188 Briggs and Stratton really takes it to the next level. With a cutting reach of 46”, it sits in the average size for machines built to take on two acres or so. The 13-gauge reinforced steel construction ensures that the deck itself can and will take all the punishment your lawn can dish, while the ten-year cutting deck warranty will have you covered if something goes awry. Maintaining the cutting deck is simple thanks to a built-in deck wash port. Simply hook up a garden hose and let the pressure blast away caked-in clippings that can cause early corrosion and interrupt the high-performance air induction flow, a design element that allows air to enter the deck from above, improving grass lift, providing a more excellent cut, and improve bagging and dispersal performance. The cutting deck on the Poulan Pro 960420188 is everything a mower should revolve around, and the Poulan Pro line ensures that you have all the tools to last for years upon years with continuing excellence.

Poulan Pro 960420188 46” 20 HP Briggs & Stratton Lawn Tractor side view

LONGEVITY & PRICE | Intended for the Ages

We’ve already spoken the praises of the Poulan Pro 960420188’s excellent build quality and a few of the warranties, each of which exists on top of the two-year homeowner’s warranty that covers the lawn tractor as a whole. Thanks to the Pro line, consumers and homeowners are able to get commercial-grade build quality and cutting performance at a price that won’t break the budget. Especially when it comes to a hilly lawn or uneven terrain, there are few other lawn tractors that will go out of their way to boost their performance. Poulan makes customer support easily accessible through their site and customer service phone numbers, so if you have any questions, answers are but a click or call away.

Be sure to check the current Poulan Pro 960420188 Briggs and Stratton – Amazon price here.

The Poulan Pro 960420188 has an MSRP of $1898.97, putting it around mid-range for comparable lawn tractors. Considering how much effort and attention has gone into the design and engineering of this machine, it’s not hard to dismiss a little larger chunk of the budget. If you’re looking for a lawn tractor that can handle two acres of the uneven or difficult lawn but still deliver excellent cut quality and maneuverability, the investment is worth it.

Poulan Pro 960420188 46” 20 HP Briggs & Stratton Lawn Tractor full view left

Pros

• Excellent build quality and multiple enhancements
• Built for difficult terrain of up to two acres, comfortably
• Commercial quality for a consumer price (see current Amazon Price)

Cons

• Bagging and mulching accessories cost extra
• Larger than some other lawn tractors

THE BOTTOM LINE | Commercial Quality, Consumer Cost