The 382CC by Troy Bilt is a popular riding lawn mower with a reputation for easy handling, a highly maneuverable design, and a powerful engine that allows you to quickly ride up and over hilly terrain. This mower provides the type of flawless cut and fast operation that makes it suitable for both home and pro use.
Our Verdict: We would recommend this model for medium-sized yards, although it can handle larger yards, yet it does struggle to cut all the grass with a single pass due to the thirty-inch deck size. In terms of power, this mower can quickly zip up hilly terrain and features an eighteen-inch turning radius that allows you to take tight turns, effortlessly.
As you can see, despite its smaller size, the 382CC offers a better than average performance and comes loaded with some great features that make it one of the toughest, most reliable riding lawn mowers in this price bracket.
Overview and Features
This riding lawn mower is able to take tight turns like a pro with an eighteen-inch turning radius, features a thirty-inch cutting deck, a single cylinder engine, and a clear fuel tank that allows you to easily keep an eye on the remaining gas.
Product Rating:
- Lightweight design
- Clear fuel gauge
- Comfortable seat
- Eighteen-inch turning radius
- Six-speed transmission
- Reliable performance
High Performance
Aside from the mower’s six-speed transmission that allows you to quickly move through gears, the mower’s body is made out of fourteen gauge steel, so you know it’s designed to last.
Engine
The mower’s single-cylinder engine produces a top speed of four and a half miles per hour, which is decent for a riding lawn mower of this size.
Turning Radius
With a turning radius of eighteen-inches and equipped with sixteen-inch rear wheels, you can easily handle tight turns and maneuver around obstacles in your path such as trees, brush, bushes, lawn furniture, and more.
Hill Power
Despite its smaller size, weighing in at just three hundred and forty pounds, the TB30 does a great job of powering up hills and flat terrain alike.
Noise Protection
One big drawback that you can expect with this mower is the level of noise it makes, which can make it difficult to use this model early in the morning. However, that’s par for the course with other models of riding lawn mowers, so it doesn’t come as much of a shock that this mower is impressively loud.
Beginner-Friendly
This is definitely one of the most beginner-friendly riding lawn mowers on the market. With simple controls, if you have experience driving an automatic car, then operating this model should be a breeze. In terms of performance, this mower fires up reliably with the first turn of the key. The mid-back padded seat is incredibly comfortable and supportive. The ability to use the clutch to downshift makes this model more beginner-friendly and intuitive. Additionally, the ability to keep a close eye on the fuel level via the fuel window allows you to gauge just how much gas is left.
Assembly
Assembly is also fairly simple and consists of installing the seat, rear engine cover, wheels, and steering column. On average, this process should take approximately forty-five minutes to an hour to complete.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- Lightweight design
- Clear fuel gauge
- Comfortable seat
- Eighteen-inch turning radius
- Six-speed transmission
- Reliable performance
Cons
- Very Loud
Performance
The mower’s manual power-take-off disengages and engages the blade easily. In terms of cut quality, this model produces a consistent, clean, and even cut. Considering thirty inches isn’t very large for a cut path, you may struggle to cut with just a single pass. However, this mower more than makes up for it with the perfect dimensions to handle tight turns that other, larger mowers just can’t. It also side discharges and mulches the clippings efficiently, however, its bagging ability could be improved with the use of a larger receptacle that would equal fewer stops to empty it out.
The mower allows you to drive in reverse instead of allowing the blade to disengage automatically, which is a nice touch. However, be careful with the level you choose. The two shortest level options can basically scalp your turf, while the three tall settings will leave your lawn a healthy height with an ideal texture.
Related Questions
Is this a High Maintenance Riding Lawn Mower?
After you mow your lawn, we recommend dusting if off using a blower and keeping a close eye on the mower’s oil and fuel needs. While it comes equipped with a deck wash port, you may have a difficult time rinsing away debris and stray clippings from the underside. Since it’s such a lightweight model, tipping it over and spraying it down by hand is a much easier option. In terms of care, we’d consider this a very low maintenance model. The air filter and oil should be changed accordingly, based on how often you use the mower, but on average it shouldn’t need much more than an annual tune-up.
Can You Recommend a Riding Lawn Mower for Larger Properties?
This model can handle yards that require plenty of lawn maintenance, but it can be time-consuming, compared to the performance you can expect from a riding mower with a larger cutting path size. If you have several acres of lawn to cut, then you may want to pass this model by. We recommend the Ariens 915223 IKON-X Mower 23hp Kawasaki FR691 Series, which comes equipped with a fifty-two-inch deck, so it’s clearly designed to handle larger yards like a pro. To learn more about riding lawn mower cutting paths and features, click here to read our buyer’s guide.
Conclusion and Rating
Product Rating:
While smaller than the average riding lawn mower and equipped with a thirty-inch deck, this model by Troy Bilt offers a surprising performance that shows us that good things do come in small packages. Able to zip up hills, and equipped with a six-speed transmission, this mower is a great investment and a model that you can rely on season after season. We gave this model a rating of five out of five stars.