Our Top 10 Ride-On Mower Attachments This Autumn

Autumn is when a ride-on mower earns its keep. Leaves fall, lawns soften and hedges get their final tidy, so having the right attachments can help you save time and effort while keeping your outdoor space presentable. Below are our top ten picks for this season, starting with a tow hitch—the gateway to almost everything else—and finishing with an invaluable addition that comes into its own as autumn turns to winter. Along the way, we’ll explain why each ride-on mower attachment matters, what to consider before buying, and a brief focus on tried and tested examples to help you picture the attachments in action.

1) Tow Hitch/ Bar

A tow hitch turns your ride-on mower into a multi-tool. Once fitted, you can pull sweepers for leaf clearance, trailers for carting waste, and implements such as aerators and chippers. That means less manual lifting, smoother operation and a safer, more controlled way to move loads across damp ground. What’s more, a tow bar pays back in every season, from winter prep to spring treatments.

Choose a hitch designed for your mower or a universal unit that aligns with your mounting points. Confirm towing capacity, keep within your mower’s limits, and decide whether a simple pin or ball-type coupling suits your attachments. Prioritise solid steel and a corrosion-resistant finish, and make sure installation is straightforward. Think about manoeuvrability on wet slopes and pick a setup that pairs well with the equipment you plan to tow.

Product Focus: Honda Tow Bar

Compatible with a wide range of Honda garden tractors including the HF2417 and HF2625 models, this robust, easy-fit tow bar lets you attach trailers, spreaders and other implements quickly so you can get on with the task in hand.

Find out more about the Honda Tow Bar here.

2) Leaf and Debris Sweepers/ Collectors

A tow-behind sweeper is the quickest way to stay ahead of leaf-fall without living on the end of a rake. It gathers leaves, twigs and clippings before they smother the grass, helping airflow and discouraging moss. After blustery spells it restores order fast, which matters as daylight shrinks.

Match the working width to your lawn so you cover ground efficiently without wrestling through tight corners. A generous hopper means fewer trips to the compost area. Look for sturdy construction, wheels suited to your terrain and a hitch that fits your tractor. Make sure emptying is quick and controlled, because saving time is the whole point.

Product Focus: Cobra TLS97 Towed Lawn Sweeper

With a 97 cm sweeping width and a 339-litre collector, the TLS97 lawn sweeper is built for large, open spaces, clearing debris quickly and reducing stops for emptying.

Discover more about this ride-on mower attachment here.

3) Tipping Trailer/ Cart

Once debris is collected, you still need to move it. A tipping trailer makes short work of leaf runs, hedge prunings, soil and tools, turning multiple journeys into one. In a season of heavy green waste, it keeps the whole operation flowing and limits back-breaking lifting.

Check the rated capacity and bed size against your typical loads. A reliable tipping action is essential for heavy materials such as compost or gravel. Decide between steel for outright toughness or quality poly for rust-free lightness, confirm turning clearance with your mower, and choose tyres that cope with muddy ground.

Product Focus: Handy THGT500 Towed Steel Tipping Trailer

With a 225 kg capacity and powder-coated steel bed, the THGT500 is built to haul demanding loads and empties cleanly with a simple, time-saving tipping mechanism.

Learn more about the Handy THGT500 Towed Steel Tipping Trailer here.

4) Aerators

Autumn is the best time to open compacted turf, so water, air and nutrients reach the roots before winter. Aeration relieves surface pan, improves drainage and helps lawns recover after a busy summer or leaf-heavy early autumn. The result is healthier grass that faces winter in better shape.

Pick a working width suited to your area and tines that reach the depth your soil needs. Adjustable penetration helps tailor the job for clay or sand. Ensure the hitch suits your mower and consider ballast options for harder ground. Favour designs that are easy to clean, as wet soil and leaves can cling and hasten corrosion if ignored.

Product Focus: SCH HGA Aerator Attachment

Used with the HGF carrier frame, this heavy-duty aerator offers a 102 cm working width, transport wheels for easy movement, and optional ballast via two 25-litre containers to increase soil penetration.

Read more about this riding mower attachment here.

5) Spreaders for Seed, Fertiliser, and De-icing

After clearing and aerating, autumn is ideal for overseeding and applying lawn feed. And as winter approaches, you’ll need to think about de-icing too. A tow-behind spreader covers big areas evenly, a task that’s tricky with a hand unit when conditions are damp and time is short.

Choose a hopper capacity that avoids the need for constant refills, and a spread width that balances speed with control around beds and paths. Variable settings for seed, fertiliser and de-icer add year-round value. Look for a corrosion-resistant frame, a hopper that rinses clean and a mechanism you can disengage for transport. Confirm hitch compatibility before you buy.

Product Focus: Handy THTS175 Towed Broadcast Spreader

This excellent spreader has an 80 kg capacity and adjustable spread width of 10 -12 feet for efficient coverage, while a robust poly hopper, powder-coated frame and aluminium gearbox support long service.

Get more information on the Handy THTS175 Towed Broadcast Spreader here.

6) Lawn Roller

Used sensibly, a lawn roller helps after overseeding and tidies minor undulations that appear after wet weather or heavy use. It presses seed into contact with the soil and settles lightly heaved areas, so the lawn goes into winter even and easier to mow at the next cut.

Select a width that suits your plot and a drum you can fill with water or sand to tune the working weight. Ensure your mower can tow a full drum on soft ground. Poly rollers resist rust and dents and are simple to drain and store, which is exactly what you want at season’s end.

Product Focus: Agri-Fab 45-0267 Push/ Tow Poly Lawn Roller

This compact 24-inch roller holds up to 250 lbs when filled, uses a durable polyethylene drum, and features a straightforward fill/ drain plug for fast setup and storage.

Find out more about the Agri-Fab 45-0267 Push/ Tow Poly Lawn Roller here.

7) Towable Chipper/ Shredder

Pruning shrubs and hedges creates bulky piles of debris that are slow to cart and awkward to dispose of. A chipper/ shredder shrinks the heap dramatically and turns it into useful mulch or compost material. After windy spells, it helps you process small fallen limbs quickly, so paths and lawns can return to normal.

Capacity comes first: check the maximum chip and shred diameters and remember wet, green waste can reduce those figures. Confirm the power requirement—many units need a PTO or specific drive—and that your mower can handle the mounting, weight and clearances. Build quality and safety are non-negotiable; you want a stable feed, strong blades and guarded operation. Think about the discharge path so chips end up where you want them, and plan dry storage for off-season.

Product Focus: BCS PTO-Driven Chipper-Shredder

Built for the BCS 730, 740, 615SL and 630, this tractor mower attachment chips branches to around 7 cm and shreds brush to roughly 2.5 cm, using a substantial flywheel and rugged construction to turn waste into biodegradable mulch.

Discover more about the BCS PTO-Driven Chipper-Shredder here.

8) Sprayers

A sprayer ride on mower attachment keeps you on top of moss control, selective weed treatments and liquid feeds when scale makes hand work slow. A tow-behind or tractor-mounted unit gives even coverage across large lawns, which is particularly valuable as weather windows narrow and the ground stays damp.

Choose a tank size that matches your area and a spray width or boom that suits your layout. Ensure your mower can tow the full tank safely and check how the pump is powered, with many systems running on the tractor battery. Good nozzles, consistent pressure and check-valves prevent drips and overdosing. Clean tanks and lines after each session so the system is ready for spring.

Product Focus: SCH HGPS Sprayer

This frame-mounted sprayer carries two 25-litre containers, uses a 12 V pump from the tractor, and includes both a brass lance for targeted application and a three-nozzle boom for broader lawn work.

Learn more about the SCH HGPS Sprayer here.

9) Deflectors

There are plenty of autumn days when collection is overkill. A rear deflector replaces the ride-on mower’s grass box and spreads clippings or chopped leaves across the sward, speeding up routine trims and saving repeated stops. Used with sharp blades and the right cutting height, it can return a light layer of organic matter without smothering the grass.

Check model compatibility, as deflectors are often deck-specific. Consider how evenly the unit distributes material and how quickly you can swap back to collection when you need a pristine finish. Keep the discharge path clear, especially on damp days when clumping is more likely, and clean the deflector before storage.

Product Focus: STIHL ADF 500 Deflector

Made for STIHL T5 and T6 ride-ons, including the RT 5097 and RT 6112 ZL models, this riding mower attachment replaces the catcher box to rear-discharge and spread cuttings evenly across the lawn.

Read more about the STIHL ADF 500 Deflector here.

10) Snow Blades

A snow blade turns your riding mower into an invaluable winter helper. Clearing driveways and paths promptly improves safety and prevents compacted ice when temperatures drop. For parts of the UK that see occasional but meaningful snow, a front blade makes early-morning clear-ups faster than shovelling and keeps your mower working the whole year round.

Match the blade width to your spaces so you can pass gates and turn cleanly. Confirm the correct mounting kit for your machine and whether you need to remove the deck to fit it. Favour robust steel with angle adjustment for windrowing, and look for skid shoes and rubber scraper bars to protect paving. Remember that pushing snow shifts the centre of gravity; snow chains or winter-capable tyres may be worth adding. Clean, dry and inspect the blade after use so it’s ready for the next cold snap.

Product Focus: Husqvarna Snow Blade (200 Series)

Designed for the R 214T, R 216T AWD, and certain other Husqvarna riding mowers, this front-mounted blade offers a working width of 120 cm and is perfectly built to clear domestic drives and paths efficiently.

Get more information on this front-mounted ride-on mower attachment here.

Choose Well, Work Safely and Think Ahead

Choosing the correct ride-on mower attachments will make autumn and winter run much more smoothly. Start with a tow hitch because most time-saving tools depend on it. Decide whether you need universal fittings or brand-specific kits, and pick widths and capacities that suit your garden rather than fighting the machine. Treat wet ground with respect, especially when towing heavy loads, and clean attachments before winter storage to keep rust at bay. Budget for the whole year; the best additions do double duty across the changing seasons. Above all, prioritise stability and predictable handling on slopes and damp turf.

Ready to Upgrade Your Ride-On Mower?

At Garden Machinery Direct, we sell an outstanding selection of front-mounted attachments, towed attachments, and deflectors for ride-on and tractor mowers, backed by unrivalled expertise in this field. So, if you need help matching a hitch to your rider, choosing a sweeper width, or weighing up a sprayer versus a spreader, get in touch with our expert team, who will guide you to the right solution. You can trust us to find the best ride-on mower attachments to make this autumn—and the winter to follow—faster, tidier and more productive.