Can You Tow a Lawn Cart With a Zero-Turn Mower?

Some zero-turn mowers can tow an approved lawn cart within specific limits. Others do not have the same accessory approval, and restrictions can differ even within one model family. A visible hitch hole or an aftermarket part that physically fits does not establish permission to tow.

Start with the exact mower manual, approved hitch instructions and cart manual. All applicable limits and operating restrictions must be satisfied together.

Identify the approved combination

Record the mower model and serial range, hitch part number and cart identification. Our model and serial-number guide explains how to organize those records before ordering parts.

A useful example is the Scag Liberty Z manual. Its towing section describes an optional hitch but states that it is not available for the SZL-36. It also sets a maximum towing weight of 250 pounds and prohibits towing on slopes. Those instructions do not authorize the same setup on every Scag.

The Liberty Z 42 is therefore a different accessory proposition from the Liberty Z 36. Confirm the approved hitch and applicable manual before making the purchase.

Count the cart, not just its contents

A cart's advertised payload is not the same as the total weight the mower will pull. The empty cart itself counts toward the loaded trailer weight.

For a purely illustrative example, an 80-pound empty cart carrying 120 pounds has a total loaded weight of 200 pounds. That arithmetic does not establish that your mower may tow it. The permitted combination may have a lower limit, an incompatible hitch or an operating restriction that rules out the job entirely.

Account for every item on the cart, including added equipment. Do not estimate a load solely by how full the box looks: similar volumes of different materials can weigh very differently. If the weight cannot be established reliably, resolve it before towing.

Check tongue load separately

Tongue load is the load imposed at the hitch. It is a separate consideration from the loaded cart's total weight. Staying below one limit does not prove compliance with the other.

For example, Toro's hitch-kit instructions for the 72-inch Z Master 4000 specify both 250 pounds maximum gross trailer weight and 49 pounds maximum tongue weight. These numbers apply to that documented configuration; they are not universal Toro capacities and do not establish compatibility with a 60-inch mower.

Follow the cart's loading instructions and the applicable hitch requirements. Do not adopt an arbitrary tongue-weight percentage from a different type of trailer. Ask the dealer to resolve a missing or ambiguous limit in writing.

A slope can rule out the task

A towing rating does not cancel slope restrictions. The cited Scag manual says never to tow on slopes. The cited Toro instructions warn that towed weight can cause loss of traction and control on slopes and require reduced towed weight and speed.

These are different instructions, not numbers to average into a general rule. Use the requirements for your exact machine, and do not reinterpret a prohibition as permission for a lightly loaded cart. If the route includes terrain where the combination is prohibited, choose another approved means of moving the load.

This guide does not supply a universal safe slope angle or a substitute operating technique.

Plan turns and stops before loading

Follow the manual's speed, stopping-distance and turning instructions. Toro's TimeCutter operating guidance calls for slow travel, extra stopping distance and wide turns when towing. Scag also warns that zero-turn pivots can damage the cart or mower.

Keep people away from the towing area and never carry passengers in or on the cart. Attach only at the approved hitch point, using the specified hardware and procedure. A lawn-cart hitch is not authorization to recover a stuck vehicle or drag an unspecified load.

Get these answers before buying a cart

• Is this exact mower and serial range approved for the proposed hitch?
• What is the permitted total loaded cart weight?
• Is there a separate tongue-load limit, and how is it checked?
• Does the planned route satisfy every terrain restriction?
• Can the combination make the required turns and stop with adequate room?
• Are installation, loading and operating instructions available for all three components?

Bring those questions to a dealer demonstration. A written, model-specific answer is more useful than “it has a hitch.” If the manuals do not establish a permitted combination, do not treat an online accessory listing as a substitute. Sources checked November 2, 2026.