MossRoad
Super Moderator
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- South Bend, Indiana (near)
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- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
There's an orchard near us that has one of those..... :drool:
Buying Advice Advice on mowing sloped, rough terrain ("ride on brushcutters")
- Thread starter Chris616
- Start date
- Views: 60158
Eric Salop
Elite Member
Welcome to the forum Chris. I have used a machine similar to the AS for a number of years now, so maybe my limited experience may help. I spent many hours looking for a grass eating machine to be used in much the same way as you describe. My wife does the lawn cutting and she wanted to go from a walk-behind to something she could ride on, while I wanted something that could handle the steeper slopes in the fields. A ride on "brush cutter" was the obvious choice and after trying one out, I was pleasantly surprised to find it would still give a decent enough cut for a lawn.
When you look at different models, one thing to consider is how high the deck can be raised. On some models I looked at the highest position available was not much more than a couple of inches off the ground, which for me was not enough.
Some manufacturers offer different cutting widths. Bigger decks usually come with wider wheel spacing, making them more stable on uneven slopes. Spec data assumes perfectly smooth slopes, but in practice there are always ridges and hollows and the narrower the machine, the more significant that becomes. Double wheels would help but as you said they reduce mobility. Another consideration with them is that you can't cut as close to fence lines etc.
For stability specification, I believe the standards on European machines calls for the quoted side slope angle to be half of the measured tipping point (someone please correct me if that is no longer the case), so a reputable machine that claims 20 degrees should actually not tip over until it gets to 40. Sitting on a machine that is cutting a side slope at 20 degrees is not that pleasant an experience unless you have a fancy gravity compensating seat, whereas if you take that same slope closer to straight up or down and then only turn side on with care, ideally where it is flatter or if not, slowly and where you can see there are no bumps or hollows, you will enjoy all your slope cutting. If you get a 4 wheel drive machine, you can easily go up and down on the steepest sections without turning at all, although driving in reverse for long periods may give you a stiff neck too !
The AS looked to be well built and I think it used galvanised steel, so should last a lifetime. I wasn't able to get a demo from anyone locally on one of them, although it now looks as though more dealers sell them. This is what we have.
One other thing about all these machines - they are way more fun to drive than a normal ride on mower
When you look at different models, one thing to consider is how high the deck can be raised. On some models I looked at the highest position available was not much more than a couple of inches off the ground, which for me was not enough.
Some manufacturers offer different cutting widths. Bigger decks usually come with wider wheel spacing, making them more stable on uneven slopes. Spec data assumes perfectly smooth slopes, but in practice there are always ridges and hollows and the narrower the machine, the more significant that becomes. Double wheels would help but as you said they reduce mobility. Another consideration with them is that you can't cut as close to fence lines etc.
For stability specification, I believe the standards on European machines calls for the quoted side slope angle to be half of the measured tipping point (someone please correct me if that is no longer the case), so a reputable machine that claims 20 degrees should actually not tip over until it gets to 40. Sitting on a machine that is cutting a side slope at 20 degrees is not that pleasant an experience unless you have a fancy gravity compensating seat, whereas if you take that same slope closer to straight up or down and then only turn side on with care, ideally where it is flatter or if not, slowly and where you can see there are no bumps or hollows, you will enjoy all your slope cutting. If you get a 4 wheel drive machine, you can easily go up and down on the steepest sections without turning at all, although driving in reverse for long periods may give you a stiff neck too !
The AS looked to be well built and I think it used galvanised steel, so should last a lifetime. I wasn't able to get a demo from anyone locally on one of them, although it now looks as though more dealers sell them. This is what we have.
One other thing about all these machines - they are way more fun to drive than a normal ride on mower
plowhog
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2015
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- 3,375
- Location
- North. NV, North. CA
- Tractor
- Massey 1710 / 1758, Ventrac 4500Y / TD9
The AS and Grillo climber both look like they would meet my needs. Although both are belly mowers, the small size and tight turning radius would work around my trees.
How do these two compare with pricing and availability in the US?
How do these two compare with pricing and availability in the US?
SpringHollow
Elite Member
The PT1430 would meet your needs and be useful for many other tasks such as front end loader and pallet fork work. Definitely a back saver versatile working machine.
And as Carl mentioned, good luck with email. Look at the forum if you want more info or watch MossRoad's videos.
Ken
And as Carl mentioned, good luck with email. Look at the forum if you want more info or watch MossRoad's videos.
Ken
SpringHollow
Elite Member
I noticed they state that they won the 2016 15ｰ Best Seller Award - sounds like they would be good for my "flat" areas
.Ken
Thank you for the input, everyone.
Carl (and Ken) - The Power Trac model that you own is an impressive looking machine. The cheaper of the two models that Power Trac advertises as "Slope mowers" is US$37K for the tractor alone, though, which is more than a Ventrac tractor and mower, so I'm not considering that option. The PT-1430 which PT mentioned in their email has a larger wheelbase and wheel track than the single wheel Ventrac so it might have similar or better slope performance, depending on the centre of gravity of the machine. I'll take your advice and give them a call.
Eric - Thanks for the welcome. Since you've actually used one, can you answer my question about what the ride is like on rough terrain with the small wheels that all these machines have? If anyone is interested in reading about it, this article discusses the slope testing methodology that Eric mentions.
Slope Mowing - Modern-day safety features | Pitchcare
(I enjoyed a trip to your part of the UK to watch the Vulcan fly at an airshow at RAF Cosford)
Plowhog - As far as I can tell the Grillo is not sold in North America. Here's my short summary of the three ride-on brushcutters that I know are (there may be others):
Orec RM98 Brush Rover - was US$8400 when I inquired last year. This is only a 2WD model. They are planning to bring in the 4WD version in the future.
Canycom CMX227 - was US$12000 when I inquired last year. It's 4WD. I was impressed with the engineering and ruggedness when I saw it at a trade show last year, but it had two problems that were a concern for me. I'm not a tall person, but when I sat on this machine my knees were up around my elbows and it seemed like it would get uncomfortable over time. Check out the many YouTube videos and you'll see examples of this. The second issue was that there was no ROPS (rollover protection system).
AS-Motor 940 Sherpa - was US$13500 when I inquired a few months ago. It's 4WD. The company has been building a variant of this machine for a long time, so it should be solid. Gets great reviews in other parts of the world. We do seem to have a lot of German equipment at our property including seven great Miele appliances, so I may have a biased respect for German engineering.
Chris
Carl (and Ken) - The Power Trac model that you own is an impressive looking machine. The cheaper of the two models that Power Trac advertises as "Slope mowers" is US$37K for the tractor alone, though, which is more than a Ventrac tractor and mower, so I'm not considering that option. The PT-1430 which PT mentioned in their email has a larger wheelbase and wheel track than the single wheel Ventrac so it might have similar or better slope performance, depending on the centre of gravity of the machine. I'll take your advice and give them a call.
Eric - Thanks for the welcome. Since you've actually used one, can you answer my question about what the ride is like on rough terrain with the small wheels that all these machines have? If anyone is interested in reading about it, this article discusses the slope testing methodology that Eric mentions.
Slope Mowing - Modern-day safety features | Pitchcare
(I enjoyed a trip to your part of the UK to watch the Vulcan fly at an airshow at RAF Cosford)
Plowhog - As far as I can tell the Grillo is not sold in North America. Here's my short summary of the three ride-on brushcutters that I know are (there may be others):
Orec RM98 Brush Rover - was US$8400 when I inquired last year. This is only a 2WD model. They are planning to bring in the 4WD version in the future.
Canycom CMX227 - was US$12000 when I inquired last year. It's 4WD. I was impressed with the engineering and ruggedness when I saw it at a trade show last year, but it had two problems that were a concern for me. I'm not a tall person, but when I sat on this machine my knees were up around my elbows and it seemed like it would get uncomfortable over time. Check out the many YouTube videos and you'll see examples of this. The second issue was that there was no ROPS (rollover protection system).
AS-Motor 940 Sherpa - was US$13500 when I inquired a few months ago. It's 4WD. The company has been building a variant of this machine for a long time, so it should be solid. Gets great reviews in other parts of the world. We do seem to have a lot of German equipment at our property including seven great Miele appliances, so I may have a biased respect for German engineering.
Chris
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Eric Salop
Elite Member
With low down brush cutters feeling more like a racing kart, it can be tempting to open up the throttle and take everything at full speed, but that's not a good idea where the ground is too uneven. When I first got the machine I did think it a little uncomfortable, but I soon found out where the worst bumps became take off ramps and slowed my speed down accordingly. It is never going to be as soft a ride as a bigger tractor with an air-suspension seat, but I find the firm ride no problem at all. It is worth checking the tire pressure regularly as you don't need to loose much air from the smaller front wheels before ground clearance is affected.
The Vulcan flew past here on it's last ever series of flights around the country. I remember walking up the field with my daughter, looking high in the cloudy sky and being taken by surprise as it suddenly appeared from the right and really low down, looking almost level with the roadside gate as it flew as slow as possible over in the next valley to give everyone a chance to take a final look.
The Vulcan flew past here on it's last ever series of flights around the country. I remember walking up the field with my daughter, looking high in the cloudy sky and being taken by surprise as it suddenly appeared from the right and really low down, looking almost level with the roadside gate as it flew as slow as possible over in the next valley to give everyone a chance to take a final look.
AxleHub
Elite Member
You may want to check on Dixie Chopper. Of course they have standard era turns. . . But they make a very unique product for doing ravines and steep ditches etc. that reminds a person of a sophisticated atv/mower.
plowhog
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2015
- Messages
- 3,375
- Location
- North. NV, North. CA
- Tractor
- Massey 1710 / 1758, Ventrac 4500Y / TD9
All I saw were zero turn grass cutters on their site. Do you know what model it was for ravines and ditches?
zmountaineer
Silver Member
I've got a ventrac 4500z. It will unquestionably handle what you describe here. The turning radius with the duals is not bad and it's actually quite nimble being an articulating tractor. I mow 30 degree slopes weekly. Speaking of Swiss Army knife that someone said about the power trac, I can assure you the ventrac is very capable of doing many jobs. I switch between the finish and rough cut mowers constantly as well as their power bucket and grapple. A change of attachments takes between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. As you know, they are not cheap, but I doubt I ever have to buy another "lawn mower". $20-23k for the tractor $3k each for the finish and tough cut (brush cutter) mowers.