crazy idea? mowing with a compact track loader?

[ratter]

Hi TBN'ers. I'm mulling this situation over in my head. We live on 52 acres, about 2/3rds of which is a fairly steep hill behind our house (picture attached.) Parts of it aren't bad, but parts of it are, and I'm beyond a novice when it comes to tractor operation, so I basically refuse to take my small Kubota anywhere near that hill.

Thing is, my wife wants it all cut semi-regularly (a couple times a year). Enough so that she can hike on it occasionally. I'm not as gung ho about it, but I agree it would be nice.

Funds are very, VERY limited. I would love to buy a new (or used) slope-capable machine a la PowerTrac 1850 or something similar, but it's just not in the budget anytime soon.

But in my browsing, I've learned that there are rotary cutter attachments for bobcat mini track loaders (and probably others.) The local rental house has a T190. My limited understanding of these things tells me that track loaders are intended for stability on rough terrain, like slopes and bumpy areas. Would it traverse this hill safely, with a rotary cutter attachment? The rental house doesn't have the cutter, but I could swing that in my budget, and then just rent the vehicle a couple times a year for a few years until we can afford to buy one (I'd like to have one for tilling, box work, etc.)

So, does anybody mow with one of these things, or know someone who does? I'm just wondering if I'm nuts, or if this might actually be a good idea.

Thanks in advance,
-Mike

 

[ratter]

Forgot to attach the pic, of course.

 

[KentT]

Most of that appears quite "mowable" with your Kubota, if you're careful. I'd put some front weights on it, and mow up and down the slope. The danger is in turning, or on sideslopes.

If I were you, I'd try that, and see what you're left with that really is too steep to mow, then decide accordingly. You might find that you've gotten it down to a point that there's other alternatives, such as a walk-behind for the steepest spots...

 

[ratter]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Most of that appears quite "mowable" with your Kubota, if you're careful. I'd put some front weights on it, and mow up and down the slope. The danger is in turning, or on sideslopes.

If I were you, I'd try that, and see what you're left with that really is too steep to mow, then decide accordingly. You might find that you've gotten it down to a point that there's other alternatives, such as a walk-behind for the steepest spots... )</font>

Thanks for your thoughts. You might be right. Of course, that picture doesn't really do the hills justice (don't they all say that /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). Thing is, I'm not sure I want to find out if it's mowable. Call me chicken, but it is what it is. One thing that I've discovered about my tractor is that even though it has a parking brake, it doesn't do a whole lot to stop the tractor once rolling. And it's got a manual, gear-driven transmission. If it popped into neutral while I'm pointed uphill, things could get ugly in a hurry, no? The bottom of the hill is a creek, naturally. Why can't they ever just be nice soft grassy bowls at the bottom? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I've thought about a walk-behind. Seems like it would be very time-consuming, though, even on just a part of the hill. But I don't have any experience with a big commercial walk-behind.

 

[BrianSouthernMD]

ratter,

Not a crazy idea, but there are alternatives that might work just a bit better.

First, go to a hardware store like TrueValue and buy a magnetic angle finder. Put it on a one-foot square piece of wood and measure angles in all directions throughout your property. And note the difference between angle degree and percentage slope. People often overestimate slope degrees, but this info is essential. If you truly have slopes over x degrees (say 20 to 30 depending on your tolerance), only slope machines like the PT 1850 or Hustler Hillsider are advisable, but it if is under 20 degrees or so some CTLs might be OK, from what I have read.

I just bought a hydraulic Ammbusher brushcutter. I'm using it on my new 4-wheel-steering, axle-oscillating Bobcat Toolcat work machine. It is also usable on skid-steer loaders, all-wheel-steer loaders like Bobcat A300, and compact track loaders. Using a CTL or an oscillating AWS machine is much better on steeper slopes than a conventional CUT or SSL. Depending on the steepness, you may carefully plan to primariliy travel up and down hills rather than across side slopes.

You may want to find a Bobcat dealer or someone who rents the Toolcat, since it weighs a bit less than the T190 CTL and is gentler on turf and much more maeuverable with its all-wheel-steering, slopes permitting. Good luck.

 

[ratter]

Brian, thanks for the thoughts. A large part of my reasoning behind the ctl is its availability at the local rental house. They don't have a Toolcat or any other similar machines. I'll branch out a bit, though, and see if I can find any.

An angle finder is on my "to buy" list, for sure. Just haven't had any luck finding one yet, so I'm left to guess for now. But there are plenty of areas on that hill that my jeep simply would not climb in 2wd on dry grass (who am I kidding...WEEDS) without spinning tires. I can only get up them (straight up) in 4wd. The kind of hills that you can't walk straight down without breaking into an involuntary run. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I'm thinking that even with a CTL or slope-capable mower of some kind, I'm going to have to pass on some areas and just plant some low-growing ground cover or something. That, by the way, is an option that hasn't escaped me. It would solve the mowing problem. But, we would like to do other things on that hill (clear some trails in the wooded areas, maybe plant some fruit trees, fence it, etc., that would be facilitated by a machine that could maneuver on it.

 

[ratter]

Another picture, for the heck of it. About 2/3rds of the way up the hill, looking down and across. The large building in the middle-right of the pic is my barn, I was standing near the barn when taking the picture facing uphill.

 

[ratter]

And another.

 

[jim_wilson]

That hill looks semi-doable with a tractor. There might be some ways to make it a little safer to mow the tractor. If you are going to mow across the hill (instead of up and down) why not try rigging up a counterweight to hang off the uphill side of the tractor? Or maybe an outrigger that hangs off the downhill side? Either one might be enough to make the tractor more stable and increase your comfort level with mowing on the hill. A lot of tractors allow you to move the wheels out also to increase stability.

 

[slowrev]

An old Gravely 800/8000 series would mow that with no problem.
My old 812 riding Gravely )12 HP) will mow a 40 degree slope up and down ( a bit more with chains) and about a 30 deg slope sideways. Sort of hard to stay on the seat though going sideways. Up and down is not a problem as I have a bucket Bass Boat seat on it. Really comfey.

Of course with a 40-50 inch cut it will take a while....
Been thinking of putting duals on the back and some kind of swivel seat.....

Ben

 

[ratter]

Picked up an angle finder at Sears yesterday. Haven't had a chance yet, but it will confirm/disconfirm my fears about the steeper parts at least. It also has a magnet on the bottom, so I can stick it to the top of the tractor dash. 10 bucks. Handy!

I have no particular desire to mow side-to-side. Convenient and quicker though it may be, I've got no problem with going up-down-up-down. But yeah, that would just emphasize the need for something with a decent sized deck. I would definitely feel more comfortable with a walk-behind/stand-on machine, but those tend to be finish mowers, don't they? I'm not sure I'd cut it often enough with a walk-behind for a finish mower to work. There's some rough stuff out there at the moment. Parts of that hill are weeds over 7 ft. high.

I discussed it with the local kubota/bobcat dealer. At the very least, he's a source for me to get some machines out here to demo.

 

[slowrev]

Ratter,
A walk behind mower will work ya pretty hard on those slopes.

A friend that works for the Army Corps of Engineers told me they tried a riding mower that leaned over over to mow the faces of earthen dams with. He said it was pretty strange and worked somewhat, but the factory reps could not keep it going. Of course this has been a few years ago too, those things might work now, I can't remember what they are called, but they lean into the slope. I think I saw a webpage for one once....
Anyone else heard of those beasts ?

Ben

 

[aesanders]

The hill in question looks like they were farm fields at one time. Do you know the history behind the fields. Were they farmed at one time?

I've seen some pretty nifty walk behind sickle mowers that would do the hill fairly well. Something like the old Gravely's with dual wheels and a large sickle cutter. Will go right thru those 7' weeds. 52 acres would be a lot though for a walk behind, but you could at least cut some good paths and keep them groomed.

A sickle bar would probably be best for that type of mowing anyway wehter it be a tractor mounted sickle or walk behind.

I've even seen some Amish not far from where I live that farm some slopes with horse drawn equipment that no tractor could handle at all.

 

[Panache]

What about a 4FD Bovine 1800? /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[JohnSr]

I use a B2910 w/ rotary cutter for fields and a GR2100 for steep slopes and tight spots. When researching a mower for steep slopes it came down to a Hustler ATZ (I think thats what it was) and the GR2100. I went w/ the Kubota because it was cheaper and I could use it in the winter for snow removal.

The GR2100 cannot back up a steep hill very well (at least mine cant!) but it can climb some insane slopes. I even have some areas where I need to traverse a steep slope sideways and it has never been a problem; although I try to avoid that at all costs on a machine w/ no ROPS and seatbelt.

Maybe your dealer will let you demo one.

Good luck and be safe,

John in Md

 

[slowrev]

Bovine , not a bad idea. Or fence it off and put goats in the steep area. Make money by "mowing" instead of the area being a mowing money pit.

Ben

 

[ratter]

Furry mower friends are a possibility, albeit a remote one. Not sure we're ready for that. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

John, the GR2100 - I will look into that one, thanks.

 

[Panache]

How common are cattle in your area? Would it pay to fence and let someone else run cattle on your property, maybe not full-time but part-time to keep most of the grass down and just bushhog as needed?