How do you mow the edges of banks?

[riptides]

Having popped out of the safety forum, and having been the victim of a roll-over, I am curious as to how people mow the edge of banks.

I have a stream that flows and sits down a pretty good embankment. I usually back my mower/cutter to it. It takes a while, but the rear mower or cutter is in danger, not me. I finish the job by running next to the cut area, this allows me to stay many feet away from the edge.

What do others do?

-Mike Z.

 

[RonR]

Disclaimer: I don't have that situation.

If I did, I'd consider building a 3PH mounted mower that hung out the right side as far as I'd need to safely mow. I'd take a regular push type mower, take the handle off, and mount it so it could pivot at the end of the boom.

Yes, it might require counter weight to the left.

I'd have a pole at the center the tractor to control how up or down the mower was at the end of the boom. That could be controled with a hand winch or small 12vt winch. Plus the 3PH could raise and lower it for fine adjustments.

Someone here built a trailing mower; you could search for that for some good pics. (I forget who, sorry).

At least, that's what I would do..............

Ron

 

[suttles]

Just to be safe, could you buy one of those comercial type walk behind mowers?
The 10 acres that we recently bought has a bank near the road that we could not mow with anything.

We had someone that has a bush hog on a thing that has tracts like a dozer mow it.
They could go all over that bank with this little thing.
I am sure most people would know what it is but I can't remember what he called it.
The man using it was in a cage and it was equiped for a roll over.

I guess just using a weed eatier or round up is out of the question.

The area you are describing sounds a little to risky


Is the story of your roll over on this forum?
I would be interested in reading it.

I am very new at this but I thought the rule of thumb was to stay as far away as the bank is deep or something like that.
I guess you have considered the type of soil you have around the bank.
Do you know how this area was kept mowed before you owned it?
Please be careful.
I appreciate having a new tractor so much.
I can see the dangers in them that I was never aware of all these years of watching other people using them.

Sandy

 

[Volfandt]

I mow a bank by the road and around a small pond and I use a 50" sicklebarmower attached to an old 856 WheelHorse. It does pretty good as it will cut at just about any angle.

I've seen those 3PH fabricated mowers here in TBN and definitely would consider going that route had my ole sicklemower not work.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Having popped out of the safety forum, and having been the victim of a roll-over, I am curious as to how people mow the edge of banks.

I have a stream that flows and sits down a pretty good embankment. I usually back my mower/cutter to it. It takes a while, but the rear mower or cutter is in danger, not me. I finish the job by running next to the cut area, this allows me to stay many feet away from the edge.

What do others do?

-Mike Z.

Not take note of the fact that I'm not telling YOU to do it the same way I do. You pick your own method.

First, I cut as close as "safe" will allow with a bush hog. SOme of that is backing the mower over the edge of a few drop-offs. (Pucker factor of 8.5)

Then I get out the trusty New Holland 451 sickle bar. I cut whatever I can reach with that.

Then it's the Stihl weed-whacker.

Round-Up gets a few weeds along the way.

BE CAREFULL!

 

[RalphVa]

I've a few entrances to our creek from the trails I maintain. For the entrances, I back the brush hog to the creek bank and then go forward and back up again beside where I backed in and pull out to get nearly double width. Go all the way back to the trail.

Ralph

 

[1bush2hog]

The procedue I use all depends on the bank and how much growth there is. Mu prefereable method is to slowly back up to the edge in a perpendicular position and let mower hang over the edge, carefully watching for any muskrat and groundhog holes or other obstacles that may be close to the edge.

If there is any doubt as to how safe a bank area is to mow - I will ONLY use my weedeater

 

[EddieWalker]

First pass is with my tractor and bush hog. I get as close as I feel safe without pushing it. Then I come back on my Sears ridealong mower and do the same. There is still a few spots that it can't get to, so I have a hedger attachment on my weedwacker that I can reach down to get those impossible places. I never try to do it all in a day, but break it up into several days when it's cool in the morning.

Eddie

 

[jwstewar]

I have 2 ditches. One is the front road ditch the other runs through the property. The front ditch I only use the Ryobi weedeater on. It is about 600' long and usually takes about 45 minutes or so to do. The ditch that runs through the property is probably 400' or so. What I do with it (it always has water in it and the ground toward the bottom is usually pretty mushy) is put the cutter on and back down the bank. Sometimes I don't always make it back up the hill and I have to go to the house and the wife and the Silverado for a little assistance. I've gotten better though, last 2 times I've cut, I haven't gotten stuck Then I go on the other side of the ditch and cut that whole area (probably around 2 acres) and then I back up to the ditch as much as I can before the either I can't go because of trees or the ground is too soft. I don't particulary like this methodl. I would like to either find a reasonably priced sickle bar mower or make me a boom mower - that would be my prefer method. We'll see. Maybe for next year...

 

[frank_f15]

I mow a bank by the road and around a small pond and I use a 50" sicklebarmower attached to an old 856 WheelHorse. It does pretty good as it will cut at just about any angle.

I've seen those 3PH fabricated mowers here in TBN and definitely would consider going that route had my ole sicklemower not work.

VOLFANDT that looks like a pretty neat unit. i have the same conditions and wonder where you got that sickle mower and what drives the blades?