Lawn mowing on Hills

Ken_in_PA · Feb 10, 2006

Greetings -
I need to mow just over an acre - but it has some slopes that are about 21-26 degrees. Some I can mow up or across, but the worst one can onle be transversed - and it has a ten foot drop off to the creek. I need some good equipment suggestions....

Ken

JohnSinVA · Feb 10, 2006

If it were me I would only be doing that with a weed wacker or a boom mower. Maybe you could come up with some kind of outrigger to attach a trail mower to. 21-26 degree slopes are pretty severe, and I definitely wouldn't want to take a 10' tumble into a creek. A good garden tractor should be able to handle the other slopes, and its frame should be strong enough to handle a trail mower. How wide is the slope you would have to traverse?

GreenQuality · Feb 10, 2006

I agree a good gt with shaft drive maybe with 4wd,but the area with the ten foot drop off,try to push mow or weed wack,is the area mostly grass if so let it over grow the weight of grass will flattin it's self over time,no sence of getting one self hurt. no amount of money or tractor will compensate!

beenthere · Feb 10, 2006

Welcome to the forum.
I mow that percentage slope with my Deere X485 with All Wheel Steer, and for my comfort I set on the edge of the seat. It has a wide stance, and if you can hang on, it will hang on. beenthere
However, I would not take the chance on the edge of a 10' drop-off. No way, not even I.

5030tinkerer · Feb 10, 2006

I mow that slope with my "garden "tractor". I sit on the top side of the seat as well. The only trouble that I have is the whole mower sometimes sliding down the hill sideways a few inches. There is no way I'd do that if there was a 10' drop to contend with, though. The weedeater idea seems good. My wife's grandfather used to have a pretty slick setup though at his old place. He attached a cable to the base of his push mower and used his grasshopper mower to pull the push mower up the hill and let gravity take it back down again. Worked incredibly well.

Bob_Skurka · Feb 10, 2006

www.ventrac.com

For 1 to 3 acres, I would strongly recommend the Ventrac 3000. It has a weight transfer system designed for increasing traction on slopes that works well with its 4wd system and its articulated & oscillating frame. We switched to a Ventrac 3000 from a Cub Cadet garden tractor and dramatically reduced our mowing time, further I can do "figure 8s" and "U turns" on slopes with the Ventac that would have tipped over the Cub Cadet if I tried to turn on them. As the Ventrac mows almost as fast as a ZTR it is not only stable on hills, but it makes quick work of the mowing chores.

You may also want to look at the Power Trac 422, but it does not have a weight transfer system to increase your traction on the slopes. The PT 425 has high torque wheel motors, which help with climbing but that machine is much larger than the Ventrac 3000 and it still does not offer the weight transfer system.

Steiner makes great machines that are very slope stable, but for a 1 acre property I think I would stick with the Ventrac 3000.

ToadHill · Feb 14, 2006

I'd avoid the whole issue of mowing. Round up the problem area, let the grass die and about 2 to 3 weeks later plant it in something that will only grow 4 or 5 inches high. You might want to look at ajuga, mertle, or some other ground cover. Plant it once and forget about having to take your life in your hands to mow that area.

jcmseven · Feb 15, 2006

Ken,

I mow those type slopes often around here. To me the key is wide stance and ROPS, just in case. Here are some suggestions: if you like green stuff, as I do, the X500 series is a good choice (becoming X700). My X595 would handle those slopes but no ROPS. A front-cut walk behind would also do them, but you would have to mow across the hills. The Steiner (Jacobsen); Ventrac and Power Trac would all do it easily. The last option would be to find a used Gravely. Gravely discontinued its two wheeled tractor and four wheel tractor several years ago, but they are so durable they are still around. If you have a local dealer, call them to see if they might have either one for you to look at. My uncle had a Gravely two wheeled walk behind, with sulky and duals. He could mow almost vertical grades. My family had several four wheeled tractors, all of which would not budge on hills you could barely walk on. That might be cost effective for you. In their day, those tractors were pricey, but being used now, you could probably get one reasonably. If I can help, let me know. Good luck.

John M

bontai_Joe · Feb 16, 2006

With a 10 foot drop to deal with, I'd get a commercial self propelled walk behind mower 42" or 48" wide to do that slope. That way, if she slides, you are not attached to it, just let go. I've cut a lot of grass on hills, but I shy away from riding anything past 15 degrees. It ain't worth the risk to me.