Buying Advice Need to find the right equipment to mow a steep grade

[jrkotz]

Hey guys, I've been reading on the forum for a while now, ya'll are a wealth of information.

Bought a new piece of property. It's not large, but it's steep, with no flat space to turn around at the top or bottom. Along the side of the house I have a 12' rise from the front of the house to the back over the 35' length of the house. My math shows that's approx 19 degree hill, or a 34% grade. That similar grade extends away from the house about 100' and has varying terrain that will increase grade at certain points.

I currently have an older 33" Troy Bilt walk behind that is not the right piece of equipment for the job. Going straight up and down I spin out on the way up, and slide on the way down. It has 4 speeds and a clutch, but without independent control over the wheels the high side wheel loses traction and spins when going side to side.

I could do it with a small self propelled mower. I really DON'T want to take all the passes with a 20-22" deck.

After research, I landed on the Husky R322T and thought I found the perfect machine... then I found all the maintenance issues people are having with them and want no parts of that.

Most recently I found the Ventrac 3000 series and am REALLY liking what I see. To be candid though, it's more than I want to spend, and certainly overkill. One huge perk for me with both machines is the availability of a power broom. The driveway is pretty steep with some drainage issues and I'd love to be able to broom clear it in the winter.

Anyone have a suggestion what I might be able to look at that'll do the job? I'm open to any style - rider, walk behind, ZT etc.

Thanks

 

[majorwager]

Speciality equipment is expensive. Power Trac offers steep slope mowers. Some folks on TBN swear by certain zero turns. I use a compact tractor and rear 3point mower w/ no issues. Take a look @ Larry Musgrave you tube channel.

He has several videos addressing mowing on steep slopes. He goes by Rock Crawler on TBN

 

[jrkotz]

Funny you mentioned Power Trac, I just saw them a few minutes ago and started looking at them. That's a really impressive video going up to the guardrail is STEEP.

I considered a BX series Kubota with a belly mower, but again seems way overkill for such a small piece that I could push.

 

[dodge man]

I bought a BX for mowing the steep part of my yard. I also like having an end loader and use it and a rear blade for snow removal. I知 not sure how big your property is but I own 3 acres and my driveway is 600 feet long.

 

[Coyote machine]

I'm one of the 322T rider owners whose had 3 front transaxles in my machine over three seasons and ONLY 150+ hours.
I would never buy another because of the Tuff-torq transaxles, and Husvarna's refusal to honor their warranty, etc.
I do really like the tractor, its cut and so forth, so its a real tear for me. Until I see what the 3rd t-axle does so far as leaking or not, my wife will continue to use the mower.

In the interim I moved over to a Pro-Z 160 Cub Cadet ZT with 4 wheel steering. It has a steering wheel or lap bars, and the front wheels are turf type and turn with the steering wheel to where one points them.

It is an incredible change from my Scag Wildcat ZT. The Pro-Z does what I need it to on almost any slope without all the inherent dangers that regular ZT's present. I strongly suggest this could be the mower for your needs. Check one out at a local dealer. Forget using a regular SCUT with a belly mower, or almost any other ZT, even with reverse or upside down tractor tires, or extra wheel weights, etc. Those are all poor solutions to mowers that aren't designed to work on any real slopes.

Ventrac and Powertrac are also special mowers, but their associated cost is high.
The PRO-Z Series is IMO, reasonably priced and a very well designed pro grade mower.
Let us know what you decide. And maybe post some pics to show your actual terrain and its challenges.

 

[4570Man]

19 degrease isn’t that steep. A high end ZTR, tractor with a MMM or a good rider ( read transaxle that won’t strip ) will handle that.

 

[CalG]

A commercial hydro drive walk behind would serve you well.

I have an old belt drive Giant Mow, and live in Vermont. Nothing level here.
The independent steering at the drive wheels give full control while "crabbing" on cross hills.

Walking is good exercise!

 

[ChiefBodie]

I have a Ventrac with tough cut. This is the sports car rock star of slope mowing.

If that exceeds your budget, consider the Orec walk behind track mower. Or other suggestions you see here. Nothing compares to the Ventrac, although I don't have experience with Power Trac.

 

[4570Man]

No doubt a ventrac is the best, but I don’t believe it’s needed for 19 degrees. If he can afford it than a ventrac would be great but I think it’s about 25k new. This hill is 17 degrees and I can mow it up, down, or sideways on my ZTR.

 

[jrkotz]

ref your post

Coyote - that's exactly what I'm worried about. I found a R322T 48" deck with 75 hours on it for $3500, but very concerned about all the issues I am reading. I love the look of that pro-z. Four wheel steering seems like it would help out if one wheel lost a little traction.

 

[jrkotz]

19 degrease isn’t that steep. A high end ZTR, tractor with a MMM or a good rider ( read transaxle that won’t strip ) will handle that.

4570Man - Thanks for the reply. I guess my ignorance doesn't know where the line is drawn between GOOD or not good. I have a tendency to lean toward second hand and am not sure what good examples of where the 'high end' models start. In my reading it sounds like a diff lock would be greatly helpful. Also - sounds like you're a fan of the old straight wall cartridge?

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to TBN! :thumbsup:

First, forget about % slope. That's only important for truckers and trains. Stick with degrees. It makes things less complicated because so many people mix the two terms up. Anyone can visualize a slope in degrees. 0 is flat, 90 is straight up. 45 in the middle. 22.5 the middle of that, etc... % slope? Not so much!

One thing about Power Trac's (and Ventracs, Steiners, too, )is people will tell you they are expensive mowers. Well, yeah, if all you're gonna do is mow. The same thing can be said of any traditional tractor if all you're gonna do is mow with it.

What other tasks do you want to accomplish besides mowing?

 

[jrkotz]

Mostly just mowing. It would be a huge plus if I could get a power broom for the concrete driveway, but not required.

 

[Coyote machine]

Coyote - that's exactly what I'm worried about. I found a R322T 48" deck with 75 hours on it for $3500, but very concerned about all the issues I am reading. I love the look of that pro-z. Four wheel steering seems like it would help out if one wheel lost a little traction.

Wouldn't do it. The combi 103 mulching deck is the best deck for the machine, and renders a decent cut for cost of mower.
The Pro-Z is the cat's azz for the price range. Or you can spend $25K or more for a Ventrac or similar!

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

OP, this will be a long ramble, but maybe it will make sense at the end.

I mow up to 20 degree slope with my CUT. It's heavy, and rears are filled (over 7k pounds with mower on). Mowing with a 6ft brush hog on back. 20 degrees is about all I want, and the pucker factor is right up there, at least for me. The worst slope area, I will mow vertically, as in not trying to side hill that spot, which with it's variations in hillside, has a few spots that go over 22 degrees. Unfortunately, that spot, is right above a rather large concrete culvert, that if I were to lose traction there, would be about a 6-8' vertical drop to the bottom of the concrete culvert.

With my CUT in 4x4, low range, and rear diff lock engaged, I can pull vertically up the sides of the culvert (steepest part of my hill is right around this culvert), mowing upwards as I go. Then I either drive around the slope and make another pass the same way, or for the slightly lessor angles, I'll back back down that slope again to pull up another pass.

Doing it this way "works", but I'm not a fan. The ground has to be bone-dry. No dew on the grass, and no moisture on the slope. If we weren't moving to a new location in the very near future, I'd probably look at some other method to mow this slope area. I do want to keep it mowed, as it's right along a very busy local road (county hwy), and the local brain dead's are constantly tossing garbage and cigarette butts from their cars, and I worry about grass fires in the summer dry seasons, which up here, can get very dangerous, very quickly.

If I could just let it go and NOT mow it at all, I probably would. The CUT does work, but it is a bit gut-wrenching in a few spots (like backing down over the culvert at 22 degrees, and staring out the back window at the bottom of that culvert, LOL!). The "nasty" parts of my slopes are maybe a couple hundred feet long. The rest is low angle enough to not really be any concern.

If you only have one small spot that the slope makes a 19 degree max angle, I think a SCUT or CUT with 4x4, diff lock and filled tires would work, even if you have to vertically climb the worst part of it. It won't be "great", but it works. If you have a long section of slope that goes 20 degrees plus, then maybe you will have to bite the bullet and go specialty mower.

 

[sandman2234]

A used Steiner with dual wheel option for traction and stability would be my choice, but only if you are a reasonably good mechanic. Taking it to the shop every time it needs something isn't going to help your budget. There are others on this forum that will disagree with me, but I think I would pass on the Power Trac. Too many times have I heard of wheel motor issues and other problems that keep the owners busy hauling them to a shop or on the phone with Power Trac. Cost is less for one, but I doubt you are going to have good luck unless they have done serious changes.
David from jax

 

[jrkotz]

I'm definitely no mechanic. I can do basic things like changing a belt or plug or oil, but that's about it. Really looking for something that'll be reliable.

 

[MossRoad]

How large of an area are you talking about here?

 

[ruffdog]

Check the ads for a used 4x4 Deere X7** series like a x728(gas), or x748/x749(diesel) garden tractors. The belly mowers go up to 62" and add weight right where you want it, low and in the middle. My dad has the x749 and mows areas way more than 19deg.

 

[jrkotz]

How large of an area are you talking about here?

It's really a small area, but it's ALL hill. About 120'x150' maybe the best move is to buy some cleats and a good self propelled push mower.