Zero turn rollover

[aczlan]

I won't mow with my ZTR on the water side of the pond any more. Been stuck in the edge of the water twice. It never had a ROPS. Neighbor took the ROPS off his. He has flat ground and said he almost flipped it over first day when it hung on a low limb.

I do not understand that mentality. That's why we have chainsaws and other things which can cut such low-hanging branches and make the yard easier to mow.
Also, if it will catch the roll bar it'll also catch your head if you don't pay enough attention.

Aaron Z

 

[4570Man]

I do not understand that mentality. That's why we have chainsaws and other things which can cut such low-hanging branches and make the yard easier to mow.
Also, if it will catch the roll bar it'll also catch your head if you don't pay enough attention.

Aaron Z

Maybe if you only mow one yard. It’s a bit hard to butcher everyone’s trees.

 

[Coyote machine]

Maybe if you only mow one yard. It’s a bit hard to butcher everyone’s trees.

Cutting a low hanging branch is called pruning; hardly 'butchering everyone's trees'. No reason to leave one branch and remove a rollbar....

 

[RoyJackson]

I do not understand that mentality. That's why we have chainsaws and other things which can cut such low-hanging branches and make the yard easier to mow.
Also, if it will catch the roll bar it'll also catch your head if you don't pay enough attention.

Aaron Z

I use my ROPS, but fold it when I'm mowing around some of the trees. Most trees are trimmed so I don't have to lower the ROPS, but a couple just wouldn't look right if I trimmed.
Of course, that invokes Murphy's Law. During the summer of 2015, I forgot to lower the ROPS and hit a branch at a fairly good clip. Knocked one tooth out and loosened another enough where it fell out a few months later. When the ROPS hit the branch, the mower flipped up and my hand (on the right steering lever) hit me with some force. Lesson learned...

 

[9973720wb19]

I have a few hills to mow - two are along a road. this is why I now use a "stand on" zero turn mower. they are just as fast and just as wide mowing deck but if I get into trouble...I can just jump off and let it go. I have a Toro Grandstand 27HP 52", front weight kit, wheel weight kit, and snow tires - I built it up for hills (I only use it for my hills and trimming) it hugs hills like nothing else.

 

[4570Man]

I’d have to remove dozens of limbs to cut some yard. Not just one.

 

[RoyJackson]

I’d have to remove dozens of limbs to cut some yard. Not just one.

Yeah, so did I.
One member wrote, this is just pruning...no, it's not. But even pruning is to just clean up and reshape a tree or bush. Removing limbs can make a tree or bush look misshapen. Now, if the tree' appearance isn't important...no worries and prune or trim to your heart's content. Since my trees are on the lawn, I do want a decent looking appearance.
Anyway, how much bother is it to lower and raise a ZTR ROPS...a minute or two?

 

[ovrszd]

I’d have to remove dozens of limbs to cut some yard. Not just one.

Friend of mine does lawn care service. Plenty of trees he'd like to "prune". Ain't happening.

 

[4570Man]

I’d like to prune several trees right at the top of the ground. Yea, ain’t happening.

 

[DK35vince]

I do not understand that mentality. That's why we have chainsaws and other things which can cut such low-hanging branches and make the yard easier to mow.
Also, if it will catch the roll bar it'll also catch your head if you don't pay enough attention.

That's fine if you have big trees.
There were no trees here when we built the house. We have been planting a lot of trees.
The roll bar is pretty high on my zero turn in the UP position. I would have trim up a good portion of our trees to fit the roll bar under.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I like trees trimmed high and out of the way. It's like getting a haircut. At first it looks strange. I positively hate when I do things for friends and tree branches are whipping me in the face or giving my truck and mirrors that soft-cloth car wash treatment, just driving in.

I have no use for a ZTR. A friend brought a big commercial diesel ZT demo unit out. Went to cut the steep hill behind my house and just left two skid marks all the way down. Drove it right back on the trailer and we never spoke of it again.

 

[Coyote machine]

Prune the tree branches or don't. Drop or remove the ROPS rollbar or don't. When you flip it, and break your neck, don't call me to come rescue your azz.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

Homeowner grade ZTR mowers and lawn tractors generally have no ROPS. Why is that?

 

[Diane59]

We just bought our first zero turn and I'm being really careful with it. I just read an article on FB (for what it's worth) stating guidelines have changed for when to use riding mowers, push behind mowers and weed trimmers on slopes. I guess it's getting more stringent.

 

[DK35vince]

Prune the tree branches or don't. Drop or remove the ROPS rollbar or don't. When you flip it, and break your neck, don't call me to come rescue your azz.

Don't worry.
That's the last place we would call.

A lot of the residential model zero turns don't even come with a roll bar.

 

[Coyote machine]

Don't worry.
That's the last place we would call.

A lot of the residential model zero turns don't even come with a roll bar.

Ah HA! Predicted that response, but not from you.
Plus if one's neck is broken, making a call is going to be difficult...

If they don't have a rollbar, do they come with seatbelts? I suspect not so the resident can fly like a bird when it rolls over into the ditch.

 

[DK35vince]

Ah HA! Predicted that response, but not from you.
Plus if one's neck is broken, making a call is going to be difficult...

Sorry,
But some times these safety police posts just rub me wrong.

 

[rbtjr]

We have owned four ZTRs and now own two ZTRs. We have a 52" one at home for mowing a lawn with no slopes (this one has no ROPS) and the second at our property in the country (also with no ROPS). But, the second ZTR is a 61" Wright Sport X. On it you can either stand on the platform in the rear or sit on a seat from which you can easily step off if you have trouble. The predecessor to this Wright was a 66" eXmark with ROPS. Great mower but we sold the eXmark and bought the Wright specifically to mow safely on slopes, especially on a 300' pond dam with a five to one slope. I am very careful mowing on slopes and am confident in the Wright insofar as safety is concerned. And this is after a guy we knew drowned in a pond when he was mowing an edge of the pond with very little slope. Muskrats had undermined the edge of the pond with their underground tunnels. There was no visible evidence of a problem. The ground at the edge of the pond gave away, this guy and his ZTR mower went into the pond, one of the skid-steer-style control levers got caught in his belt, and he couldn't escape. That was a major factor in my decision to buy a mower that wouldn't take me into the water with it.

 

[Coyote machine]

Sorry,
But some times these safety police posts just rub me wrong.

Thanks. I don't see how it's a safety police thing, IMO. It's just that so many people today are stupid when they do dangerous things with power equipment, and I don't have a lot of patience with people who do stupid things, get hurt, and then want sympathy for their foolishness.

I've worked as a tree surgeon and foreign auto shop owner/technician at various junctures in my life- and have seen really bad things happen to those who aren't paying attention. To me its sad, and most often preventable. This is why I don't feel a lot of sympathy for dumb behavior. I'm no exception- I've been hurt at times doing stuff pushing the limits- but I don't do it unaware of the dangers.

 

[dragoneggs]

Just finished mowing my yard and much of my neighbor's sloped yard. ROPS don't fold and I wear my seat belt. It was slick out and I am always careful about where I could end up. One thing I might do is add some weight to the front end. Going up the hillside in a few places I lean forward to keep the front wheels grounded. At the top I do a quick pivot and come straight down... sometimes I slide a bit but try not to lock up the wheels. It does take some practice to mow on slopes for sure. Some areas are reserved for the push mower or weed wacker.