Finish Mower on steep terrain

[khdetw]

I have 6 acres of sloped land, mostly about 15 degrees, a steeper area of about 25 degrees. 4 acres is lawn/ meadow, I want to use a 60 inch rear mount finish mower. Would the MT125 handle that, or the MT225S?

 

[Cycledude]

Sounds like dangerous area to mow, i Recommend not attempting the first time when the grass is wet, you definitely should have four wheel drive.

 

[sea2summit]

That’s going to limit a lot of your mowing to straight up the slope. This will be slow mowing and you’re setting yourself up for erosion issues. With the cost of finish mowers and the terrain you describe I think a zero turn makes a lot of sense.

 

[2manyrocks]

Cub Cadet's Pro Z 972 with dual wheels is advertised as rated up to 25 degree slope. If you look at the manufacturer's slope ratings, many zero turns are rated max 15 degrees, some 20.

I think even Ventrac says 20 degrees for their mowers unless outfitted with dual wheels which takes the rating up to 30 degrees. Slope Mowing

 

[zzvyb6]

Buy some sheep.

 

[DK35vince]

Buy some sheep.

And a barn to house them, and 6 acres of fencing, a food for the winter months.
Sounds easier/cheaper to me !!

 

[Cycledude]

If the slopes are as steep as you described forget about zero turn mowers unless you buy one equipped with tracks because most regular zero turns will not be able to climb those slopes.

 

[rgr33]

My zero turn doesn’t do well on slopes
wet slopes are a thrill, and not in a good way

 

[jyoutz]

The steep areas sound like candidates for establishing an ivy or some other ground cover that doesn’t need mowing.

 

[CliffordK]

I ended up with an old Toro Groundsmaster Batwing. I don't think it would be possible to roll it over on a hill. However, it struggles with enough power for driving uphill. It is 4x4, but that isn't enough.

I've been meaning to fix up an old mini-dozer with a 3PT and PTO to try mowing. Yet, my hillside is steep enough that I need to figure out how to put on a ROPS. It is hard to imagine rolling the dozer, but there must be a reason why they put the ROPS on the newer ones.

If it is within your budget, there are quite a few tracked skid steers that would make sweet mowers, but it could be a significant investment.