Mowing Mowing in reverse on steep hills

[norcal]

I have pastures which I would like to mow. About 2 acres of the pastures are on steep hills - 25-30 degree pitch. I plan on mowing while reversing up the hill, and mowing while going forward down the hill using a brush cutter. I was told by a dealer that I should not mow while reversing up the hill. Something about the cutter could get "pinched", or it could end up "driving the tractor", throwing it off balance, and possibly causing it to go sideways. making the tractor unbalanced, perhaps enough to cause it to roll. He also mentioned that when in reverse the PTO and cutter are also rotating in the opposite direction? Hence, the sharp part of the cutter is not being utilized, rather the cutter is just beating the brush with the non-sharpened part of the blade?

This is new to me - I am looking at purchasing a late model or new Kubota, Deere or NH.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Find another dealer fast!!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif His BRAIN may be working in reverse.

 

[chim]

Don't you have room to turn around at the top? My concern would be accumulating the cut-off brush in the mower and jamming it up. The other possibility is not having proper traction if you manage to back over the trimmings.

PTO reversing with the tractor? Did his office smell kinda like burning leaves and rubber?.....................chim

 

[Bird]

Norcal, that's a new one </font><font color="blue" class="small">( rotating in the opposite direction )</font>. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I don't know of any tractor ever made that did that in reverse, but that's not to say there haven't ever been any, but you sure won't have that with the tractors you're considering. And I mowed steep slopes just as you're suggesting. Hard to believe a "dealer" would tell you what you're saying this one did.

 

[RoyJackson]

Just to let you know, I drive up the hill and back down. As yours, the slopes are between 20 and 30 degrees.

I'm sure mine aren't as long as yours...maybe 70 to 90 feet. You might find out you need front weights..you might find you don't (I didn't). I normally use 2nd or 3rd in low range. If you're driving a gear machine, the only touchy time is declutching. I strongly urge you not to try shift gears in the middle of a slope!

Guess you ought to try both ways, driving up and backing up. As far as your dealer's comments...I agree with the possibility of the mower drifting sideways (depending on how you got your sway links set) but not enough to "pinch" the tractor or overturn it unless your links are set so loose the cutter hits the rear tires. As far as the mower blades rotating in the wrong direction..nah, I don't think so...

So, give driving up the slope a try. Might not work for you but you won't know until you try it. If you think you'll need suitcase weights, get some..driving with the FEL as a counterbalance is not so hot.

Let us know how it works for you.

 

[RyanL]

Hi, I have about 20 to 30 degree slopes that I brush hog with a ford 1320 doing what you are saying backing up and going down forward. It works fine doing it that way. I use to have ford 1220 (smaller framed tractor than 1320) And the tractor actally went better backing up the hill and then driving down, I thought maybe the extra weight of the rotary cutter gave it more traction.

Well that's my 0.02 cents worth. Just thought this might help you.

Ryan

 

[normde2001]

A tractor should have either an internal "overrunning clutch", or if operating a rotary cutter, an external one. If the pto turned in reverse, this clutch would just slip and not turn the driveshaft.

 

[norcal]

Thanks everyone! Great suggestions. I thought that this stuff about reversing will cause the PTO to go backwards seemed kinda lame /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Also, turning at the top of the hill is not an option - the slope keeps going past the pasture. I also decided that shuttle shift or HST is the safest way to go. Like someone said - I prefer not to be shifting in the middle of the hill. Its a couple hundred feet down with no flat area in site! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[frank_f15]

You should be ok doing what u want on the hills. just take it slow. also ask that dealer what happens when u put a rear snowblower on the back and drive backwards all the time, guess that means it turns into a snow sucker.

 

[glennmac]

The brush cutter will cut properly going in reverse. The pto shaft and hence the cutter blades always rotate in the same direction no matter whether the tractor is going forwards or backwards.

Two safety things.

If you do not have a fel on the tractor, you will have an unbalanced tractor with a cutter on the back (when you lift it). The general rule for going up or down hills with an unbalanced tractor is to keep the heavy end uphill. That means backing up the hill will actually be the safer method, for center of gravity and balance purposes, if you ever have to lift the cutter or if a bump or hole causes the cutter to lift off its wheel.

I can visualize a side slip scenario if you were backing up diagonally instead of straight up the hill. It is possible the cutter could start to slide down the hill and pull the tractor with it. You could slip into a diagonal position inadvertently if the grass is wet and your tires slip. Just stay off hills when they are wet and make sure you go as straight up as possible. And WEAR your seatbelt.

 

[RoyJackson]

"If you do not have a fel on the tractor, you will have an unbalanced tractor with a cutter on the back (when you lift it). The general rule for going up or down hills with an unbalanced tractor is to keep the heavy end uphill."

I don't think having the implement in the transport position is a good idea driving or backing up a hill. I've done it with a back blade, but had the FEL on the front. If it's just the tractor and the mower, I just drive up with the mower (or cutter occasionally) lowered, wheels dragging along. This is on grass, of course.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

<font color="blue"> safety things...WEAR your seatbelt. </font>

Four letters to add... ROPS!

 

[rmorgan]

Norcal--

I regularly mow a dam and a couple of other serious slopes, always backing up and driving down. The HST is an excellent choice for this operation IMHO. The tractor will never flip forward (this seems to me nearly a physical impossibility); it can certainly flip backward; driving up just doesn't feel good to me. I personally would not do this with the loader installed--the FEL just adds more elements to the puzzle--but if I were for some reason goint to be nose up the hill with a rotary cutter I would use front weights.

As long as you're careful, the only time the weight of the bush hog will have a negative impact is if you are facing up the hill; then the additional weight of the cutter certainly could help pull the fronts off the ground. Following Glennmac's point, I suppose it might be possible to have the tractor start to skew due to tire slip or a tire in a hole, and the tractor might at some point get diagonal enough that the cutter would begin to drift the tractor sideways, but that certainly wouldn't happen in the blink of an eye; you'll be doing this operation slowly and carefully, on dry grass and dry ground, and with great vigilance, so if that started to happen you'd be stopping pronto for recalibration. A rotary cutter at 540 rpm is a heck of a gyroscope, but the tractor at the other end is a heck of a counterbalance.

 

[AndyMA]

I regularly do what you say with my Ford 2120 and a 5' Bush Hog. I mow both backing up the hills and coming down forward. I definately find it much safer than trying to turn at the top of the hill when there is not a large level arear up there. I have done this for years without a problem. Just make sure that the rear wheel of the mower doesn't dig in.

Andy

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Some very old tractors had pto's that were driven by the rear end of the tractor -was called 'ground speed' pto - it's possible the pto on those went in reverse when the tractor did. This is an old 'feature' and you will not find it as the only pto option on anything made in the last 40 years. You need a different dealer, this one has issues - can't trust a guy like that.

Depending on where your mower discharges the grass, it could have some small problems with grass building up under it when backing up - the grass is entering the 'wrong' end, and will have to discharge to one of the other 3 sides. It'll likely work, but something to think about.

If you already see working on such a steep slope as a risky thing, I don't understand the mower trying to drive the tractor as a major concern.

--->Paul