Zero Turn traction issues

[dnw64]

haven't read the entire post so please excuse if asked. how much of your mowing area is manageable with normal zero turn use, and how much is the slope an issue of traction?

I would say <5% is a problem.

 

[big bubba]

then you're on the right track, no need for another machine. do stay safe

 

[4570Man]

I would say <5% is a problem.

That’s hardly a hill at all. Even 5 degrees is not much hill. I’d consider 20 degrees a problem for most machines.

 

[dieselscout80]

That痴 hardly a hill at all. Even 5 degrees is not much hill. I壇 consider 20 degrees a problem for most machines.

I think he is saying that less than 5% of his mowing area has a issue with being too steep.

 

[dnw64]

haven't read the entire post so please excuse if asked. how much of your mowing area is manageable with normal zero turn use, and how much is the slope an issue of traction?

I would say <5% is a problem.

I think he is saying that less than 5% of his mowing area has a issue with being too steep.

Yes!

However, even with less than 5% of the area a problem it's still a concern for me. As I mentioned in the OP, my wife is looking to take over the mowing. I am concerned for her safety. I've mowed the lawn twice since I started this thread, and each time there were instances where I felt unsafe. I will not put my wife into that situation.

Still debating what to do. At this point I'm leaning towards different tires first, and if not happy with that, take the loss on the Ferris and buy a conventional "lawn tractor".

 

[LouNY]

Try one of the front deck awd mowers, Toro, Kubota, John Deere.
You will be surprised at how much better they work on slopes.

 

[4570Man]

Try one of the front deck awd mowers, Toro, Kubota, John Deere.
You will be surprised at how much better they work on slopes.

My Grasshopper is more stable and has better traction than my 2wd F series Kubota.

 

[big bubba]

Still debating what to do. At this point I'm leaning towards different tires first, and if not happy with that, take the loss on the Ferris and buy a conventional "lawn tractor". dnw64

hate to see you take a loss on your Ferris.....you might consider foam filling front tires. not sure i'd recommend foam filling your new rear tires, a lot of weight though some members may have experience with that. another possibility would be fluid filling the new rears to see how it would work that would give the option of going back to just pneumatic

not sure if the added weight of filled rears would add stress to the hydraulics. (or void warranty, etc) plus would make for a rougher ride of the Ferris suspension.... others here may have experience with that.....best of luck

 

[Texasmark]

Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing here: You do mean percent grade, not degrees, right? The numbers mentioned in your post convert as follows
30% = 17˚ (degrees)
35% = 19˚
42% = 23˚
52% = 27-28˚



I run those slopes on my Craftsman Garden Tractor regularly. I did have to put chains on the rear tires to do the steeper end of that range reliably. I've been debating getting a zero turn. Are slopes in excess of 40% (22˚) really that much of an issue on a zero turn?

Obviously I didn't pay attention. Either the ZT with studs or the conventional with studs easily do up to 30 degrees, in the directions mentioned. Don't need a lot of money to cut that.

Sideways with the conventional is the easiest and even though the cutting widths are 46 and 61 (ZT), doing that takes about the same time. The conventional doesn't have a bonnet and the ZT does so if I wait till the afternoon when grass is good and dry, the bonnet dictates the ZT and up and down trips. But I can ride "side saddle" on the conventional with my body totally erect. Cannot do that with the ZT, and the weight is really too much, even with studs. So sometimes I put on the broad rim hat, load up on sun blocker and get after it.

 

[dnw64]

.....you might consider foam filling front tires. not sure i'd recommend foam filling your new rear tires, a lot of weight though some members may have experience with that. another possibility would be fluid filling the new rears to see how it would work that would give the option of going back to just pneumatic

not sure if the added weight of filled rears would add stress to the hydraulics. (or void warranty, etc) plus would make for a rougher ride of the Ferris suspension.... others here may have experience with that.....best of luck

Fronts are solid. I've considered filling the rears with beet juice. I don't see adding unsprung weight would add stress to the suspension, but would be interested to learn.