Help! My front yard is kicking my butt! Bushhogging uphill

[DHD]

Here is something that handles 50 degree slopes, but I bet it is really expensive.

Slope mower, side hill mower, remote control mower, Prowler, slope pro, evatech, spider, evergreen,trax rf

Tiger Prowler - Remote Controlled Robot Slope Mower - YouTube

Edit...7/19/2014
9:05am EST
Yes ...very expensive ..about $66,000
Steiner or Ventrac would probably be a better option

 

[jenkinsph]

mmm?

In some places, this is first time it's been BH'd for +two years or more. I've only had it since Oct. and didn't get my BH until mid-Dec. Got some done before the rains started then I'm able to get started again once the rains stopped. I'll be able to keep at it from here on it.

Thanks,

Sorry, mmm is a mid mount mower or belly mower. Not sure if it is available for your tractor or not.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I don't understand that comment about snow pic and the tractor tires - the only snow pic I showed didn't have the tractor in it. Which picture tells you the rears are way over pressurized?

You think I can take the rears down to 12 psi and not loose bead lock? If so, I'll try it. I'll keep the fronts at the current 18 psi.

Thanks,

The photo is in post # 3. The tires have some debris on them but only in the middle of the tire, the outside of the lug for about 3" or so is completely clean indicating that they aren't touching the ground so they are over inflated.

 

[suzy]

Don't any of your neighbours have sheep? A bit of electric net fencing, move it around and presto- short grass and bbq! I had 20 sheep last year in my barnyard and it was the neatest looking it had ever been. This year I reduced the flock and there are only 6 out there and it looks like a jungle....now that the hay is in the barn I will have to get out with the sickle mower...thankfully my ground is flatter than yours! Lovely looking property, though. Imagine how picturesque it would be with a few sheep under the trees...:sheep::sheep:

 

[FTG-05]

The photo is in post # 3. The tires have some debris on them but only in the middle of the tire, the outside of the lug for about 3" or so is completely clean indicating that they aren't touching the ground so they are over inflated.

OK, got it. Not sure how representative that pic is since I took it before I owned the property and started working on the tractor. [I got the tractor and bunch of other stuff at the time of the auction, but closing on the property was delayed by the owner's passing right before closing.] I found both rears and one of the front tires overpressurized by 5-10 psi.

I have some white paint, I think I'll go paint a section of tire, run it a while, then post pics. It will be a while since it's been raining virtually non-stop since yesterday.

Thanks!

ETA: looked at my rear tires with GF's comments in mind, took some new pics today and Mr. Greg still be not far off the mark even with the pressure now at 18 psi +/-! There's still some white/non-white areas on the rear tires. Bad news: still haven't figured out how to get pics from smart phone to desktop to show this concept.


So: Big Question Time: How low can I go in reducing the pressure on the rears without de-beading the rear tires?

 

[jenkinsph]

So: Big Question Time: How low can I go in reducing the pressure on the rears without de-beading the rear tires?


I think you will find that most tractors run about 12 psi in the rear tires with or without ballast. Doesn't seem to be a problem as I haven't had to add air in 5 years to my 4520 R4 tires. Recognize that there are a lot of sq inches pushing against the sidewall of a tractor tire.

 

[theSeb]

As has been mentioned already, I would say that your tyres are overinflated for field work.


Looking at your tractor photo, it seems that only two cleats are touching the ground - you should aim for 3. It also looks like not all of the tread is touching the ground and the tractor is mainly riding on the middle of the tyre. This will wear the tyres faster and reduce traction.

For field work I would go down to around 12 psi on the rears and 32 psi on the front (if you took off the front loader, you could go lower). When you're doing front loader work, then pump up the fronts again to around 40 psi. If you're going on the road then pump up the rears back to around 16 psi, or a bit more. Otherwise keep the rears at around 12 psi.

 

[kidr]

How about managing it for wildlife. A wild flower meadow would be beautiful, and you wouldn't need to mow. Va. has a program that reimburses most of the cost. I don't know about your state.

 

[The Fred]

I like Suzy's comment about the sheep.

Fred, You gotta admit it's not such a baahaahaahaaahaahad :scubadiver: idea now is it?

 

[FTG-05]

How about managing it for wildlife. A wild flower meadow would be beautiful, and you wouldn't need to mow. Va. has a program that reimburses most of the cost. I don't know about your state.

That's what I'm doing. BHing some of the dense undergrowth while leaving some cover in between. Wildlife is the primary purpose of this farm.

I like Suzy's comment about the sheep.

Fred, You gotta admit it's not such a baahaahaahaaahaahad :scubadiver: idea now is it?

Sheep/goats/cows are counterproductive in two ways: I've see what they do to land; more important: what they don't do. Which is keep the land cleared. Hence, I'd have to BH while dealing with both livestock and fences plus the steep hills. No thanks,

Second, I really don't want to see a bunch of fences on my property. I paid a pretty good bit of money for this view - the last thing I want to see is barbed wire etc. No offense.


OK, down to 12-13 psi in the rears it's going to be! And I'll try to post the latest pics from my smartphone that has a not-so-smart-owner!

Thanks!