Did some STEEP mowing today. Pictures

[Bluest]

My entire plot is on a slope that steep. Only about an acre but it takes two hours to mow and I'll only go straight up and down.I ended up on two wheels once and only the weight of the finish mower stopped it going over. The other think I have to watch, if the grass is slightly damp, as it often is here, the weight of the mower hanging out behind can try to drag the rear of the tractor round. It's like being in an ultra slow motion fast and furious drift!

 

[LD1]

Looks nice after the passes...

it is funny I walk places first often and think no problem not bad I can drive in/out this area easy enough. When you are setting a few feet higher in the seat it sure feels 10 times steeper and scarier...

m

Yes, its funny how much steeper things feel when on the seat.

There is only 1 direction I was comfortable mowing. That was with the left side uphill. Cause that tire is loaded and a little better tread. And in the steepest of the areas I was off the seat and standing on the uphill side of the platform. More weight there an also ready to bail if something bad happened.

The company I am mowing it for used a 4630 ford with cab. Too dicy for them. So they were using ztr's. Which do really well on slopes. But slower going cause the grass is thick as it only gets done 5x's a year.

I would have preferred to now up and down, but one side there is a fence halfway down, and the other has a row of trees with a fence behind right at the bottom.

 

[TripleR]

We mow levies and hills like that and it still makes me nervous as a cat, we have some spots I won't touch but my sons do.

 

[cartod]

I finally took out the steepness in this grade beside my house, now I can mow it sideways.

 

[sdef]

I finally took out the steepness in this grade beside my house, now I can mow it sideways.

I have a friend who wants a land plane to re-do his 1/3 mile long, owner maintained road (several properties use it) that provides access to his new, small farm. This dirt road washes out badly and I told him I think he needs to use a box blade first to fill in the gullies and create the proper elevations and then maybe a land plane to finish it off, since he really wants one (although I would then use a heavy rake with support wheels I have). And then to use slag or gravel for the road surface. But I have never used a land plane before.

Am I right in assuming a land plane is pretty much a finishing device only?

 

[lostcreekranch]

Here is the HF angle gauge with magnetic base. $4.99

Angle Finder w/ Dial Gauge

Edit: Sorry, just noticed that newbury found this already.



Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[Gem99ultra]

I can't decide whether you are extra brave or extra foolish I have the same tractor and about the same dam bank to mow. .. except - I have loaded rear wheels and wheel spacers. All I need to handle that task is the steel nerves that you posses.

Either way - that's an impressive task that you have completed.

 

[LD1]

. .. except - I have loaded rear wheels and wheel spacers. All I need to handle that task is the steel nerves that you posses.

I have one loaded tire.:thumbsup: I kept it to the uphill side.

They were both loaded. But earlier this summer I put a big gash in one of them and lost my WW fluid. Just havent had the time to have it reloaded yet.

 

[SPIKER]

If I was doing something like that very often I would look for a good used STEINER or VENTRAC mowers/tractors. BOTH are made locally the Steiner was original owners making it, they sold it off & opened up VENTRAC to make what they call a better machine without the legacy design issues the STEINER had

Ventrac Compact Tractors & Attachments
Steiner Tractors and Attachments | Steiner Tractors

Been inside the Ventrac factory 2 different times to quote POWDER COATING oven and some machinery work. The factories are close to each other and only 30 or so min from my farm.

Mark

 

[Pete Judd]

I only mow in front of the house facing down hill. Even a little way up the hill forward the front wheels start coming off the ground. Takes a while, backing up the hill then moving over on the level on the top, and repeat. Has to be in 4wd otherwise will slide down the hill, and that will get the "pucker" factor up.