How can my dad mow a hill without it flying downhill

[KCB69]

Recently bought my dad a S160 John Deere hydraulic lawn tractor to mow his yard. I tried it out on the hill, it didn’t go slow but ran down the hill!! Can he ride his brake when going down then climb the least steep part???? I tried searching the web for the exact answer but can’t find anything. Of course JD is closed now. Please help!!

 

[KennyG]

Yes. That's why it has brakes.

 

[Diggin It]

Appears to be a low end box store riding mower. Not made for hills at all.

How steep of a hill? How much of a run? Just a few feet like an embankment or something more?

These small hydros don't have any real internal braking to hold back the weight of the machine and operator. Even if the transmission could hold it, they may simply slide/glide over the grass. Snow chains helped me with mine.

These do not have brakes. They either have an internal 'wet brake' or some form of friction on the drive belt. Even my SCUT will run downhill on my slopes and the 'brake' does nothing. I have to be in Low and FWD to control it.

 

[s219]

That is not a good model for mowing a yard with hills.

 

[KCB69]

Yes. That's why it has brakes.

The reason I asked if it was OK is because I’m concerned it would ruin the brakes if he rode it every time going down the hill.

 

[beenthere]

The reason I asked if it was OK is because I’m concerned it would ruin the brakes if he rode it every time going down the hill.

It won't harm the brakes if he rides them down the hill. If that controls the downhill mowing, use the brakes.
If the rear wheels start to slide, the differential can cause one wheel to reverse motion and the other to gain forward motion. The brakes may control that and make for a smoother decent.
You may need to add weight to the rear end either in wheel weights of suitcase weights if the brakes and transmission do not hold the slip and slide.

 

[hube2]

I used to have a JD something like that and I mowed on hills, my property is one big hill. The transmission will hold it back to some degree if you let up on the go pedal. Mine would sit pointed downhill and not go anywhere if I had my foot off the pedal. If it rolls with your foot off the peddle and no break applied it's likely something needs adjustment. The brake is not a brake, it is connected to the transmission and it is internal. If you ride the brake lot you'll need to adjust it more often. The brake and HST pedals should be checked and adjusted regularly, I did mine every spring before the start of mowing. There are instructions for how to check and adjust in the owners manual, or there was in mine.

You didn't say if it is new or used.

 

[hube2]

Another thing I just thought of. My tractor had a small lever on the back. This lever was used to "unlock" the transmission so that you could roll the tractor by pushing it. If you have this then make sure it is fully engaged in the locked position.

 

[RalphVa]

Brakes often will not work. The rear tires simply will not grip. Have seen this problem with all 3 JD tractors if I forget to put them in 4wd. Can be very dangerous if it slides sideways and then rolls.

 

[Tinhack]

Brake means stop, break means broken.

If you have hills or slopes, don't use golf cart tires on your mower. You need tires with more aggressive tread. My new Bad Boy will practically climb a tree. It almost did when I got the folded ROPS too close to the trunk. The tires on it look like M&S heavy duties.