What tractor or piece of equipment for this hilly pasture?

[ShowroomShine]

Wife and I are buying a second home in Virginia to vacation at and do short term rental. This particular one has a 13 ac pasture which has been used very recently, but is extremely hilly in spots. We won’t keep animals on it since we won’t be here all the time, maybe rent it to a local farmer.

I’d like to see what piece of equipment would be the safest to mow and help maintain the property? I want something I can leave here so I don’t have to trailer my BX or larger Case IH back and forth when I go up. Budget of $5-7k max. I don’t have any illusions that I will be mowing the very steep parts, but I’d like to feel somewhat safe mowing the other areas that are less hilly.

I feel like a normal 2wd tractor like a MF 135, IH 444 etc would fit the bill just fine but still can be tippy. Thought about another BX for low center of gravity, but I know the capability is limited.

What are your suggestions?

 

[jeff9366]

Here is a well developed thread on your topic from the T-B-N ARCHIVE:

Advice on smoothing, leveling a field

I have a big field I want to keep mowed. Not feeling super good on the tractor doing it. It is rutted and wavy and has some pretty severe slopes. I feel nervous on the tractor at times as I go 20 degrees sometimes more. A good bit of it is at 15 degrees. But it is the ruts and wavyness...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[dodge man]

2 wheel drive would be fine if it’s dry. I can’t imagine brush hogging that with a BX, just to small. I’d want at least a 5 foot brush hog and a 6 would be better.

 

[ShowroomShine]

Here is a well developed thread on your topic from the T-B-N ARCHIVE:

Advice on smoothing, leveling a field

I have a big field I want to keep mowed. Not feeling super good on the tractor doing it. It is rutted and wavy and has some pretty severe slopes. I feel nervous on the tractor at times as I go 20 degrees sometimes more. A good bit of it is at 15 degrees. But it is the ruts and wavyness...

www.tractorbynet.com

That thread looks more about the roughness of a pasture not the severe slope like I’m asking about.

 

[Doughknob]

Those slopes are not severe. Go up/down, or angle wise. Any wide front and brush hog type mower…...

 

[TerryR]

Those slopes don't look all that steep to me. Here's the one I mow twice a year:

I have mowed it crossways, but now mow it up and down the slope, with a 4wd John Deere 870. It is a bit of a load going up with a flail, was less so when I used a rotary cutter.

 

[ruffdog]

Highway crews would use wide/low tractors to mow the medians years ago.

What is the lowest CG / Widest Stance Tractor?

 

[sea2summit]

2 wheel drive would be fine if it’s dry. I can’t imagine brush hogging that with a BX, just to small. I’d want at least a 5 foot brush hog and a 6 would be better.

This^

OP, how many acres do you want to mow and how much time do you want to spend? I don’t think they are anywhere near justifying any kind of specialty machine, just about any properly operated and ballasted tractor should be able to mow that. A 135 with wide stance tires and axles would be no problem, front weights would help.

 

[ShowroomShine]

Those slopes are not severe. Go up/down, or angle wise. Any wide front and brush hog type mower…...

The pictures may be a little deceiving but the areas with the taller brown grass you would have a hard time walking down.

 

[TerryR]

The pictures may be a little deceiving but the areas with the taller brown grass you would have a hard time walking down.

Have you tried to measure the slope? The one I showed above measures 21 degrees in the steepest parts, according to my iPhone. Yes, I have difficulty walking down it, more so since I turned 80, but it was never easy.