Buying Advice Advice on mowing sloped, rough terrain ("ride on brushcutters")

[TedReese]

Check your area rental yards and see if they have one of these ride on brush mowers. I was surprised a few months ago when I went to my local rental yard for a trencher and they had one of the Orec mowers out front. It would be nice to get a test drive before committing.

This of course assumes there is a rental yard on your island or you have a way to bring one back and forth on a ferry.

 

[Creamer]

If you want to go low cost but really decrease your mowing time purchase a used heavy duty commercial walk behind 48-60". Equip it with an Ag tire and heavy blades.

it will charge through anything, is low to the ground so no danger of tipping and very manueverable.

I am not sure how much of your ground is steep but this will take care of it. When I used to live in Cincinnati I had a neighbor that had a 2.5 acre yard that was all very steep - most barely walkable up and down. He mowed it sideways with some type of cleats to keep from sliding down but the mower did not have an issue. He also put a 2 cycle motor on his mower because 4 cycles did not lubricate well always being tilted like this.

You could also purchase a mower for your UTV for the more level ground.

 

[prs]

Dualie Ventrac with tough cut.

prs

 

[Chris616]

Thanks for that info about the ride comfort, Eric. My wife wants to take over some of the mowing from me, so I was concerned about how rough it was.

Plowhog - AxleHub may be referring to the Dixie Chopper shown in the video link below. I had seen this some time back and thought it looked like an interesting possibility, but I've never seen it on the company website. The video is five years old, so perhaps sales were poor or there were some product issues and it was withdrawn from sale.
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMUqowrKcko[/URL]

zmountaineer - Thanks for that confirmation. I have few doubts about the dual-wheel Ventrac. My only real issue is the cost. The Canadian dollar rises and falls with the price of oil. I should have bought a Ventrac 4 years ago when the two currencies were at par, instead of now when the Canadian dollar is worth US$0.76. It's a good time for US tourists to come to Canada, though.

Ted - That is very good advice for anyone in the USA considering the purchase of a ride-on brushcutter, but I can't find any rental shops in my province carrying them. OREC America has been targeting rental shops for sales, which is a good idea, IMHO. I've considered renting a OREC brushcutter in WA state (which is only ten miles away, as the crow flies), but stopped when I thought about convincing the border control officers in both countries that I wasn't exporting this unit from the USA just to import it again a day or two later.

Creamer - low cost isn't my primary concern. Safety and reducing mowing time are. A 48-60" cutting width implies a finish mower, but I'm cutting 10" high "grass". I already use a 26" cut walk-behind brushcutter, which cuts anything I try but won't handle the steep slopes. I know that in some places if my feet slip that the machine is going for a tumble. I wasn't too concerned about that for experimentation purposes because I wasn't going to be injured, but the machine wouldn't fare well, so that's not a viable long-term solution. Eventually I would slip and it would tumble down the hill.

 

[Creamer]

Any high capacity deck 48-60" should handle 10" high grass and weeds with no issue.

If you are worried about walking it you sure do not want to be riding a machine on it. I don't care what machine it is.

 

[RSKY]

You left out one thing. How much do you want to spend. Some people here are recommending machinery that cost $30000+ to tend just a few acres.

Personally, being a rabid cheapskate, I would get a CUT of the orange color. Either orange color though I am partial to the Korean variety. A small one with four wheel drive and a brush cutter should get you out for about $15000.Then take your time and mow downhill with the 4wd engaged. It might take you a little longer than the specialty machines but look at all the fun you will have and all the money you will save. Plus you can add other attachments as needed. And if your wife is like mine she will end up using it every couple of days to haul a bag of this or a large flower pot or whatever.

A CUT with a front end loader is one of the most useful tools invented by man.

RSKY

 

[SpringHollow]

I certainly mow areas with my setup where I would not be real comfortable walking behind something like a DR Brush Mower.

The thing to do is to put on your crystal ball and try to predict what you would like this to do. There is a huge difference in capabilities between a dedicated mower and something like the PT and the Ventrac. I use my PT more for non-mowing jobs than for mowing. I would have never predicted that it would be about 5% mowing and 95% other stuff. But it is amazing how handy forks, buckets, lifting booms, snow plows, stump mowers, box blade, rear blade, back hoe, grapple bucket etc become.

I have owned 4 different CUTs before owning the PT and they were not very usable off of my driveway due to the slopes and also how the front wheels dug into the wet ground. No way I personally would use any of those CUTs on 30 degree slopes. But then I am a wimp and prefer to live. But I also would not use a PT for traditional farming. A CUT makes much more sense there.

So, if all you will ever want is a fun slope mower, get a fun slope mower. If you do lots of maintenance and projects around the property, you might want to consider something more capable. There is one huge negative of something like a PT with attachments though - you become real popular with the neighbors.

I waited to buy used which was a long wait but a new 1430 is $17K plus attachments which is a very reasonable price for the capability but only if you want/need those capabilities.

Ken

 

[AxleHub]

Some thoughts on posts on this thread:

1. TRUE slopes of 25 and 30 degrees may be considered "climbable" but they are not walkable, and certainly walk behind self powered equipment needs assistance in working on such sloping TRUE 25 and 30 degree slopes (in other words you either have to help with traction in pushing or in considerable effort keeping the mower straight. And these opinions are made under normal grass/turf conditions and heights. 10 inch grass is not normal - nor does it allow for the same level of traction or footing as normal turf smoothness. "Can you walk behind" cut 25 and 30 degree slopes - depends on how far afield you want to define the word "safely".

2. For many years I've cut TRUE 20 and 30 degree slopes - both when the land was undeveloped - and when it was fully developed. Going downhill in a walk behind situation is as dangerous as going uphill but for different reasons. In my opinion it is not reasonable in any manner - to assume a walk behind is a safe, consistent, and convenient long term solution unless the length of that slope (up and down) is less than 25 feet or so - and that goes for 30 years old or 60 years old.

3. There are many slopes and sidehill slopes that are safer and easier to do with a quality mower or sub-compact tractor compared to a walk behind and when you are describing 10 inch grass and non-level ground - its even more true. But I wouldn't try the same slopes or sidehill slopes with a compact tractor - that I would with a sub compact - because a sub-compact is closer to the ground - as is the driver. Those 2 items being closer to the ground means a lower center of gravity and a resulting better traction (assuming proper turf oriented tires).

4. Besides products like the Dixie Chopper XCaliber 4 x 4 - there are also some unique ground care mowers like the Toro ride-behind zero turn "stand up" units, or the Cub Cadet I series I1050 zero turn tractor (that I also have). Each of these units is also low slung and low center of gravity and designed for slopes.

My point is - if you have TRUE 25 and 30 degree slopes you aren't near as cocky in cutting them - because each and every time you do it - you know you can't be careless or "casual" about it. Many friends have looked at my slopes and thought they were 40+ degree slopes - because recognizing actual steepness is something for slope levels - not visual for most people. And 60 to 80 foot long slopes is a much different story for regular mowing also than 250 foot lengths.

I'm not a know-it-all on slopes - but I've had my share of slips and "almost lost the mower or a foot" or watched 25 year olds struggle carrying a bucket of something on a steep slope, to know today's traction is always changing. My Massey sub compact with turfs and my Cub Cadet I1050 both cut very well and very safely on steep slopes and sidehill situations without hurting the turf - but its NEVER an "automatic" process or a "phone it in" performance. My goal is to live longer than my equipment and with all my implements properly attached LOL.







By the way in case you are wondering - no - I don't cut with the fel and bucket on

 

[plowhog]

A shop near me rents the Orec track mounted walk behind brush cutter. I intend to rent one to try on some small slopes. But the acreage size of my slope above the pond, slope near the yard, and the quantity of fruit trees to mow under kind of rules out a walk behind. Just too many square feet of mowing for a unit with a small cutting width.

I wish there was a way to try out a Ventrac, PowerTrac, or some of the other machines mentioned here. They all look shiny and capable in the brochures and video. But for the cost of each, you don't want to buy the wrong unit and regret it. Unless you can at least see one in person, or better yet try it, its an obstacle to making a purchase decision.

 

[zmountaineer]

I wish there was a way to try out a Ventrac, PowerTrac, or some of the other machines mentioned here. They all look shiny and capable in the brochures and video. But for the cost of each, you don't want to buy the wrong unit and regret it. Unless you can at least see one in person, or better yet try it, its an obstacle to making a purchase decision.

That's an easy one for ventrac....all the dealers do demos on site. Call them up, they'll bring one to you with any attachments you may be considering.