Difficult lot - mower suggestions?

[dstig1]

Well, I won't be buying a JD X700 series, based on what they cost. I could go for the Husqvarna or an X500, perhaps. I already did put in a retaining wall to help with the slope over by the house (visible in the picture in the original post - edit: eh, you can barely see it in the very first photo), but we have not settled on plans for what to do with it all yet. I am going to put some steps down from the top to the lower driveway near the house at some point. Probably won't re-landscape it in any major fashion until then. There is also a catch basin in the center at the bottom of the hill (just to the right of the lower driveway that you can't really see) to help take water from above and send it all down to the bottom of the hill without washing out everything. I would need to maintain that with any re-landscaping.

 

[jenkinsph]

Well, I won't be buying a JD X700 series, based on what they cost. I could go for the Husqvarna or an X500, perhaps. I already did put in a retaining wall to help with the slope over by the house (visible in the picture in the original post - edit: eh, you can barely see it in the very first photo), but we have not settled on plans for what to do with it all yet. I am going to put some steps down from the top to the lower driveway near the house at some point. Probably won't re-landscape it in any major fashion until then. There is also a catch basin in the center at the bottom of the hill (just to the right of the lower driveway that you can't really see) to help take water from above and send it all down to the bottom of the hill without washing out everything. I would need to maintain that with any re-landscaping.

I hope you can make something work for you. One of my concerns with a mower and slopes is eliminating any wheel slip that will harm the already tenuous grass you want to maintain. Continued use of a 2wd mower on a steep slope may be the detriment of the grass over time.

 

[Gittyup]

If you don't buy a mower that can do it, where are you? My uncle went out and bought a X500 after he drove my 425. He loved the 425, but hates the X500. His yard is one big hill, somewhat steep in spots. He says traction isn't as good as he would like on the X500. I've never mowed it or used an X500, but that's his story.

I have a slight slope to my property (20 degrees or so). I cut a flat spot to put up a carport. On the high side this left a vertical drop of about 4'. I got on the up hill side of the drop off, about 5' back and pushed the cliff in with the bucket on my Kioti CK25 until I had a safe slope that I could mow. Took me about 1 hour to cut it down, a few passes along its length with a boxblade, and 30 minutes to rake it out smooth. A little seed and some straw and it's easy to mow now. I made sure it was gentle enough for the bigger tractor with the boxblade. You could do the same with your slope. It also looks really irregular and that doesn't help with traction. I would re-contour the hill to make it both smooth and less steep. This means renting a Bobcat or small tractor for a day (if you don't have access to one) and then reseeding. Definitely worth it though. Then you can use a much cheaper mower if that is the only challenging spot in your yard. If you don't have enough room to do this, then get an x700 series. You will have it for the rest of your life, most likely.

Otherwise, a boulder field with a few hardy perennials looks pretty good and requires near zero maintenance. I have another spot on my property that is 45 to 50 degrees. I used to mow it, but it was never easy. I gave up and filled with flowers and shrubs. Now I weed instead of mow