Finish Mower on steep terrain

[khdetw]

I have 6 acres of sloped land, mostly about 15 degrees, a steeper area of about 25 degrees. 4 acres is lawn/ meadow, I want to use a 60 inch rear mount finish mower. Would the MT125 handle that, or the MT225S?

 

[Cycledude]

Sounds like dangerous area to mow, i Recommend not attempting the first time when the grass is wet, you definitely should have four wheel drive.

 

[sea2summit]

That’s going to limit a lot of your mowing to straight up the slope. This will be slow mowing and you’re setting yourself up for erosion issues. With the cost of finish mowers and the terrain you describe I think a zero turn makes a lot of sense.

 

[2manyrocks]

Cub Cadet's Pro Z 972 with dual wheels is advertised as rated up to 25 degree slope. If you look at the manufacturer's slope ratings, many zero turns are rated max 15 degrees, some 20.

I think even Ventrac says 20 degrees for their mowers unless outfitted with dual wheels which takes the rating up to 30 degrees. Slope Mowing

 

[zzvyb6]

Buy some sheep.

 

[DK35vince]

Buy some sheep.

And a barn to house them, and 6 acres of fencing, a food for the winter months.
Sounds easier/cheaper to me !!

 

[Cycledude]

If the slopes are as steep as you described forget about zero turn mowers unless you buy one equipped with tracks because most regular zero turns will not be able to climb those slopes.

 

[rgr33]

My zero turn doesn’t do well on slopes
wet slopes are a thrill, and not in a good way

 

[jyoutz]

The steep areas sound like candidates for establishing an ivy or some other ground cover that doesn’t need mowing.

 

[CliffordK]

I ended up with an old Toro Groundsmaster Batwing. I don't think it would be possible to roll it over on a hill. However, it struggles with enough power for driving uphill. It is 4x4, but that isn't enough.

I've been meaning to fix up an old mini-dozer with a 3PT and PTO to try mowing. Yet, my hillside is steep enough that I need to figure out how to put on a ROPS. It is hard to imagine rolling the dozer, but there must be a reason why they put the ROPS on the newer ones.

If it is within your budget, there are quite a few tracked skid steers that would make sweet mowers, but it could be a significant investment.

 

[Bobrown14]

Zero turn has a pretty low center of gravity with a +50" deck hanging off the bottom of the frame. We have a few 25 degree banks I mow with my ZT - it's sketchy at first until I figured out the safest way to mow the banks and each one is a little different.

Most of the steep slopes its either up or down. I can do it side to side but that is done at SLOW speeds so for a larger lawn with a slope its way too time consuming. I have a Gravely HD 52 - its got plenty of power to go up the slopes full speed.

I RARELY ever cut grass when its wet. Just not a good thing for many reasons. Clogging up the mower deck is pretty high on that list not to mention safety on slopes and wet cut grass promotes mold on the deck and in the grass. Next grass cutting if I don't clean the deck out (which is a pain the ass) then I'm spreading mold all around AND the cut looks like crap.

Can get better tires for a ZT to cut on hills too instead of turf tires.

Another option is growing hay... which we do as well but mow around the house and driveway with the ZT.

 

[Thomas]

If the slopes as you said I would want good gripping rear tire for pulling 60" mower.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I've been mowing an acre of 15 degree sloped lawn for over 30 years. Tried everything from a 22" self propelled push mower to my current L6060 HSTC with 3pt finish mower.

ZT's just won't do the job any better than the 3pt. They won't hold a straight line mowing perpendicular to the slope and don't have enough traction mowing parallel. Mowing at a 45 degree angle to the slope is the only way it works but the mow quality isn't any better than the 3pt.

In my case, I see no reason to have a ZT and a tractor when the tractor does the job just as well.

YMMV.