Help! My front yard is kicking my butt! Bushhogging uphill

[FTG-05]

I've got an 16-18 acre front yard that is on the side of hill, see pics below. About 4/5's of it can only be done by going straight up or straight down, the other part can be done side-to-side and I can really get things done. Most of the hill has stair-steps and it's always the upper stair step that is getting me in trouble.

I start climbing up the hill bushhogging as I go when it starts slipping and I end going no where. Now, I'm on the steep part of the hill and now have to transition to not going up to stopping to slowly going back downhill - backwards. The first time this happened (and the following dozen or times thereafter) it was pretty frightening to say the least.

Information I'm sure you'll ask for and will need:

- Tractor is a Kubota L4330 4x4 with a Bushhog 286 6' bushhog on the back.
- tractor has a FEL, which I keep on
- tractor tires are loaded, but not sure with what; it's tastes like simple water to me, but I can't smell, which means I can't tastes worth a crap.
- tractor tires are pressurized per the manual at 20 psi
- I have it in 4x4 mode and I'm pressing the diff lock for all it's worth
- I've had the rear tires moved all the way out to their maximum width if this makes any difference going straight up or down.
- I wait at least a week after it's rained before I bushhog the hill, so the ground and the grass are dry
- the stuff I'm bushhog hasn't been BH'd in several years and is about 4-6' high, mostly grass but some purple stalked bushes (don't know the name of them)

The pics don't really show the steepness, but here they are in any event:

(No, I'm not trying to bushhog in the snow! But I thought it was a pretty cool pic!)

I own the property down to the fence line to the center left or about 50 yards past the cedar tree line in the center:

Ok, ask away; all suggestions and comments welcome!!!

Thanks

 

[Grandad4]

Hard to tell from your avatar photo but those look like R4 tires on your L4330. I've got them also, but if my place had a grade like yours to be bushhogged, standard R1 tractor treads would be my preference. The bulky lugs of an R4 type tire are OK for general use but don't grip like R1's and tend to be slippy on grassy slopes like yours. Beautiful property, by the way.

 

[FTG-05]

OK, I can fix that, good question forgot about that one!

(Off to look at what R1 tires look like!) ETA: Ok, done, I see the difference. Surely, there is a cheaper way to fix this than new tires. (Now, I'm off to price new tractor tires for the rear!)

Thanks,

 

[George2615]

How was it mowed in the pics prior to getting 4-6' high?
Have you tried driving to the top first with the BH up and mowing downhill with the BH? I've had success mowing this way.
At that height you need a brush hog or sickle bar. Once it's cut couldn't it be maintained with a Zero Turn mower? A ZT may not cut 6' in one shot but would be faster than a BH.
Only problem with new tires is by going to R1 AG tires you'd have to change all 4 and not just the rears because you have 4WD.
Nice view by the way.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

. . . (Now, I'm off to price new tractor tires for the rear!) . . .

As George said, you can't just replace the rears. You have to replace all four in order to keep the ratios the same between the front and rear tire sizes (due to the 4wd system). If it was 2wd, it wouldn't matter.

 

[k0ua]

Yes and don't forget you have to replace the wheels too...Not just the tires..

And in my opinion if the ground is dry, and you are not spinning in mud, R1 tires are not going to help one little itty bit. Or not enough to matter.. R1 tires are way better than R4's in mud and plowed fields, but if the ground is dry, R4's are just as good. YMMV.

 

[k0ua]

By the way, did you try putting about 400 lbs in the front bucket and try going up the hill then? That will give some more bite to the front tires.

If all of your tires are spinning trying to go up this dang hill, and conditions are dry, it must be one heck of a hill. Try putting some weight in the front.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

. . .

And in my opinion if the ground is dry, and you are not spinning in mud, R1 tires are not going to help one little itty bit. Or not enough to matter.. R1 tires are way better than R4's in mud and plowed fields, but if the ground is dry, R4's are just as good. YMMV.

Yes, and R4's are wider than R1's so should be more stable going sideways on slopes.

 

[Panik]

Just a thought but what gear are you running in when you mow?

I have a slope on part of my yard that I have to mow up and down because of how steep it is and how much the soil shifts. I run in 4wd when mowing this section and if it is anything except for bone dry I have to switch from high to low gear to keep from slipping all over the place. Just some food for thought.

 

[FTG-05]

How was it mowed in the pics prior to getting 4-6' high?
Have you tried driving to the top first with the BH up and mowing downhill with the BH? I've had success mowing this way.
At that height you need a brush hog or sickle bar. Once it's cut couldn't it be maintained with a Zero Turn mower? A ZT may not cut 6' in one shot but would be faster than a BH.
Only problem with new tires is by going to R1 AG tires you'd have to change all 4 and not just the rears because you have 4WD.
Nice view by the way.

The other times that I'm aware of it being BH'd was by the previous owner (once) and then he had a local guy do it the 2nd time. However, I believe the previous owner to him did it with this tractor and a Bushhog Squealer 72. Next time I talk to that 2nd previous owner, I'll ask him. The previous owner died four days before closing.

I can BH it by going downhill, then come up a less steep route or just come up without BHing, but that would waste fuel and time. So I'm looking at other alternatives to be more efficient (and safe!).

Priced rear tractor tires - OUCH! And that's without even pricing the fronts! Would double tiring the rears be cheaper or is it even possible on this size tractor?

Any other ideas other than changing tires? A friend of mine recommended putting some weight in the FEL while I mow. Say, for example, two 30 gallon water barrels (about 500 lbs +/-). How about tractor weights on the front end or tractor tire weights on the rears? The prices I've seen, they are almost as expensive as tractor tires.

Thanks!