Looking for a mower that is great on hills

Rdrcr · Dec 20, 2022

MossRoad said:
The original poster hasn't been seen since the day after his post. Maybe he's reading while not logged in. Anyhow, specialized slope mowers are expensive beasts.

I haven't re-read the thread but, I believe the OP was looking for an inexpensive hill-side mower. Unfortunately, they don't really exist, so I think he gave up on our suggestions.

Mike

sawtooth · Dec 20, 2022

I’m here guys. Lol

Unfortunately the Harper solution doesn’t look very robust to me. More like a light duty toy. Anyone care to share their thoughts?

Ventrac and Steiner definitely have my interest but I mow a lot of land like 14-16 acres in total same far every week. I’m positive either will do great on the 1 or 2 acre slopes I have but can they keep up with my 900D 72” cut grasshopper mower? That thing is a beast and mows fast plus is very comfortable. It also does pretty good on the hills except for the few areas that are extremely steep. I’m just not sure the Ventrac is going to be as comfortable on the large acreage areas that are more common to my farm. Thoughts?

MossRoad · Dec 21, 2022

sawtooth said:
I’m here guys. Lol

Unfortunately the Harper solution doesn’t look very robust to me. More like a light duty toy. Anyone care to share their thoughts?

Ventrac and Steiner definitely have my interest but I mow a lot of land like 14-16 acres in total same far every week. I’m positive either will do great on the 1 or 2 acre slopes I have but can they keep up with my 900D 72” cut grasshopper mower? That thing is a beast and mows fast plus is very comfortable. It also does pretty good on the hills except for the few areas that are extremely steep. I’m just not sure the Ventrac is going to be as comfortable on the large acreage areas that are more common to my farm. Thoughts?

See if you can get a dealer to bring one out to your place for a demo.

ruffdog · Dec 21, 2022

MossRoad said:
See if you can get a dealer to bring one out to your place for a demo.

Being that designs of slope mowers vary so much, this is good advice. I have spent some time mowing next to highways and hanging on to an angled machine for hours gets tiring. That is why a self leveling machine is intriguing to me. To be able to transverse a slope while sitting upright would sure be nice.

sawtooth · Dec 21, 2022

I did ask about a demo but they don’t have one to demo out. Maybe I try again this spring.

stevem5215 · Dec 23, 2022

If you only have 1-2 acres of slope I'd suggest a ZTR that can handle the slope decently. A heavy ZTR will do that easily. I have a Simplicity Citation XL 61" that cuts the hill nicely around my house of 4 acres. And it's fast on the non slope surfaces. 10+ mph with full suspension allows you to cut with speed.

sawtooth · Dec 31, 2022

We have a Grasshopper 60” ZTR and unfortunately it has a tendency to spin and loose traction when going downhill or side to side mowing which sometimes cause a dangerous loss of control situation. I’ve tried it multiple ways and it’s on the edge at times so not a safe option. Our front mount has less traction going forward but a ton of traction going backwards. It also mows on going side to side and is very stable but it does tend to slide just a tiny bit causing the tires to damage and sometimes kill the grass leaving voids that eventually wash out because of the slope. I’m thinking a 4x4 four wheel steer mower might solve this but have no experience on this yet.