Mowing a slope and around creek

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I back my rotary cutter over ditches, ledges etc when I'm worried about tilt )</font>

I used to mow about 500' of borrow ditch across the road from my place that way.

 

[_RaT_]

I mow about 1000' of steep slope around my pond. If the tractor went in, it would be very difficult to remove with at least 4 or more feet of deep mud (sediment) sitting down there. I only need to mow it 3 or 4 of times a year. The real asset in doing this are two items. HST and a hydraulic top link. Without ruffling any manual transmission folks feathers, let's just say the instant forward/reverse on the HST combined with near instant braking allow me to quickly and safely manipulate backing the tractor down the slope with my 84" mower. I've tried it with my manual gear International, it's nearly impossible. The hydraulic top link allows me to control the mowers approach as often times I could never just allow the mower to go over many of the abrupt edges without burying the blades into the dirt. While the process is obviously slower then straight forward mowing, it still is suprisingly fast (HST really helps here) and it does a very clean job. Beats the daylights out of weed eating.

 

[armyret]

Just read yur post and I went through the same thing. Finally settletd on a sickle bar mower. Stick it in the water a foot and proceed to cut around the pond. It mows angles so tilt is no problem I mow up slope and down slope, I sure would take the offer and try one. I mow with a 30 HP Kubota and a Massey F 41 sickle along with a Bush Hop Finish mower. This takes care of the mowing of around 5 acres with little effort.

 

[Rip]

Whatever you choose mower-wise, be sure to do all you can to maximize side-hill stability on the tractor itself.

Rear wheels set for widest track plus filled tires and/or wheel weights as a minimum. A tilt gauge would not hurt either.

Good Luck,

Rip