Mowing on slopes maximum angle before tip

[alpha&omega]

View attachment 814684
As an alternative to the more expensive commercial mowers on the market, I highly recommend the Cub Cadet Pro Z with 4 wheel steering.

I can safely and confidently mow 20-30 degrees hills and do so on a regular basis on my property.

Mike

Is that mowing up and down or across?

 

[Rdrcr]

Is that mowing up and down or across?

Side mow, across.

My smaller back hill is over 30 degrees and I sometimes get a little slip from the rear tires but the mower never gets off direction.

This is with my commercial Pro Z model. They’re heavy. I don’t have any experience with the lighter residential units but, I’ve read good reviews about those too.

Mike

 

[2manyrocks]

Local cub dealer is one of the largest cub dealers in Tennessee. They told me they havent been able to get but a few of the largest cub units with the dual wheels. They said they sell as soon as they come in.

 

[tracdoc]

I still think I’m a fan of the Ventrac more so than the Power-Trac.

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I love the Ventracs, too. Fit/finish is more refined/polished that the industrial look of the Power-Trac. Site says their dual wheel unit will mow “slopes up to 30*”. That’s prolly as much as I could ever have managed….so I’d be happy to leave the Power-Trac and someone else operating it to get the extra 15* that the P-T offers.

 

[MossRoad]

Sometimes 45 degrees doesn't compute in my brain. So I often refer to this method. It works for just about everyone, so try it if you haven't. Kinda fun. Just substitute your height for mine.

I'm 6' tall.
I face a wall and put my toes 6' from the wall.
I look straight ahead.
The point on the wall where my vision hits is about 45 degrees from the tip of my toes.
Think you can drive up that?
How about across that?
Heck, most folks can't even walk up that without using their hands in front of them.

That's steep.

 

[Rdrcr]

Local cub dealer is one of the largest cub dealers in Tennessee. They told me they havent been able to get but a few of the largest cub units with the dual wheels. They said they sell as soon as they come in.

Last time I visited my Cub dealer they had two in stock. The dual wheel Pro Z's are a BEAST!!!

I'm absolutely thrilled with the performance of my Pro Z 560 S KW. They are built like tanks!

Mike

 

[Hay Dude]

Sometimes 45 degrees doesn't compute in my brain. So I often refer to this method. It works for just about everyone, so try it if you haven't. Kinda fun. Just substitute your height for mine.

I'm 6' tall.
I face a wall and put my toes 6' from the wall.
I look straight ahead.
The point on the wall where my vision hits is about 45 degrees from the tip of my toes.
Think you can drive up that?
How about across that?
Heck, most folks can't even walk up that without using their hands in front of them.

That's steep.

I don’t usually agree with you, but in this case, you are correct.

45* is very steep.

 

[alpha&omega]

Sometimes 45 degrees doesn't compute in my brain. So I often refer to this method. It works for just about everyone, so try it if you haven't. Kinda fun. Just substitute your height for mine.

I'm 6' tall.
I face a wall and put my toes 6' from the wall.
I look straight ahead.
The point on the wall where my vision hits is about 45 degrees from the tip of my toes.
Think you can drive up that?
How about across that?
Heck, most folks can't even walk up that without using their hands in front of them.

That's steep.

I tried to imagine this from an engineering perspective. It didn’t work. I understand what you mean but your explanation was a little off. If you’re facing a wall and put your toes 6’ from the wall then your body would create the imaginary line you’re describing. Otherwise when you look straight ahead your head would either be cocked back or you would be looking at the base of the wall.
Ha! I think we were all able to make sense of what you meant though. This might be easier…

 

[dieselscout80]

Here is a picture of my TC45DA pulling a Woods C114 on the back side of our pond dam a 20 to 24 degree slope and it feels steep.

I have mowed this since 2009 with no real issues using a IH 424 and this TC45DA with Ford 917 flail and this Woods C114.

I also mow the same slope around the pond in places.

Piles of fresh cut loose grass can make it slippery.

 

[Brendanspapa]

I realize this is not a definitive answer, rather some items to consider: A tractor will overturn once the center of gravity falls outside plane of the support points, i.e. the contact point of rear tires and the front pivot. This can vary widely depending on machine, and the loads it carries. Another danger is simply sliding off the slope until encountering an obstacle, which can overturn the machine, or collision damage/injury. Also, as some have pointed to, keep speeds very low, since a sudden change in slope due to dropping a lower side wheel into a hole, or upper wheel onto a higher surface, such as a rock or stump, can overturn the tractor by the change in momentum. I have installed level gage (Amazon.com) in my Kubota L4240. This provides a measurable, repeatable indication of the slope I am on.

 

[Brendanspapa]

Here's an old, but relevant video that is very interesting. Everyone should see this.

 

[alpha&omega]

I have installed level gage (Amazon.com) in my Kubota L4240. This provides a measurable, repeatable indication of the slope I am on.

Many of us, including myself have that same gauge on our tractors.

 

[alpha&omega]

Here's an old, but relevant video that is very interesting. Everyone should see this.

“If you know how to use it…”

Great video! This should be shown to ever new tractor owner/user prior to purchase. Just as every tractor should be sold with a ballast box or the owner should have to sign a waiver that they own or have access to some form of rear ballast.
The number of new owners that don’t know about or even own some form of rear ballast is absurd. Granted if they read the manual, it would explain these things, but nowadays you can get people to read more than a paragraph without getting bored.

 

[Elviscaretaker]

My big one states 30 degrees for roll over. At about 10' tall I'm not very comfortable with that, at 20 degrees I'm still not liking it. I do have a gage in the thing though to know where it is. Like the video when I'm on bank, I need to worry about rock chuck holes. fortunately I have big tires so I don't sink too bad but I've had it on a single wheel tool many times! I don't care for that! Anything over 20 degrees I go to my small tractor with the backhoe on, I use the backhoe as an outrigger. Issue there is it adds a lot of weight and it'll get stuck in the slop. Hay Dude has more experience cutting banks so I'm guessing his knowledge of his equipment is better than mine, most of mine is flat enough, it's just when I want to add a trail or clean along the river it gets sketchy for me. Basically follow your gut and gauge, know you fields (I'll walk a bad area before I drive it looking for a hole or soft spot) Give me a flat area to work! LOL

 

[alpha&omega]

My big one states 30 degrees for roll over. At about 10' tall I'm not very comfortable with that, at 20 degrees I'm still not liking it. I do have a gage in the thing though to know where it is. Like the video when I'm on bank, I need to worry about rock chuck holes. fortunately I have big tires so I don't sink too bad but I've had it on a single wheel tool many times! I don't care for that! Anything over 20 degrees I go to my small tractor with the backhoe on, I use the backhoe as an outrigger. Issue there is it adds a lot of weight and it'll get stuck in the slop. Hay Dude has more experience cutting banks so I'm guessing his knowledge of his equipment is better than mine, most of mine is flat enough, it's just when I want to add a trail or clean along the river it gets sketchy for me. Basically follow your gut and gauge, know you fields (I'll walk a bad area before I drive it looking for a hole or soft spot) Give me a flat area to work! LOL

20° in a cabbed tractor will definitely cause that stomach drop, especially if you do find that soft spot, hole or rock sticking out.
You need a mini-excavator for any of the work near water. Not that it’s required, just reduces the pucker factor.

 

[Elviscaretaker]

20° in a cabbed tractor will definitely cause that stomach drop, especially if you do find that soft spot, hole or rock sticking out.
You need a mini-excavator for any of the work near water. Not that it’s required, just reduces the pucker factor.

About any size excavator will sink/ get stuck in the area I'm trailing. At least until I'm done. I've had good luck with my tc-30 near water. With backhoe on I can pull myself out 95% of the time but I give up ground clearance with it on. The 5110g is not the one to use for this except for clearing the trail head and getting buckets of fill fast, it's mainly a field tractor. I'm getting used to the 20 degree with it, just not more yet or ever if I can avoid it!

 

[dieselscout80]

I haven’t measured the angle on this one but its about as steep as I want to go, but I can’t fall far.

 

[rScotty]

Widening the OEM wheel base, adding wheel spacers, and a wider profile tire like industrial or turf tires will help a lot on hills.

Even with some of those advantages, I don't go on slopes with the tractor. If I absolutely have to, I go straight up and back down. Tractors don't have suspensions to soak up bumps - but they do combine the tricky features of a pivoting front axle with a solid rear and no front brakes.

Even a small stone or rut can double the effective slope in an instant.

rScotty

 

[motormike]

I have to mow a dirtbike track on a hill. I usually stop when one of my tires leave the ground. I was moving dirt one day and the weighted bucket and the track had me with 1 tire on the ground. Dropped the bucket to stop me from tipping and used it to back me up onto more solid ground.

 

[Rhino35]

Thanks for posting the video of the tractor fails.

I have some steep hills I bushhog. When I bought my Kioti ten years ago I knew the FEL would be a huge counterbalancing help going UP the hills. On the steep one I go up backwards as the video pointed out is safest. Someone in this threat pointed out keeping FEL's as low as possible can lower the overall CG of the tractor.

I also bought 4 inch wide aluminum spacers for my rear wheels. At 5:40 in the video widening a tractor's stance is discussed. I think the spacers make a big difference is sideways stability - and today they look as new as the day I had them put on. They came almost perfectly drilled to match the hub - the holes matched up but one hole had to be ever so slightly reamed by a machine shop for the supplied bolt to go through it. They were anodized black by the manufacturer AND I painted them Kioti gray to match the gray paint. There isn't a speck of corrosion so far. I had my tractor dealership install these spacers - my loaded rear tires are just too much for me to handle at home.

I considered adding spacers to the front wheels, but a discussion on this forum about doing that dissuaded me. Widening the wheel stance does put downward strain on any axle. For the meaty through rear axle, which doesn't have steering/turning wheels, widening the stance 4 inches on each side is not an issue. For the turning front wheels (my tractor can be 4 wheel drive with an electric switch) I didn't want to risk disturbing the axle's design stresses.

If anyone is interested in investigating buying spacers PM me and I'll be happy to share the company info where I bought them. Two spacers were about $400 ten years ago, and came with the bolts and nuts.