Mowing Steep Hills

[SamO]

I used to have an old (60s era) Gravely with a rear mounted Kohler engine that my 16 yo son used to think was a go-cart. I've got lots of steep hills and he never flipped it but somehow managed to flip the Massey sub compact tractor I replaced it with. You will probably have trouble finding an old Gravely and if you do it most likely will be in need of serious repair. But it will do the job you need done. Great piece of equipment. S

 

[bcp]

Bruce

 

[Davenj4f]

I disagree with Randy, zero turns handle hills better than a rider. Mine's a commercial unit and would put it up against any rider out there. It's wider than my old rider and has a lower center of gravity.

I have Ferris and regularly mow the ditch at my church at a good 35 or so degrees. Not up and down, sideways. Been doing it for several years. The ditch bank is grassed and relatively flat, but I'm careful and slow, and don't do it when wet. So far, never had a any trouble.

 

[paulfun9]

I might not be very experienced yet, but remembering how well my husbands dune buggies climbed steep mountains and how the front tires just floated off the ground. Had me thinking this zero turn I just got does very good on the hills.
Just like rideing in those dune buggies it seems hit the hill full on and as the tires start to float back off on the controll sticks just so that they don’t lift more. This keeps all the wieght on the rears and with the exception of 4 wheel drive tractors it seems to climb better than any two wheel drive mower I was ever on.

Please, Don’t tell my husband I was doing wheelies with our new mower. I know he will say it’s not a dune buggy but hey I miss those days out playing in the mountains. So this is bringing back memories.

Janet

 

[Bobrown14]

My Gravely ZT HD 52 can do hills sideways or up n down.

On a zero turn it takes a little practice. Some people get real uneasy on hills with a zero turn cause they aren't used to it.

Also you cant cut wet grass. For lots of reasons on hills it get real slippery and you cant stop in wet conditions. Then there's clogging up the deck etc.

Also in super dry hot conditions the grass is slick.

On hills the trick it to go slower at a speed you are comfortable with.

Zero turns have a pretty low center of gravity. The deck in wider than the mower so you cant roll it over very easily. My deck is also pretty heavy and is the lowest position on the tractor.

My only concern with cutting sideways on a hill and I have several, is the bank of the ditch bedside the road where they dug a ditch for snow. I have to cut to the edge of the ditch and its sloped. Its not steep but I go REAL slow that first row and I've slid and it gets a little dicey specially hot dry days. I could easily roll over if I get to sliding.

You can do hills with a zero turn either direction. Ive got some steep hills. But again its not really the steep parts that scare me (any more) its the results if I start sliding that are way more dangerous at the ditch.

Zero Turns cut a lot of grass in a short time frame so that's their advantage. They also require maintenance even more so that a CUT. I'm constantly working on mine. If its raining Im cleaning, sharpening, adjusting deck etc. Always something to do but I cut a lot of grass 15+ acres.

The electric one sounds pretty cool but not for all the grass we have.

I run turf tires on mine and may look at something different for the rears. I get into mud from time to time. Zero turns are terrible in mud. Snatch straps are handy.

 

[BubbaLouie]

I need a new mower.

Long story, but now I have to mow more often and more areas. And the grass is on some pretty steep hills. I cannot simply go up and down them, as there is a fence at the bottom and my house at the top. I have to side-hill most of it. A push mower is simply out of the question, as it will take me days to mow this much with my bad knees. I need a riding mower.

I currently have a troy-built little 30 something inch, mower. One where you pretty much sit on the engine and there is no weight over the steer tires. Its in good shape but simply does not work on these hills. Center of gravity is way too high, cannot turn at the top of the hills, and that's if it can climb up the hill! It's got the power, but not the traction. It was given to me.

I need something that can side hill a steep hill, have the traction to climb the hills, and wide enough to not take all day.

What type should I be looking at? Zero Turn? More of the conventional? Which brand do you recommend?

Zero Turns are very difficult to impossible to use on hills.
A fairly expensive solution is Ventrac.

 

[skipmarcy]

If you have good traction on your drive tires and know how to operate your mower the majority of hills aren't a problem with a ZT.

 

[Otgaugres]

I’m going out on a limb here by stating the the best readily available commercial solution for steep hillside mowing has to be Ventrac. I acknowledge they are expensive and certainly aren’t in everyone’s budget but they are impressive at hillside mowing to say the least.

I’ve got a 4520z and recently mowed a steep hillside at our northern Michigan cabin. Like is often the case, the attached picture doesn’t do the steepness justice. There are areas that reach 28-30 percent on my slope gage. Compounding that, the hillside is crowned and slopes severely off to the left when going downhill. I’ve owned the property for over 10 years, and started mowing it with our JD 2720 and 5ft brush hog. That was pretty dicey and the best I could do was to mow a couple strips more or less right down the middle. Also tried it with our Skag Cheetah and ended up at the bottom and unable to climb back up the hill. With increasing age and wisdom we had resorted to string trimming until we got the Ventrac. Long story short, it was about a 15 minute job with the Ventrac. The Ventrac really doesn’t care; uphill, downhill, forward, reverse. It has turned from a nightmare to maintain to a piece of cake.

I’ve also mowed steep ditch banks at my home property that were strictly done by string trimmer before with zero problems. I’m sold on the Ventrac.

 

[MossRoad]

Don't forget the PowerTrac slope mowers. One is rated at 40 degrees cross-slope and the other at 45 degrees cross-slope.

However, I think a lot of these suggestions are out of the OP's price range as stated.

TSM Class

Compact Tractors, Slope Mowers, Articulated Tractors, Tractor Attachments, Trailer Packages

www.power-trac.com

 

[Otgaugres]

Don't forget the PowerTrac slope mowers. One is rated at 40 degrees cross-slope and the other at 45 degrees cross-slope.

However, I think a lot of these suggestions are out of the OP's price range as stated.

TSM Class

Compact Tractors, Slope Mowers, Articulated Tractors, Tractor Attachments, Trailer Packages

www.power-trac.com

They look impressive and expensive. Just wondering approximate cost? Ventrac with Tough Cut or 72” finish mower will be in the $30-35k depending on options (engine and others).