Buying Advice Need Advice On How To & What To Mow This With

[MossRoad]

Neat little mower and more, that's for sure...

 

[Coyote machine]

I can't believe that a 22hp Briggs is only rated for a 10 degree angle of operation. I just can't find ANY documentation from Briggs or Husky on what it's rated for. It would have to be more than that. Its a pressure lubricated engine is about all I can find.

Believe it. I'm not making it up. The owner's manual for the mower says max incline 10 degrees. It shows a pic too.

Note: I'm not saying it won't go on much steeper terrain, just that is what Husky says is what an operator is to limit the 322T Rider mower's use to....
You know, lawyers, guns and money clause....:confused3:

 

[MossRoad]

Believe it. I'm not making it up. The owner's manual for the mower says max incline 10 degrees. It shows a pic too.

Note: I'm not saying it won't go on much steeper terrain, just that is what Husky says is what an operator is to limit the 322T Rider mower's use to....
You know, lawyers, guns and money clause....:confused3:

Geeze, their own product demo shows it on what appears to be more than a 10 degree slope. Anyhow, that literature is for the entire machine, not the motor. Gotta keep searching.

 

[jrm21]

Mud ... I have considered this. I've considered it seriously. Plus, I want an ATV. Not shown in the pics, at the bottom of the property, we have a campsite. LED string lights. Big fire pit. Tent goes up in the beginning of summer and comes down a week or two too late in winter. We prefer the kids park up top and walk down. Even us though, we forget something then you're walking aaaaaalllllll the way back up the hill to get matches, or ... whatever. An ATV would be really nice to trek back and forth. Getting a tow behind would be a great solution. My concern with it is tight turns, mowing around trees and tight spots.

This solution is still in the hunt though. Really appreciate your input.

I just found this thread and was about to suggest the same thing - ATV with a tow-behind mower. My property has a few slopes similar to the photos shown in the first post.

I have both a SCUT with a brush hogger and a Polaris ATV with a "Swisher" tow-behind rough-cut mower. Planned on selling the Swisher when I bought the SCUT, but quickly changed my mind. The SCUT has many advantages, but slopes is NOT one of them.

Yes, the tow behind is more of an issue with tight turns/spots and getting around trees. I simply leave those things a wider berth and come back with a weed-whacker. For sloped areas, however the ATV setup easily wins.

Much also depends on other uses. We ride trails on our property with the ATV. Can't do that with the SCUT. On the other hand, the ATV doesn't have a FEL, so the SCUT wins in that department.

 

[crazyal]

I started reading all of this but skipped a couple of pages. DO you have a budget? If not I'm sure someone has suggested a gold plated 20 wheel drive mower that will massage your butt as you mow. All kidding aside, and if I missed it sorry, set a budget and then see what will fit in it. I have lots of steep parts I mow. I did it for years with a box store special that I inherited when my father passed away. It worked ok but was a little scary going down the slopes as the rear wheels liked to slide and the brakes really weren't much of anything. I would say it was a $1000 new type of tractor. This year I broke down and bought a used low hour Deere x500 for $4k. I never thought I would spend that kind of money just to mow but it's worlds better than the old Wheel Horse. It has a locking differential and will climb anything I throw at it. I have no idea what limitations there are on angle for the engine but I watch to see if the oil light comes on for lack of pressure, never has.

Somewhere I have a simple jpg that you can print out and turn into an easy grade measuring device. I'll try to find it. With it you can get real numbers to how steep your yard really is. Pictures don't work all that well. But it sounds like you were mowing it just fine, just the transaxle couldn't stand the stress. If so then any rider with a stronger one (the x500 has a K72) and a locking diff should work. I saved almost $2k by going for a 1 year old 50 hour used Deere. Unlike a SCUT or CUT high end mowers don't hold their value.

 

[MossRoad]

$4.99 at Harbor Freight and a 2 x 4 and you're all set to measure hill angles...

Angle Finder w/ Dial Gauge

 

[Coyote machine]

Geeze, their own product demo shows it on what appears to be more than a 10 degree slope. Anyhow, that literature is for the entire machine, not the motor. Gotta keep searching.

Again, I'm giving you what the manufacturer states in their owner's manual. And it's difficult to drive just the engine without the rest of the mower up your Everest like hypothetical slope. Just saying....

$4.99 at Harbor Freight and a 2 x 4 and you're all set to measure hill angles...

Angle Finder w/ Dial Gauge

Also available at Sears stores, if there is one in your area.

 

[Creamer]

If it was me I would find a Grasshopper front deck with At 101 tires. The front deck gives you more stability on hillsides. The mower is set up with a very low center of gravity. The AT101 tires give you great traction with very minimal lawn damage. If dollars is your worry you can find a good used one with less than 1000 hours for under $6k. You can get any size you want and there is good dealer support. This thing would mow your slopes all day with ease.

 

[Chris616]

MetroHick,

I started a thread on a similar topic to yours a few weeks ago:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...244-advice-mowing-sloped-rough-terrain-1.html

Based on our descriptions we have similar mowing needs. My criteria for selecting a solution are somewhat different than yours, but you might find the thread to be useful reading. I've skimmed through all of the responses in your thread and what seems like the best solution for me right now hasn't been mentioned, so I'll suggest that you investigate the European/Japanese ride-on slope and rough terrain mowers that I describe in my thread. Here's a video of what I consider the best of those available in North America currently. You won't hurt this machine mowing on slopes and it would be safer than many of the other solutions that have been proposed.

AS 94 Sherpa 4WD ride-on mower in action - YouTube

Unfortunately, you won't find a dealer/distributor for this machine on the west coast. As was mentioned in my thread, one of the other brands has been targeting rental shops for sales of their product. Google tells me that "All Star Rents" near you in Novato, CA rents the OREC Brush Rover.

Riding Brush Mower | The Brush Rover | Orec America

It's only 2WD (and I'll guess that it has the same ergonomic problem that I described about the Canycom machine in my thread) but its cost might be low enough for you (US$8400 when I checked last year). If I had the opportunity to do so I'd rent one of to see how it would perform on my property. It's typical only for much more expensive equipment to have the chance to test it on your own property before a purchase.

(BTW - if you've mentioned this already, I've missed it. Have you actually measured the angle of the steepest slope that you want/need to mow? That is useful data for anyone making a recommendation.)

Chris

 

[jenkinsph]

Reading through this thread it appears there are several choices that would work for mowing this lot. You should be able to handle this with a good two wheel drive mower when dry. I use a 4wd with 4 wheel steer diesel and really like it, turns and maneuvers very well and sticks to slopes. Just a guess but that would take less than 2 hours to mow with my x749 and would leave very little to trim.

That said it really is a matter of money and principles for the OP.