Need advice on mowing slopes

[Deepdrop]

I hope this is the right section for this question.
I have usually done my lawn with a self propelled walk behind mower. The last couple of years I hired someone who used a riding mower.
This year I'd like to do my lawn myself again, but my knees are not up to doing it all with a walk behind. I'm hoping to get some help choosing from some options:
1) A mid mount mower on my Kioti CX2510
2) A regular riding mower-I would lean towards an electric so I don't have another engine to maintain.

My biggest concern is the uneven terrain. Much of the yard is relatively flat, although it sure has plenty of divots and bumps. But there are two sections with significant slopes.
I attached photos.
The area that is dirt is pretty large. It will be seeded with grass I measured the slope of this area at 16.5 degrees.
The other area behind my house has a slope of as much as 18 degrees but it's not a very large area.
I've never used a riding mower. I have read that zero turn mowers are less stable, but I don't know if there are things to look for in a riding mower to maximize stability.

If I use a mid mount on my tractor, I might consider putting some wheel spacers on the rear, as I've had some nervous moments over the years. I also feel like a tractor just would be less maneuverable than a small riding mower, so I'm kind of leaning towards the riding mower.

I guess a third option would be to use a riding mower or my CX2510 on the flat areas and use my push mower on the slopes. I could probably handle doing that but that area that is dirt currently is pretty large, and It would be nice to get it with either the tractor or a riding mower. The other slope is a small enough area that I can handle it with a regular push mower.

Those slopes seem steep to me, but I'm hoping that someone with experience can offer some advice.


Thank you.

 

[CliffordK]

Whew, that appears to be pretty steep. Can you choose some landscaping without mowing?

The Zero Turn mowers tend to have a wider footprint than other riders, so it should help with stability.

Ideally you would go up and down, but at least behind the house you have no flat place to turn around, and traction could be a problem.

 

[Thomas]

Mowing step slopes back up on the slope in 4wd,if you have front loader on add little weight.

 

[jeff9366]

Ventrac: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ventrac+on+steep+hill+





Cub Cadet Pro Z: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cub+cadet+pro+z+models

 

[Hay Dude]

A zero turn would be my choice. It would eat that hillside up and ask for more with safety and speed.

 

[Jrasband]

That doesn't appear very steep to me, I think your mid-mount mower would handle it fine just keep your loader down low.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I’d choose ZTR. A NICE wide stance, lower CG, and wide tires. Also, Id consider not mowing areas that are VERY steep. Issue with electric mowers is their light weight, which will actually hurt its ability to hold a hill.

 

[2manyrocks]

Most ZTRs have two levers to independently control the back wheels leaving the front wheels free to pivot as they may. This may not be the best option on a steep slope because the front wheels can pivot when you don't want them to.

Cub Cadet makes ZTRs with front wheels that are controlled by a steering wheel. The consumer level models don't have ROPS. The pro Z models have ROPs and Cub Cadet publishes their slope ratings for each model.

The area that concerns me the most is the smaller area behind the house with the 18.5 degree slope. That's pretty steep. Your picture doesn't show the entire area, but if you have some other drop off or tree line to contend with at the base, where would you end up if you had a run away situation?

The same area is small enough that I wonder whether you could use a battery powered walk behind converted to remote control? There's a guy on eBay selling remote control conversion kits for Harbor Freight's Atlas battery powered walk behind mower. Less expensive than blowing out a knee or falling and breaking a hip.....

 

[Gem99ultra]

The Club Cadet Pro Z with dual rear wheels would easily handle your slopes. BUT - they're pricey. Something like $22K...

I know my current Kubota Z2412 will NOT handle that kind of slope; I have a quarter acre of the same and have made many attempts without success. In addition to flipping over danger, no turn around space and/or no stopping area is a major problem along with lack of traction with the turf tires.

I have owned Husqvarna garden trator type mowers that would handle the slopes just fine exept they're very hard on equipment. I finally blew out the pinion gear on my last one when mowing up/down on 20* slopes. No replaement parts helped me decide to abandon Husqvarna's.

My suggestion is to seed that small area with a nice ground cover and forget it. That'll look very nice and relieve you of lots of butt-puckter - or injury.

 

[Deepdrop]

Thank you all for the helpful ideas. Most of the really good options are just too expensive. I like Gem99's suggestion to seed with ground cover. I'm not very knowledgable about that kind of stuff. Do you have any suggestions for what I could seed it with that would be low maintenance? It's a nice sunny slope and I'm in New Hampshire.
A mid mount for the CX2510 apparently is about $3500 plus another $400 to put in a mid PTO. I guess I'll weigh that against buying one of the less expensive riding mowers. If I don't have to mow that really steep area, I'd only have to mow the relatively level areas and that one 16 degree slope that is currently dirt. I could probably do it with my tractor by backing up with a mid mount, or with a riding mower, although I'd have to make sure of that.
Any suggestions on a good ground cover for the steep slope?
And riding mower vs MMM for the less steep slope?

 

[ning]

I have a small area which has a similar steepness. I do up/down, kind of zig-zagging as I go so I mow up, then turn the wheel just slightly as I back up and keep mowing overlaps as I go up and down. Areas near the steepest part I do both up/down and around until it's too steep then the steepest only up/down; this mowing is with a riding mower which isn't particularly low to the ground. Worst case the grasses there get a bad haircut but I won't roll over like this.

Make sure the grass is nice and dry when you're there to avoid slipping; occasionally my mower doesn't want to stop when heading downhill so I prefer to face uphill.

 

[terraformer]

I would definitely use your 4wd tractor. Does it flatten off at the top. I doubt if a ztr has all wheel drive probably just two. Mow one direction up or down no turning on the hill. My farm has a hill like that goes about that angle outside of the fence. I use a rear mower.

 

[newbury]

I'd seriously look into a robotic mower or a remote controlled HF solution.
If

my knees are not up to doing it all with a walk behind

is a problem it could be money well spent.

/edit - For instance
How to optimise an Automower® robotic lawn mower installation for steep slopes | Husqvarna UK

 

[Deepdrop]

I've done a lot of reading about riding mowers and the manuals all list an amount of slope that is considered safe, and none of them consider anything beyond 15 degrees to be safe.
The robotic options are interesting, but I want to be able to do my entire yard with one machine.
I'm going to figure out what to plant on the steeper slope so that it won't need mowing.
I'll bring in dirt and get that less steep slope to 15 degrees or less.

All that remains is whether to go with a mid mount mower on my tractor, which feels like it would be the less maneuverable choice. Or to go with a riding mower, which would probably be easier to use. I'm considering rolling the dice and trying an electric. It would have less power, probably struggle a bit on the hills, but even a 30" cut is better than my walk behind. If I get talked into a gas rider, then I'll have another engine to maintain. Maybe then I'll come full circle and get the mid mount.
The good news is that you guys helped me realize there probably isn't a bad choice, just some compromises, depending on how much money I want to spend.
The most affordable electrics that are available are:

30" 50 AH Electric Riding Lawn Mower - RYOBI Tools

30" 50 AH Electric Riding Lawn Mower

www.ryobitools.com

https://www.cubcadet.com/en_US/electric-riding-mowers/xt1-lt42e/33ABA7ES710.html

Electrics ain't cheap...

 

[wawajake]

Do you have a rear pto and three point hitch on back of your tractor.....if so a third option is a rear finish mower, like I use on my small tractor , and back up the hill if feasible, I have a hill just like your back yard steep one. Only qualifier for any equipment, don't try it on wet or even dew covered grass .

 

[2manyrocks]

Home Depot occasionally offers substantial discounts on their Ryobi electric rider mowers. If you want one, you might set up an alert to check their daily sale specials, but I couldn't guess when they might put them on sale the next time.

I agree that some kind of ground cover is the best option for the steepest part of your yard instead of spending a lot of money on a slope mower just to mow that size of area.

edit: The 30" Ryobi was on sale for $2,299 on May 18, 2023. You might see if they repeat a sale some time early this May.

 

[Deepdrop]

I will definitely keep an eye on HD for a sale. Thanks for that suggestion.
I would love it if I could use a rear finish mower. I do have a 3 point hitch and PTO, but the layout of the land would make it really challenging to do. I'm not the most experienced tractor user, so I'll have a more experienced friend swing by and see if they agree. But there is just very little room to maneuver.

 

[ernemats]

Ryobi on sale now $2,000. off most electric riders

 

[Duds13]

I have a section on my property that my Ferris ZTR would probably handle but in my opinion it's just not worth the risk, so I mow it with my Scag 36" walk behind. All the weight is in the back on a ztr (unless you have weights on the front) and the front casters provide zero traction. Pretty easy to get yourself in a bad situation. If you can't do it with a walk behind I like the suggestion of planting some ground cover.

 

[CliffordK]

Ok, based on one of the videos above, I found a inclinometer for my cell phone.

I've got a few different slopes around here. One hill is around 15° plus or minus a little. I can generally find flatter areas at the top and bottom for maneuvering.

I try to avoid mowing it, but it has been mowed some with a variety of machines. Parts of it has a bit of a compound slope (based on orientation), but I try to avoid driving cross slope.

My Ford 1715 tractor with AG tires will drive up and down just fine. I have all 4 tires set to their widest setting. I've also mowed with a smaller John Deer rider which was OK.

My Toro 455d 4x4 struggles a bit going up with both power and traction.

One gets ruts if driving on it wet.

Ok, so if I was @Deepdrop....

I'd probably start with a rear mount brush hog or a flail on the Kioti CX2510 (which one is another discussion). Make sure the tires are set as wide as they'll go. Sometimes they can be adjusted. Also, fluid fill the rear tires. that'll help with your weight distribution.

If it is flat at the top and bottom of the hill, you can go in a circle turning in the flat area then heading back in the opposite direction.

If you can't turn around, then at first either drive forward up the hill and back down, or back up and drive forward down.

Your tractor looks like it has a pretty low center of gravity so you're probably ok even cross slope. Perhaps you could get either a center of gravity spec sheet or a cross slope rating from the manufacturer/dealer (with or without fluid in tires).

If you wish to try a zero-turn, then ask for a demo to take home and try it out with normal mowing conditions. Make sure you can mow with power going up the hill, and feel comfortable turning around.