Buying Advice Need some advice, please

[PJSprog]

I'm in the camp supporting zero-turn mowers, especially on any kind of hilly terrain. We have a hill around the front of our lake that I would never drive the tractor across, yet the zero-turn takes it just fine. Sometimes, yes, it does slip a bit, but that's easily remedied with the incredible steering those machines offer.

 

[Creamer]

Just how steep are the hills we are talking about?

Any chance of taking a $2 angle finder out there and confirming it?

On my old L3400 I had the wheels set as wide as they would go. And also added 2" of spacer on each one. And the L3400 isnt a whole lot bigger than what you are considering. Pucker factor was pretty active north of 25 degrees.

Same slope (side hill of my pond dam) there was NO pucker factor at all with a ZTR.

And this is sideways on both accounts.

I have been on a 40 degree slope on a Deines and it was interesting sitting on the mower at that much of an angle but it was solid. It was dueled though as they used it on slopes all of the time. Get much more than that and you will get into engine trouble for lack of lubrication. My neighbors when i lived in Cincinnati had a walk behind commercial mower with a 2 cycle on it because there was so much sidehill they kept losing the engines out of the mowers.

 

[LD1]

Sure. Can you suggest one? Do I get these at Lowes?

I got a few of the harbor freight ones. If you have a smart phone you can download a level app and it will tell you an angle in degrees with pretty good accuracy

 

[gk527]

Just how steep are the hills we are talking about?

Any chance of taking a $2 angle finder out there and confirming it?

On my old L3400 I had the wheels set as wide as they would go. And also added 2" of spacer on each one. And the L3400 isnt a whole lot bigger than what you are considering. Pucker factor was pretty active north of 25 degrees.

Same slope (side hill of my pond dam) there was NO pucker factor at all with a ZTR.

And this is sideways on both accounts.

I drove my truck up and down the hill with my iPhone sitting on the center console. It showed to be anywhere between a 11 degree and 15 degree slope. I was holding it on its side. I guess that's pretty accurate. When I was on flat ground it showed a zero.

 

[Jeff F.]

My B3200 does a better job on my hills for mowing than a walker mower I tried. The walker could not follow the radius of the landscaping while going up the hills and could not turn around on the hill with out spinning or sliding. The tractor was able to do both in four wheel drive. The walker was much faster on the remainder of the lawn with a much better cut. I really wish I could afford having both.

 

[Creamer]

Three things - the Walker mowers have a narrower stance than most, a higher height to width ratio, and I would bet turf tires. All are major factors on hillsides.

My Deines or a Grasshopper would go on a hillside I would never take a tractor on.

 

[spursjingles]

Steep hills make sure your tractor has a wide stance. Counter weight on back helps prevent tilting. Belly mower is best i use my mahindra 3616 with brushhog but would rather have a bellymower. I do have 10 acres of steep sloping hills that i cut every 2 weeks. And a rider for about an acre. I hate fence lines cause when i turn i have to be careful not to drag the fence with me. I keep my fel low even though its quick detatch. Good luck sounds like we have the same situation.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using TractorByNet mobile app

 

[gk527]

So, I'm leaning towards a 3046R from John Deere. I want the tractor. There are places I can go on it that I can't on the larger tractors that the zero-turn wouldn't handle. Does anyone have any other suggestion for tractor?

 

[ericm979]

Isn't that going to be heavy for lawn use?

I have steep land though the lawn is flat and I have a riding mower for it. The Branson I got has optional wheel/tire sizes. I chose the smaller ones to get a lower CG and had the dealer add rear spacers and rimguard in the rears. It's quite stable on the slopes I've taken it on. I've had it sideways on a 10 degree slope and it's no where near being tippy.

 

[gk527]

Isn't that going to be heavy for lawn use?

I have steep land though the lawn is flat and I have a riding mower for it. The Branson I got has optional wheel/tire sizes. I chose the smaller ones to get a lower CG and had the dealer add rear spacers and rimguard in the rears. It's quite stable on the slopes I've taken it on. I've had it sideways on a 10 degree slope and it's no where near being tippy.

I've got a gravel driveway I want to be able to use a box blade on, snow removal, etc.