54" Raptor SD Hills help? Turf tires?

bigdaddyr

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So I have a new Raptor SD 54" and it does a great job. I know the manual says 15 degree hills but so did my Craftsman lawn tractor manual.

Issue I'm having is I have about a 30-45 degree hill which it goes up fine. Coming down it goes out of control. I end up with left lever full back, right lever forward just to try to stay straight. I go a slowly as possible at the top of the hill to try to maintain control but just doesn't seem to be able to. 1/2 to 3/4 of the way down the hill I push both bars forward and then pull back and control is back. Any kind of method on this?

Mowing patterns?
Tires with more trackor style tread? A friend has a JD tractor with tires that seem to grip great almost like a ribbed style tread.

I bought the best mover I could afford and they have a good rap for hills. Just need to figure it out. I would try to post a pic but need to figure out how to resize on iPad.

Do the heavier commercial models have these concerns?

TIA
 

jaredfink

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Not trying to ruin your day but zero turns are not designed for hills that steep. If possible try to mow sideways (horizontally ) on the hills and turn up the hill. Maybe a more aggressive tire will help but it also could tear up your lawn. I have some steeper than recommended hills on my property but I can aproach them from an area with less grade and then turn and mow up the steepest parts.
 

kraky

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I'm a big guy..280lbs. It wows me w/all the wt over the rear tires how ez mine slides around too. I think there are better tire choices out there. Maybe someone will chime in. Only good thing about the stock tires is it also helps reduce tearing in corners and pivots. I wouldn't hesitate to mow in front of our cabin w/my jd lawn tractor.....but I think if I even thought about trying my sd54 I might as well have a wash mit along so i could get to work once its in the water.
 

bigdaddyr

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Not trying to ruin your day but zero turns are not designed for hills that steep. If possible try to mow sideways (horizontally ) on the hills and turn up the hill. Maybe a more aggressive tire will help but it also could tear up your lawn. I have some steeper than recommended hills on my property but I can aproach them from an area with less grade and then turn and mow up the steepest parts.

I lowered the tire pressure and topped off the hydros before mowing today and it seemed better. Maybe just because it's a dry day with a lot of sun to burn off the dew. I also mowed at a slight angle. Seemed to help. No problem going up but, going down was still "loose" at times.

I'm a big guy..280lbs. It wows me w/all the wt over the rear tires how ez mine slides around too. I think there are better tire choices out there. Maybe someone will chime in. Only good thing about the stock tires is it also helps reduce tearing in corners and pivots. I wouldn't hesitate to mow in front of our cabin w/my jd lawn tractor.....but I think if I even thought about trying my sd54 I might as well have a wash mit along so i could get to work once its in the water.

I'm a big guy too. 6" 280 and I thought the weight would help but doesn't seem so. Seems to be when I start going to fast and pull back on a lever the tire either locks up or just starts to spin in reverse. I have found that by starting very, very slowly down the hill that I can keep contols much better and about mid way can start mowing at normal speed. I took some pics when I was done and will try to post them in a bit.

I hope someone chimes in on the tires. I like the tires on the machine but I bet there's a better tire for more hilly terrain.

Rick
 

Kremeneon

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Same thing going on with me, little moisture and hill = slip and slide city. The thing with a ZTR is you have all the drive and steering forces on the same axle, and it takes a lot of opposite torque to get the front end moving one way or the other. Lots of traction is needed to operate the machine. The turf tires are good, but are made to be as kind as possible to the grass. For near ultimate traction try ag (agricultural) tires, available with varying amounts of tread depth.
 

Freerider

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Im definitely a rookie! I've only used my Raptor 3 times so far. The first time I was ready to trade it in. I have some hills at about 20 degrees and I lost it a couple of times. I've learned to tackle the hills straight up or straight down. I've also noticed that you can go too slow. Areas around trees on hills I've actually maintained control by speeding up. It seems that if you keep the tire moving down hill it won't lock up and you maintain control. Am I on the right track veteran zero turners?
 

bertsmobile1

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Go down backwards with the sticks just off neutral
 

bigdaddyr

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I just traded up to the 2014 Fastrak SD and it sticks to the hills much better. The machine weighs about 230lbs more so I think that helps. Also the hydros are ZTR-3100's which is an upgrade and may play a role in it also.

On the steepest hills I'll try backing down. If I need to at some point I can try some ag tires but have enough other purchases with equipment to think about with leaf season coming. Have to make some $$ to pay for the upgrade. The wife said she's goi got make a sign that says, "stupid drives this" LOL. The first time I've asked for forgiveness and not permission. LOL.
 

Ric

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The Hustlermower is capable of operating horizontally (traverse) on moderately steep slopes. When operating on slopes up to 15 degrees, be aware of any conditions that may cause the mower drive tires to lose traction resulting in a possible loss of control of the mower. An operator should not operate on a slope until he is thoroughly familiar with the equipment.
Do not operate on slopes greater than 15 degrees.Refer to the Slope Guide, when determining the degree of slope to be mowed.It is strongly recommended that the operator drive the mower off of the slope, using extreme caution, if any sign of loss of traction is detected. Wait until the condition that caused the problem is resolved before attempting to operate on the slope again.
 

bigdaddyr

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The Hustlermower is capable of operating horizontally (traverse) on moderately steep slopes. When operating on slopes up to 15 degrees, be aware of any conditions that may cause the mower drive tires to lose traction resulting in a possible loss of control of the mower. An operator should not operate on a slope until he is thoroughly familiar with the equipment.
Do not operate on slopes greater than 15 degrees.Refer to the Slope Guide, when determining the degree of slope to be mowed.It is strongly recommended that the operator drive the mower off of the slope, using extreme caution, if any sign of loss of traction is detected. Wait until the condition that caused the problem is resolved before attempting to operate on the slope again.


Yep. Read all that and still have hills to mow. My Craftsman DTL 3000 lawn tractor said the same thing and I've used that to mow my property for 10 years, butt half on seat and half over fender. It took me a while to figure out how to do it and feel safe and get a decent result. There's only about 4-5 cuts on the steepest part of the hill so if needed I have a push mower. That is a last resort. The 60" cut makes for less time on the hill also which is nice.

When I can afford it I'll get a ride on like you have and won't worry so much about it.
 
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