When is a hill too big to mow?

Looking through my owner's manual, I noticed a safe operating procedures warning about mowing on a grade and I think it said not to mow beyond a 15 degree grade. So I was curious about the big hill I mow, figuring it must be at least 10 or 12 degrees. I took a pic, opened Photoshop, drew a line and rotated it until it matched the hill. It turned out to be 21 degrees! No wonder my old mower huffed and puffed to get to the top. Last night I mowed it for the first time with my new mower — a 35 hp Scag Turf Tiger II — and the mower went up the hill like it was flat ground.

Obviously, it is a hill I mow straight up and down...and the down part is quite a ride. The hill looks small and not that steep in the picture but from the top looking down it feels very tall and very steep.

This is out by the road and on the other side of my driveway, the hill goes up above the road about 15 feet or so and there is a cliff where they cut out the hillside for the road. The top is level, then there is a slope and then another level spot about 6 feet wide before the drop off. In my first year I got too close to that slope and started sliding down toward the cliff. Thank goodness, when I hit the flat part the mover stopped and didn't go over. I didn't have ROPS or a belt then. Needless to say, that sloped area does not get mowed.

Anyone elso have any good hill stories?

We have cut them across steep enough that the mowers would slide sideways. I do not know the angle but I know that a Scag will hug a hill that I would think will be more than 21 degrees.

I would not cut one that was real tall though.

And just a word of caution.
The sump of a mower is quite flat so at quite a moddest slope the oil pump can end up being out of the oil & pumping air.
In this case you have around 3 to 4 minutes before the crankshaft siezes in the upper bearing .
Worthwile to check the parts diagrams to see which side the oil pump is on and try to keep that side down.
Some one who should know a lot better so will remain nameless to prevent self incrimination, managed to kill 2 engines by mowing along a sloping roadside verge.

bertsmobile1 said:

And just a word of caution.
The sump of a mower is quite flat so at quite a moddest slope the oil pump can end up being out of the oil & pumping air.
In this case you have around 3 to 4 minutes before the crankshaft siezes in the upper bearing .
Worthwile to check the parts diagrams to see which side the oil pump is on and try to keep that side down.
Some one who should know a lot better so will remain nameless to prevent self incrimination, managed to kill 2 engines by mowing along a sloping roadside verge.

Click to expand...

Good advice. But most of this hill is too steep to mow sideways. I run straight up for 5 or 6 seconds then turn and come down in about the same time. And I've done it that way on that hill for 13 years with no problems so the conditions must be different than that of Mr. Nameless.

Interesting info though. Never been a fan of mowing sideways and now I have a great excuse not to. Thanks!