Mowing across a semi-steep slope

[vayankee]

Thanks for all the replies. In the end I think I will pass on trying to mow this particular area since it can be dangerous with the riding mower I have. I suppose I will just weed eat the area--about 1,500 sq. ft. since I don't have a push mower. (I tried a robotic mower a few weeks ago, but it would barely move in the thick Florida Floratam grass.)

Sure are a lot of ideas in this thread, but like you, I ended up just mowing around the really steep section. I also stopped weed-wacking areas that are steep. I think of it as letting nature take its course, and since the rest of the yard looks pretty good, I can live with it. 85 years old now.

 

[montesa_vr]

If a person speaks from years of real experience vs a few personal events, which one tends to hold more weight?

Standers are terrible on hillsides. Worse than the crappy steering wheel Cub Cadet zero turn you like. Some people can’t be convinced. I am done with this topic until it comes up again in a couple of years.

Interesting. My neighbor uses a lawn service. The service has stand on and sit down ZTRs. They use the stand ons for the hills. I asked the owner of the service if the stand on mowers are better on hills and he said they are far better. So I have on voice from a professional that I see every week for the last five years and I have your anonymous internet voice. I think I'll listen to the guy who is doing it for a living.

 

[Utopia Texasi]

Have you considered a walk behind weed eater? Much safer and they can cover a lot of ground fast. Try power.com
Small ones start at $499.

 

[Freddie21]

I agree with gearhead. I have two steering wheel zt machines and they perform much better on the slopes. No dog-tracking and the front end stays on the ground. My slope is so much, I have to mow up and down. I got rid of my Deere 318 after falling off it twice. If you can find a used Cub Commercial, it will take the abuse and be very reliable. Even my Kohler Commands are holding up for 12 years now.

If your gonna put anything in the tires\tubes and live in a state that gets cold in the Winter, try RV antifreeze instead. Won't rust the wheels either.

 

[robertschemenauer]

I have a 2003 craftsman 6000 with a 54" deck .I have never had a problem with slopes ,but I have upgraded the rear tires to ITP mud lites.mY YARD AND DITCH ARE SLOPED , I don't know the degree but I beelieve the 54" deck helps to prevent rollover.

 

[2muchgrass2mow]

I have a 2026 CC XT1 LT46 and part of my yard has about an 18-degree slope. Is there a safe way to mow this area horizontally, not vertically, using weights, and/or liquid in the rear tires? I do have access to two 42 LBS suitcase weights if those would help.

I used 2- 45lb. weights on the rear of my JD X-370 to mow across similarly steep, and steeper, sections of the field adjoining my house lot. I had previously owned a Husqvarna with auto locking differential but got rid of it because the tranny twice fell out on the ground after engine mounts broke! But the locking diff was great, although I needed power steering - a necessity, not a luxury- for my arthritic hands/fingers/wrists - so I got the JD and weights. I figured that 90 lbs. on the rear would somewhat replace the locking D. It did - up to a point! I had to be very careful mowing across hills and be ready to quickly turn downhill or back up in case of trouble with weight distribution. That's one of the reasons the first thing I did to the machine was bypass the reversing procedure. It would have actually been dangerous, not a safety feature at all!

However, most of my hill mowing was up and down, not across. The JD wouldn't climb those hills without the extra weight. So, you might want to try that, but if you do mow all you can up and down, and if you mow horizontally, be VERY careful and expect a problem. It may not happen, but you'll know to shut the blades down, turn it downhill and raise the deck (if you can). BTW, the X-370 is a fine machine!

Cheers!
TMG2M

 

[2muchgrass2mow]

I would get a steering wheel ZTR. I have one, and I got it because they were supposedly better on slopes & hills. They absolutely are. I still have a lap-bar ZTR, and it doesn't hold a candle to the steering wheel machine on slopes & hills. Unfortunately, Cub Cadet is the only mfr making them. Zero turns have a lower COG than a typical lawn tractor, but since the front wheels behave like casters, they don't perform well on slopes. And the rear diff is open, so the uphill wheel will tend to spin. A steering wheel ZTR solves all that. To get better than a steering wheel, ZTR for hills & slopes, you'd need to move up to something like a Ventrac. BTW, my SW ZTR is rated for slopes up to 20 deg.

Hey GH36:
If anyone out there is interested in a ZT battery op, EGO also makes one with a steering wheel. My next-door neighbor bought one and has used it this season. He loves it. I almost bought one myself but decided to wait until next time (if I don't croak before!)

 

[2muchgrass2mow]

Steering wheels or levers, don't see how they do anything for wheel traction. Ears are wide open.

Steering wheels actually somewhat control the direction of the mowing path rather than just flipping around like casters on a desk chair. It has to help, unless off the ground, but not much!

 

[GearHead36]

I am not defensive. If a person speaks from years of real experience vs a few personal events, which one tends to hold more weight?

What makes you think I don't have years of experience? I've been mowing my yards since the mid 80's.

I am done with this topic until it comes up again in a couple of years.

You should stay done with topic. Permanently. You are absolutely ignorant on the topic. Or you're trolling, because you're giving the exact opposite advice that matches reality.

 

[RevB]

I have a 2026 CC XT1 LT46 and part of my yard has about an 18-degree slope. Is there a safe way to mow this area horizontally, not vertically, using weights, and/or liquid in the rear tires? I do have access to two 42 LBS suitcase weights if those would help.

Vertical is much more controllable but now you may end up with fuel feed problems depending on length of time climbing and descending...and that leads to electric fuel pump in 1 to 2 psi range. Got headlights? Use that circuit to control on/off. I would not cut horizontally unless you had some serious counterbalance weight on the uphill side. And...is there less steep access to the top of the slope ? If so drive to the top that way and cut coming down hill. Dry grass only but even then slick, hardened tires and dry grass will just let you slide down the hill. It's all a finesse type of deal.

A lesser concern is oil supply and lubrication when the engine is tilted out of its spec range. If the time is short enough it may not be a problem. But then you won't know til it's too late.