How To Mow On Hills/Slopes With Zero Turn - Stop Sliding Down Hills
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- Опубликовано: 26 май 2017
- ****DISCLAIMER - NEVER MOW UP A HILL IN A ZERO TURN IF YOU FEEL IT IS TOO STEEP AND THERE IS A CHANCE YOU WILL FLIP BACKWARDS****
0:05 - Intro
1:49 - How to mow on a hill or slope
2:44 - What happens on steep hills if you don't mow properly
3:50 - How to turn around on a steep hill or slope
4:45 - How to recover your mower if you get stuck on a hill
7:57 - How to mow on hills or slope next to a fence or other hazard
How to mow safely down steep hills and steep slopes with a zero turn. Mowing down steep inclines will not be a problem if you know how to mow safely. It's all about the angles you approach your hills at. Safety first.
I expect this mower will last several seasons with decent care. ruclips.net/user/postUgkx1VWTrayKBdCKAjzAcZ_Eg4dhHTae3LkN also recommend Also, I ran across the problem with it not starting the 2nd time I used it. There is a safety switch which is pushed in by the chute or mulching piece being attached to the deck. I took the cover off and it wouldn't start. Put it back on, no problem. It takes only a minute with 2 easily accessible wingnuts and no tools. This mower starts up first crank each time and it is a joy to use. It also mows in reverse by putting the key to the reverse area after starting and pushing in the triangular button. It will stay in reverse mode until you turn it off. All in all, for my homeowner needs, I really like this mower-and at 70 bucks a cut here in Miami, it's already more than 1/3 paid for itself in a month.
Very helpful information, thank you. This topic should be shared with anyone considering purchasing a zero-turn mower.
Hi Dennis. Thanks for the feedback. If mower shops would routinely hand out safety guides to customers that would be a good start.
just bought a zero turn for my new property in the Tennessee mountains, day one I got stuck 3 times and almost careened over a steep cliff! I had no idea what I was doing, glad I found this video!
You're welcome Joe
Damn,you had a bad day sir!
Just learned to use the zero turn & was feeling not so confident about my hills. So glad I found your video. Thanks! Well explained & great demonstrations.
Thank you and you're welcome. I almost end up in hospital using this mower so wanted to share this to prevent other people ending up in ER. lol
I just found this video and boy I’m glad I did you’re so informative!
All good erik, have fun with your mower
Thanks. about jump on one of these for the first time and there are a lot of hills being the Catskills! Very glad I watched this first . Liked and subscribed!
Youre very welcome
Really nice explanation of how to be safe on that type of mower.
Thankyou for your feedback
Any mower with a ROPS is risky going up hill. If the ROPS is folded back don't even think about it. That extra weight on the back is enough to flip you backwards. Good video. Thx for the upload.
Thank you for your video. Looking to get a riding mower, and every inch of our yard is a slope. I have used a zero-turn mower on flat ground. I'm really glad to see your video. You did a great job showing the problems. What I would really like is the Husqvarna new automower that mows up and down hills easily. I could even potentially see paying the price (close to $5000), but I'm still working on bringing in fill and trying to make our yard into a nicer yard, so the dreaded buried wire would not work. Looks like I need to look at the tractor model instead.
Thanks for the great video!
Glad you liked it!
This was a real help, much appreciated dude, saved my ass.
You're most welcome Chris. As soon as I had an incident where I got dangerously stuck and my neighbour had to come over and help me drag it out of a fence, I knew I wanted to make this video. If that fence had of been an embankment, Id be dead or in a wheelchair.
Great video !
really helpful thanks
You're welcome!
Great video ! My boss ended up tangled in his barb wire fence the other month, lucky he could reach his phone , we had to cut him out.
Something that should also be mentioned here: Some brands appear to drastically overinflate the rear tires. I have a Cub Cadet Ultima 50" ZT, and that one was sliding like on an ice skating rink, until i measured the tire pressure, and it was 3x the maximum rating of the tires (10psi allowed, 30psi in).
I brought the pressure down to 9psi, and all of a sudden i have a lot better traction, even when going nose-down the hill. If i was to follow your advice here, i would probably mount an extra weight on the front to reduce the flip-over risk.
Hi,
Yes reducing PSI will help by increasing your traction. However, like everything in life, there is a trade off, that being, it will increase the damage done to your lawn. I guess it depends on how much you care about your grass. I don't really. I do care about losing control down a hill and going down a ditch though. When I do certain sections of my property I do place a 30kg dumb bell on the front, however doing this is very risky. As I have always said, you should only ever use a zero turn as per the instruction manual and safety guidelines.
great informative video, can the same apply with a Ride on say a Greenfield mower, with diff lock
good stuff....thanks
Thanks!
Thanks for the helpful information. I wish I watched this video a couple hours ago. Just got a new gravely zt xl and slid into my fence 😫
Fences can be repaired, people not so much. Glad that fence wasn't an embankment!
Very wise
Very helpful information for someone like me who has a hilly yard and zero experience with a zero-turn mower yet. Thanks so much!!
You're welcome
I have a Toro SW4200 (steering wheel model). I mow straight up the hill THEN reverse cut back down the hill. I have to do this 4 times to get around the sunroom. After that I have enough flat land to turn around once I get the the top of the hill. I do lean forward a little as I go down the hill in reverse. I think this is the safest way to cut my property
Your border collie or australian shepherd is beautiful!
I conveyed what you said to my Border Collie and he responded by licking my face.
After many years mowing lawns with a John Deere X540 .. itself a fantastic machine I purchased a Bob Cat zero turn and set about mowing some damp lawns with a couple of slopes that the X540 coped with and what an experience that was ...I had one or two close shaves but practice will make perfect...I love the engine and will keep both machines .. useful video and I would recommend using on a safe area first 😃👍
Thanks for the feedback
invest in some turf tires with tractor grips. It helped me tremendously.
Yes I have them for the paddock, however they put more marks on my normal lawn!
Nope. The hill in the back of my yard is always wet and I slide no matter what direction I come at it. I tried several types of tires, even mud knobby tires for ATVs and still no good. The last time I needed to pull it out with a tow strap as I was completely stuck. I decided to just let nature take over that whole back hill.
Depending on how big the hill is and whether you want to put in the effort, you may have to use a push mower/whipper snipper combo, as I used to do on steep parts
In simple terms, when you mow up the hill you have FAR more traction because the weight transfers solidly to the rear drive wheels. When mowing downhill the mower weight on the rear wheels become so light that you lose traction.
Unless you are on a Walker mower, where it’s the opposite.
If I mowed a yard like that, I wouldn’t mow up it because all the weight of the mower is on the back where the motor is. So there could be a chance of the mower tipping backwards and toppling on top of you. To go down the hill, get better tires. I have great tires on my mower and it doesn’t slide like that at all.
Edit: Since I have good tires on the mower, I could easily go down the hill, stop at the chairs, and back up straight up the hill easily. So the only thing you need is tires with good traction. Not the factory tires. I recommend getting the “Stens 165584 HD Field Trax” tires because they have amazing traction!
Same I almost died a week ago when my o turn tilted backwards I always go down hill and I never loose traction
Well then you must not have ever been on a wet step hill even with a 60 it will slide down you Wana go only up the hill or backwards
@@joshuaperson5743 If the hill is too steep to go up safely then a zero turn should not be used. What I am emphasising is that the front of the deck should always be somewhat (even the slightest angle) pointed up the hill to prevent a possible loss of control. You may not lose traction now, but if it rains or the ground becomes more moist over longer periods, this may change.
I've got exactly the same mower as this, and when I bought it and first used it, I had to change my pants a few times when mowing Hills. I got it stuck in fence lines when mowing down hill. Had never used a ride on mower before. Now, after 5yrs on this mower, I'm extremely comfortable on it. A few tips. Never mower down a hill that doesn't have a flat spot at the bottom to turn around. Understand that, when mowing down a steep hill, the mower not respond to steering inputs, so don't more near fence lines, or where they're are going to be obsticales in front of you.. Go in a straight line to the bottom of the hill then turn around and come back up. Be very familiar with the blade stop button. If I ever get a bit worried I whack the button, stop the mower, then rethink what I'm doing. When going up a hill, lean forward, just the same as riding a dirt bike up a hill. When mowing on Hills, watch out for holes. Dropping the rear wheel into a hole facing upwards is a sure way for it to come back on you. If this info scares you, and you don't have skills and understand of basic balancing in machines such as tractors, motorbikes, quad biked etc, them FORGET IT. Stick to flat ground and get a contractor in to do the tricky bits.
What happened to you is exactly what happened to me hence why I made this video.
Don't go anywhere near a hill with a zero turn unless it's properly dry...
Get rid of the turf tyres would help.
Very simple. If you have a fairly steep hill, invest in rear weights and tire chains, and mow slowly and cautiously. I prefer to mow downhill rather than up, letting those weights & chains reduce sliding.
I have no experience with this, however it sounds like it might damage your lawn. Correct me if I'm wrong. But going downhill without weights damages my lawn as you can see in the video.
@@tw1354 .. Yes, there's a change of damage. This is the difference between some damage or not getting the hill cut at all. You keep that damage to a minimum (wide turns, smooth consistent power to avoid spinning, minimal braking, etc). For example, I cut downhill since the resistance of cutting uphill increases the chance of spinning. It all takes practice, but can be done.
Very helpful video, thank you. I have to ask though, why you ignored your own rule and pointed the machine down slope approaching the chair hazard?
To show that situation and how to get out of it is why he did that
I had to pull the front end of my troy bilt mustang around one...ok for small residential machines...not really possible for a commercial machine due to the weight.
Hi RCPro. Yeah agreed. I would only do that if it is safe and within your capabilities. Thanks
Why are Zero Turn mowers difficult to drive down a slope? Why do you need to steer slightly uphill whilst going across a slope? Is it because the casters have a mind of their own like shopping trolleys or is it because they have no tread? I currently have a tractor style ride on but I'm contemplating purchasing a Zero Turn. A very informative video thank you.
They are back heavy mowers, with the rear wheels doing the turning. They are not 4wd. The advantage is, you can mow your lawn significantly quicker than with a tractor mower. The trade off however, is that greater care and technique is required on hills. Due to the unevenly distributed weight of the mower and the front wheels only acting as a guide and with no power to steer, mowing down hills will always present difficulties.
Reversing down a hill is probably the most dangerous way to do it... stop suddenly or accidentally push forward on the control arms and the lightweight front of the mower is going to leave the ground and possibly flip straight on top of you.
Yes, that is a possibility. Any method of mowing on steep hills is somewhat dangerous. The degree of danger you will be exposed to comes down to experience, technique, machine quality and being aware of your surroundings.
In a situation where I am mowing on a steep hill, I will always pick the option of having the mower pointed at least the slightest angle uphill. Whether I am reversing straight down or mowing sideways on the hill, the front will always be pointing some degree uphill. Once you point the front of your zero turn mower any degree down a steep hill, you open yourself up to the significant risk that you will lose all control of your mower. If there is an embankment or body of water at the bottom of that hill, you are screwed. And even if that hill is 50m in length and your hand brake fails or is ineffective, you're going to have to jump of the mower or you are going along for the ride with it.
I just need to go down a big hill that stays wet down at a rive...going to try backing down...hope you are right that 6 foot wall will not be fun lol!
If you are going to risk using the mower outside manufacture's recommendations, at least, on your first try, have your wife there watching (probably laughing at you) with a phone ready to call an ambulance.
You clearly know how to mow the hill best without causing damage to the lawn, so I'm not questioning the "cut quality" aspect.
That being said, I can't help but suspect mowing up the hill is inherently more dangerous than mowing down the hill (assuming there are no obstacles whatsoever!) on a ZTR, _specifically regarding flipping._ The hill at my house has a flat part at the bottom and at the top which I use for turning. I mow up or down, *without changing my speed or direction while on the hill.* ...But I've always suspected in my specific yard scenario that mowing up is more dangerous than mowing down (again key: providing there are zero obstacles of any kind nearby!) due to most of the weight being at the very back of the mower.
After 15 years of mowing with my Dixie Chopper, I admit I'm still not sure. You're talking a lot about "cut quality", and I'm talking ONLY about not flipping a ZTR mower.
Mowing down the hill is WAY MORE DANGEROUS !!!!
The brakes are on the rear, when the weight transfers to the casters the rear wheels will slide all the way to the bottom
But why should 'sliding' be such a dreaded danger in my scenario? (and for the record I always roll down without sliding) I'd think 'flipping' would be the most severe danger to be avoided on hills. I'm willing to risk sliding down forward where as you've described, my rear wheels can offer no significant stopping power. The same physics you've accurately described is my exact rationale for preferring mowing downhill (again, my hill has no obstacles anywhere). To me, sliding down my hill forward sounds safe. Tumbling down it backwards sounds deadly. ...Not to mention, any undue/uneven/unexpected application of forward power while proceeding up any hill will tend to make you want to flip backward. Whereas suddenly/recklessly adding power *while traveling down a hill* is exponentially less likely to cause a flip. I understand that if there's a lake at the bottom, or big drop-off/cliff, or some obstacle to be avoided, going up would make more sense.
Just because the percentage of weight that the front casters are carrying is increased when going down hill, that doesn't mean that there isn't ANY weight on the rear tires, or even less weight on the rears than the front. The leverage of a rear mounted engine means that the rear wheels inherently carry more weight than the fronts - even going down a mowable steep hill.
i do have same concern of the "flipping" althoug it has never happened to me(yet)
I agree. People need to realize that the driver has no control over the front wheels. With a tractor a driver can turn the front wheels off to a angle, thus negating some of the inertia. With a zero turn the driver is at the mercy of the hill, and will head straight down the hill. Only the flatness of the slope and lack of inertia will stop the mower....I know, just purchased a JD (new) and almost totaled it into a deep ditch. You are right, keep the deck pointing upward, even if at an angle.
I don’t understand that z mowers rare back a heck of a lot easier than to the side I got some steep yards I wouldn’t dare try going up hill like that on
First day with my zero turn started down a hill and it spun like 4 times and i killed my wooden fence
Yes. All salesmen of this mower should give a 2 minute safety briefing on how to use them upon purchase. Even the smallest of zero turns can be deadly.
Yup me too
I wish that’s all that happened to me, I went through the fence and into the drink.
I think I’m playing a dangerous game every time I now my front lawn which is steep than yours. And I now the lawn sideways. My method is to mow the lawn with the heaviest side of the zero turn pointing up the hill. So the right side of the zero turn is pointing up the hill when I cut. I find that this way that heavier side helps plant me on the steep hill while I go so that I don’t tip over. Still scares me every time I have to cut the lawn.
If the hill is too steep to go up safely then a zero turn should not be used. However I would recommend always having the front of the mover pointing at the least, the slightest angle up the hill to prevent you losing control and rolling down the hill.
Finesse English please.....!
What is the pitch of this hill? I wish videos like this would measure it. It would give us a better perspective. All you need, I recommend, is a 4ft level and a tape measure. Measure out sections with the 4 ft level (it has to be level) and take the height of the end of the level. Then, times the inches by 3. Convert to feet. That is your pitch. Example- if you measure 12 inches (x3 =3 feet), your pitch is 3/12. Pitch to degree conversions are simple. 13 inches is roughly 15°
Hi Mate. I previously commented that I put a clinometer on the hill and the pitch varies from 12 to 17 degrees.
@@tw1354 didn't know. Will check it out. Thanks for making and sharing the video. Much appreciated
The operator of a very popular restaurant and U-pick farm in Southern Indiana was mowing the dam of a pond near the restaurant, and ended up under water with the overturned mower on top of him. Dead.
Sad
What grade is your hill in this video?
Hi Derick. I put a clinometer on the hill at the start of the video and the angle varies from 12 to 17 degrees. I believe the manufacturer of this mower states that 15 degrees is the maximum recommended angle to mow on.
@@tw1354 What is the width of the deck on that Gravely?
I wish I had seen this a week ago
Im unsure if I should be laughing or concerned.
@@tw1354 I can send the crash 💥 have it on the security cameras. It’s hilarious.
Zero Turns mowers are for flat surfaces. Hilly surface need a stand on or a tractor.😊
depends on the tractor. I just bought a JD S170, and it slides 10x worse than my mustang50 zrt did. Plus, all the sub $4k ones now have dual pedal hydrostatic transmissions, so you have even less control over your speed on hills. Wasted $3500.
Tire chains!
Prefer it if I wasnt?
Thsts the size of it generally
i dont know about this. I cut hills that are so steep the mower goes up on 2 wheels if you go up and on thos parts i only go downhill however there is a nice runway at the bottom for me to not hit something if i lose control. It's not great but it's better then push mowing a massive hill or trimmer.
Hi, please see the disclaimer regarding steep hills. The intent of this video is to give some tips to people who have just purchased this mower and never used it
This guy to me seem very inexperienced with a zero turn! Starting with the way he hold the control handles and needing to go up or down a hill with the nose pointing up. I go up and down a hill either way with no problem.
Hi Neil,
Thanks for your feedback. This was intended to educate people who have just bought a zero turn and have no idea how to use it. In relation to your comment about going downhill either way, I would strongly discourage the practice of going down a steep hill forwards in a zero turn as if there is little grip on the hill, you will lose some if not all control of your mower. This can be extremely dangerous if there is an embankment or a body of water at the base of the hill. Going down a steep hill backwards increases the amount of control you have on the mower and in turn makes it a safer mowing experience.
Until you flip backwards
@@davidgates8943 If the hill is too steep to go up safely then a zero turn should not be used. What I am emphasising is that the front of the deck should always be somewhat (even the slightest angle) pointed up the hill to prevent a possible loss of control.
It depends on how steep the hill is. I wouldn't try and turn on the side of a large hill in the first place. It's better if you mow the hill at an angle turning at the end of the row either at the top or bottom of the hill. If you don't want to take the chance on cutting it with your zero turn use a push mower it's much easier to turn
@@davidmckinney5707 Yes this is good advice. However, there may be situations where the top and bottom of your mowing area on the hill may not have room to turn around. This was to show you to how to do it as safely as possible in the event that you did need to turn around on a hill.
How to mow on a slope: Buy the Cub Cadet Zero turn with steering wheel- Problem solved!
We arn't all millionares
Try dragging a 1400 pound machine around, Plus dragging it around like that and mess up your hydraaulic pumps
Hi,
The purpose of that demonstration was in an emergency situation where your machine is about to fall into a river/ditch or other hazard where you or someone below in harms way could die or be seriously injured. The purpose was to demonstrate that you do not panic and continue to try and reverse out of it because this will make the situation worse.
I said at the start of the video I do not recommend these methods, they are merely what I have done to keep myself and my mower safe for the last few years.
Dude if you know what your doing you'd have a real mower and you'd ride the hill instead of going up and down. I ride some knarly hills on a scag turf tiger
Thank you for the reply,
Establishing what a 'real' mower is, in the context you refer, would be a subjective process. In any event, you haven't presented a case for or even defined what you think a real mower is.
In addition, I am unsure what you mean by 'ride the hill' as you haven't explained it.
A "real" mower is a scag an exmark something that will hold a hill and not slide like a cub cadet for instance. They are garbage on hill even the husky mowers are garbage they don't hold hills so maybe go buy a REAL mower and ride across that hill like a MAN