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Best mower/tractor for hilly terrain

last year

I'm new to riding lawn mowers and, to try them out, I got a used John Deere LA100. It works fine, but my terrain is very hilly. The manual says to only go up or down, not sideways, but, because of trees, raised beds, etc. I do have to go sideways occasionally, but when doing that, it feels very unsafe. Are there other mowers which are better for this operation?

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Comments (7)

krnuttle
last year
last modified: last year
It is not the fact that the property is hilly, but what are the slopes of those hills. ie rise of 2 feet in 10.

There is a slope calculator in the manual of my JD E130 that can be used to estimate the slopes.

Going across a slope of 2' in 10' could be possible, going across a slope of 5' in 10, becomes more difficult. anything greater should not be tried.
mtvhike
Original Author
last year
2 in 10 is about the steepest I've done, and it felt uncomfortable.
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kevin9408
last year
A mower with a low center of gravity and a wide axle track.
krnuttle
last year
last modified: last year
Or one where you can shift your weight, or other weight shifting device.

On my old mower there was no seat switch, and where necessary I could sit on the fender. With the new mower, there is a seat switch, that will not permit shifting your weight.

So there is a struggle between disconnecting the seat switch or not.
mtvhike
Original Author
last year
Kevin, so which mower has the lowest center of gravity and widest track? Would a zero radius turn style be better? I'm not getting a new one until I can get an electric one, and they are over $5000.

krnuttle - yes, I don't have to shift my weight, but I have to hang on by holding the fender. My seat is awfully slippery!
krnuttle
last year
So in other word, you are afraid of falling off, rather than the mower tipping over ;-)

I have thought of getting a seat with arms, to feel more secure when mowing the slope.

Of course it could be like my first snow tires. I got stuck more that year, than the winter before I got the snow tires.

The only time I fell off off of the mower is when I was mowing of a low culvert. The grass was wet and the front of the tractor slide down, I compensated and the tractor ended up suspended between the culvert and the edge of the ditch. At the angle the tractor was sitting, I could not hang on to the seat and fill into the ditch. Other than the 3' fall into the ditch on my back nothing happened. It has made me think a lot about disconnecting the seat switch on my current tractor.
kevin9408
last year
last modified: last year
I can't think of a mower specifically designed for steep grades. I have a 52" commercial Toro zero turn and an older John Deere 265 and both have problems on the 30% to 35% grades I mow and the john Deere would tip over if I tried.

The Zero turn will do it because of the wider axle track and lower center of gravity but sill has the same problem Krnuttle does with the tires sliding when wet and with the small tires in front of the zero turn getting it out of the drainage ditch is a problem. I end up needing to pull it out with the john Deere on many occasions.

I would also slide off the seat of the zero turn if it didn't have the arm rests holding me but I guess I could use the seat belt that came with the mower. I've watched lawn care people mowing steep grades I don't believe I could even walk up, so a zero turn is a better choice for grades.

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