Lawn mower for a really steep yard?

[Bubba Fett]

Cover the slope with rocks.

This. Rocks should be fairly easy to attain in western NC. You may already have some in your yard. A little grass moss might look great, though it needs to be on the shady side. This will also hep prevent erosion.

 

[glend123]

I have a steep culvert to mow, here's what I do. Mow as much as I can safely with my riding mower, then use my Toro Personal Pace push mower on the steeper parts, then I use a cheap small lightweight push mower and pull it, letting it hang down into the steepest part of the culvert while I walk up a little higher on flatter ground, then in the very bottom of the culvert I use a gas powered string trimmer.
I also bought an old Flymo mower which works pretty good on steep areas. It's all a real big pain in the ***!!! Alot of my neighbors just let it all grow tall, but I don't like the way that looks. Oh, and I wear 8" high work boots so I don't break my ankles.

 

[glend123]

I just did a web search, and boy oh boy have these become much harder to find: a flymo hover mower. They had two-cycle models that were touted as perfect for mowing steep slopes such as around stormwater ponds. I've always wanted one for my collection ever since I first saw the TV ads for them as a kid back in the 1970s.

Like this. I just bought one last year.

 

[Forgottonia]

Do you get a lot of sunlight? If so, you might consider mowing the level portions and plant zoysia on the steeper parts. The zoysia will force out any weeds, you won't need to water it, and it will only grow to 10 inches or so. And there are other ground cover plants that might even work better than zoysia for a hillside. Just a thought...

 

[sick467]

I bought a 60" Zero Turn several years ago and compared mowing the areas around my house to surfing (uncontrolled surfing, more like snow sledding on one of those circle saucers). The turf tires were horrible on my hilly ground especially with some dampness. Maybe a few spots near 45°, maybe!...on average around 20-30°.

I swapped the out the rear tires with AG style treads (AKA bar tread tires). It's a night and day difference on how stable it is now. I will never go back to turf tires so long as I mow slopes. Some folks have put ATV knobby tires on their ZT for superior traction, but....the bar treads are hard enough on the sod with fast tight turns. I can't imagine what knobbys would do. The bar tires do teach you to be slow on tight turns, but at least I am alive to learn. I still don't mow some areas with dampness present...it's just not right getting the mower to stop slip/sliding until at the edge of the creek drop-off...don't ask how I know. lol

Tip: Mount the bar tires backwards compared to how they are supposed to be. Mounting them backwards will give better traction while backing up compared to going forward. I did this so that I can back up and out of a tight spot better than not. Many times I have nosed the mower down into a slight ditch and had a hard time getting backed out, but rarely had a hard time going forward...hence the need for better traction while backing up hill. It's probably marginal, but every bit helps.

 

[beemerphile]

Get lucky and find a good Ventrac on the used market?

I had an 8 wheel drive articulating Ventrac with an 84" contour mower. It will not sidehill a 45 degree slope. It won't flip, but it will lose traction and slide. Furthermore, the engine will not oil properly at 45 degrees. I don't own it anymore because the cut quality was poor unless the blades were brand new and deadly sharp. I think the tip speed was too low. Also, the radiator pre-filter would have to be cleaned every 10-15 minutes in some grease cutting situations or the engine would overheat.

Too much money for too little performance.

 

[toolmiser]

I worked at a Walmart about 30 years ago. One day someone called and asked if they carried some kind of glue for holding landscape rock in place on a hillside. Fellow employee answered "concrete"?

 

[sgf13]

Goats don't mind steep land. Best answer yet.

I have goats. Any fencing that will hold water will keep them contained

 

[beemerphile]

I have goats. Any fencing that will hold water will keep them contained

Chain them to a concrete anchor and move it on a schedule.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Seems like we always worked harder at keeping our goats out of places than in...and the lions quickly ate the ones that didn't like to come home at night.

 

[nbpt100]

As suggested change the landscape to eliminate most of the grass. What little you have left pick up a 2 cycle Toro with a Suzuki or a Lawn boy if you can find one. Wear football cleats for traction.

 

[brooktre]

I cut a pond dam bank that is pretty steep using an older JD160 riding mower / tractor. Although it's not recommended, I cut horizontally across the hill. At the top of the bank (steepest part) I'll sit on the edge of the seat (high side of hill). This gives very good traction and the mower is stable, even on damp grass. I've been doing it this way for over 30 years and it works.