Mowing brush on a hill

[Gargamel]

Hi folks,

I'm looking for the best way to mow field brush on a hill. We moved into a new home last fall and the lower 1 acre of my property is growing all kinds of june grasses and such. It's starting to get tall and I'm afraid if I don't do something about it soon, it will die in the summer heat and become a fire hazard.

I'm tempted to buy a riding mower, but I'm worried it won't make it up and/or won't handle mowing the rough field-type terrain. I can drive my truck up and down the hill, so it's not completely unnavigable, but it's a definite concern.

Thoughts? I can see a few ways to go:

1. Do it by hand with a weed whacker (does not sound like fun to me).
2. Walk behind field mower (also does not sound like fun, esp with the hill).
3. Buy a cheap, used lawn tractor, hope it goes up and try not to kill myself.
4. Buy a tow-behind mower for a 4 wheeler - best idea so far, I think, but I can't see dropping $1000-2000+ for one to use twice a year!

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[KenB]

Hire somebody local with a tractor and brush hog to cut it for you once or twice a year.


Ken

 

[hilld]

Hire somebody local with a tractor and brush hog to cut it for you once or twice a year.


Ken

+1

unless of course you want a tractor and some seat time.

 

[Lump]

I have a steep hill at my hunting cabin, and I use a tow-behind mower with my 4X4 quad. It is by far the safest method I have tried. Keep in mind that many mower engines will starve for oil if you run them for extended periods on steep hillsides, increasing the risk of bearing damage.

 

[Packard V8]

Hire somebody local with a tractor and brush hog to cut it for you once or twice a year.

X2 on the above.

However, I've been mowing steep hills with small tractors and riding mowers for more than fifty years with no problems. During that time I've known of several roll-overs by guys who didn't know how or knew how but got careless. How careful and how skillful do you consider yourself as an equipment operator? For comparison, you drive on highways most days. During that same fifty years, two million people were killed on highways. All things considered, mowing hills is considerably safer.

if you can drive a pickup on the hill, any decent quality large riding mower should also work. Raise the deck as high as it will go. Drive straight down the hill and straight up the hill. If the mower doesn't have traction or power enough to go straight up the hill, take the long way around and do your mowing going down.

thnx, jack vines

 

[csp]

Depending on how steep it is, mow across the hill instead of up and down it.

That's how I do some of my hills with the brush hog and tractor.

 

[compman25]

If you were my dad when I was a kid you would just tell your son to go do it with our piece of **** Craftsman push mower, and don't hurt yourself doing it.

 

[jeepnut24]

Order I would do it...
- Neighbor with a BIG tractor and brush hog
- Walk it with a comercial weed eater. This is usually how we maintain my parents banks and hills. It goes pretty quick with the proper weed eater and line and you can cut through most of the heavy stuff.
- Rent something designed for the heavy stuff, ideally self propelled. We have ocassionally used walk behind brush hogs.
- As a final option, a lawn tractor

We usually cut around the really thick stuff and then go back with heavy clippers to get that.

That said, X2 on going across the hill rather than down/up
Also, it alot easier to keep it mowed down every few weeks rather than once a year.

My dad maintains about 8 acres and most of it hilly and once its cut down, its easy to maintain. That said, even short cut grass can be a fire hazard.....

 

[Gargamel]

Thanks for the replies, folks. I'll see about hiring somebody. That's a good idea I hadn't thought of. I may still look into a lawn tractor... it would be nice to be able to keep it maintained myself. I'd hate to spend the money to pay someone else to do it only to have the stuff grow back two weeks later. I'm a hands on, DIY type.

 

[Brandon_K]

New equipment is just as good as a new roll cab!

 

[Packard V8]

From the Southwestern.edu tractor safety site

Mow up and down slopes/hills with a riding mower and don’t stop on the slope. If the slope is steep –use weed eater. Mow across the slope with hand mowers

Guess I don't understand the advice about going across the hill rather than up and down. Of the tractor roll-overs I've seen, every one was going across the hill or at some angle rather than up and down. What am I missing here?

thnx, jack vines

 

[flyingvette]

It says mow up and down with a rider and across with a pusher.

When I used to have to do for landscaping I (or whoever got shafted on the crew that day) took a light weight push mower and just ran up the hill with it, and then let it roll back down while frantically trying to outpace it. For really steep hills a rope was tied to it in such a way to keep it running and then it was lowered and raised that way. Weed eaters worked well if there were too many people around to use the pusher safely. Out of the suggestions here I would go with the atv attachment. Or you could buy a goat.

 

[Underdog]

Spray it with RoundUp.

 

[jeepnut24]

It says mow up and down with a rider and across with a pusher.

When I used to have to do for landscaping I (or whoever got shafted on the crew that day) took a light weight push mower and just ran up the hill with it, and then let it roll back down while frantically trying to outpace it. For really steep hills a rope was tied to it in such a way to keep it running and then it was lowered and raised that way. Weed eaters worked well if there were too many people around to use the pusher safely. Out of the suggestions here I would go with the atv attachment. Or you could buy a goat.

I know a guy who took off a toe running a push mower up and down a hill.

 

[hetkind]

I recommend a goat...

 

[sheslostcontrol]

Salt would also work.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If you were my dad when I was a kid you would just tell your son to go do it with our piece of **** Craftsman push mower, and don't hurt yourself doing it.

My dad made me do it by hand with one of these:

It was good exercise, at least.

 

[Joe B.]

If you do get a tractor/riding mower look for one that has a manual transmission. They are least likely to slip on hills but they are not much fun to drive.

However, steep means different things to different people. Steep in Illinois is a gentle slope in Utah. I find that people's option of what the word steep means change based on where they live.

 

[A_Pmech]

Another for the goat.

 

[flyingvette]

I know a guy who took off a toe running a push mower up and down a hill.

Oh - I never said it was a smart thing to do

 

[flyingvette]

I know a guy who took off a toe running a push mower up and down a hill.

Oh - I never said it was a smart thing to do

 

[jdcompman]

I'll add another vote for a goat to make it 3

In all seriousness, I would probably vote more towards a rider and just mow up and down the hill. NEVER mow across the hill with a rider. I think Jack Vines hit the nail on the head with advice

 

[Gargamel]

Hah! A goat is the first thing I suggested to my wife! Anyone think I could strap one of those underground dog fence collars to it and get it to obey the boundaries?

On second thought, bad idea. We have lots of coyotes around here.

 

[Gargamel]

Update to this: I found a nice Polaris tow behind field/brush mower for $425, so I grabbed it. I can tow this all over my property with a 4 wheeler and take care of business. Appreciate all of your responses!

 

[jpilgrim]

I recommend a goat...

+1 LOL

People rent out herds of goats or sheep for this in my area.

 

[Abodyracer]

Update to this: I found a nice Polaris tow behind field/brush mower for $425, so I grabbed it.

Time for the official "YOU ****' award.

 

[lawfarm]

If you do get a tractor/riding mower look for one that has a manual transmission. They are least likely to slip on hills but they are not much fun to drive.

I totally disagree with this. Not that it's relevant now that the issue is solved, but with a hydro transmission, you're much less likely to have the tractor run away from you than with a manual transmission and clutch.

 

[Gargamel]

Time for the official "YOU ****' award.

LOL, why? You wanted me to get the herd of goats, didn't you?

 

[Abodyracer]

LOL, why? You wanted me to get the herd of goats, didn't you?

Not me sorry. Its just that you got the mower for 425 when they usually go 1000 plus.

 

[Gargamel]

Its just that you got the mower for 425 when they usually go 1000 plus.

Ah, LOL.. I get it. Yeah. God bless Craigslist. If people weren't hurting I'd say God bless the down economy, too. Lots of neat things being sold on the used market for cheap these days. The mower isn't perfect. A little surface rust underneath. Nothing I can't clean up, though. Another $50 and some elbow grease and it will be better than new.