Climbing curbs with a Toro walk behind

[J. Davis]

Just purchased a Toro gear drive mower with the SFS 44inch deck/15 Kaw.(T-bar system) Need information on the best way to get up or down a curb. I'm trying to keep this machine in the best condition possible. Thanks for the help.

[1st Class Lawns]

I have been using 44" (belt drive) walk behinds for about 10 yrs now. Here is how I go over curbs.
Put the mower in second gear,push down on the handlebar raising the castors off the ground high enough so that most of the mowers weight is on the back wheels,and hit the curb at a angle (one back wheel at a time) with fairly good speed.
After a little practice you won't have any problems getting over a curb.
James

[Lawngeek]

build a small ramp leaves no tire marks

[David Gretzmier]

walker sells a thing called the curb hopper i think. It is about 75 bucks and works great, and maybe you could rig a strap to carry them on your deck. it beats looking stupid when you msjudge the curb, and I have yet to do a square curb with grace on a wb. Dave

[Skookum]

Been doing this with my grear drive Toro 44" for 6 years now. USE A 4x4! Lay the 4x4 up to curb. Approach the 4x4 and curb straight on. Raise the castors so that you hit the 4x4 with the back drive tires. You'll hop up the curb and keep going forward, you want momentum, otherwise, you will hop straight up and the tires will kick the 4x4 out when you come back down.

After you are over the curb, you can keep your 4x4 there to use as a drive back down which you can do very slowly or you can pick it up and strap it to the top of your carrier frame rails if you are mowing and will be getting off the curb at another location.

NOT USING some sort of ramp WILL damage your mower. The back of the motor frame can catch or worse you can do like I did one time and bend the drive wheel belt pulley.

Rounded curbs like at many sub-divisions, can be just driven up with no problem.

[J. Davis]

Thanks for the help! I'm going to try these ideas.

[Remsen1]

I have no experience with this, but how about backwards in neutral, like you would do when moving a refrigerator with a moving dolly?

[Skookum]

I have lifted mower up backwards onto curb, but lifting such weight is way too hard on the back.

[TJLC]

I have a couple of small curbed areas. I just use my 21" for these. It's just not worth damaging your w/b. But if I had large curbed areas, or a lot of little one's, I think I would go the ramp route. Good luck.

[Atlantic Lawn]

We use the same mowers here.Try the 4x4 method. You can even cut them at an angle if you like.

[Getmow]

Carrying a ramp, stopping and putting it down-picking it up would eat up some time on a large property. Going at the curb with the front of the mower raised in second gear sounds kind of damaging. Try it in first or second with the front of the mower raised and at an angle like stated earlier, when the rear wheel touches the curb lift up on the bottom of the T-Bar and give just a slight lift. It shoud walk right up.