Mowing a steep hill

[DublinLadd]

I just picked up a job that has a steep hill on it an I cant get my mower up it without alot of proplems. I first tried a self propelled 22" cut and broke the front wheel off. The next weak I used a 36" Gravley walk behind. It wasnt as bad but still had to do alot of hard pushing. Is there any easier way to do this hill. maybe aggressive tires for the Gravley?
Thanks in advance
Dublin Ladd

[Eric ELM]

A more aggressive tire will help if they are spinning. I had a steep hill I used to do with my JD 430 and with turf tires, it would not climb the hill, but with bar tires, it was no problem.

When I got my first DC it had turf tires, so I had to do it with the JD until I got my second Chopper and it had the bar type tires in it and it climbed it OK too. Tires will make a big difference.

[Ground Pounder]

It seems my route is plagued with hills. I have a 52" eXmark Turf Tracer W/B. If I mow the hills at a diagonal it seems to help. I don't have any problems with slipping, but at one point, the front of the machine began to come up off the ground. That's when I switched from straight up and down to diagonal.

I feel the safest way is to use a walk-behind. You can't even use a sulky. Riders are just too squirrelly on hills. JMHO.

[mdb landscaping]

i guess joshua should have an opinion. he seems to be the hill master. well, im just messing around, but yeh, walk behinds on the diagonal seem to work best for me.

[Eric ELM]

mdb, be careful or he will have you out pounding salt with the rest of them. ;)

That must be a North Eastern saying. Is that like rubbing salt into a wound?

Hills can be very dangerous. This is where most lawnmower accidents happen, so avoid them if possible and Be SAFE. We don't need any members hurt.

[awm]

see if you can talk the owner into blue rug juniper or something for the hill.

[CSRA Landscaping]

good idea

[TJLC]

I give all the credit in the world to you guys who do steep slopes wit a ztr. I use w/b's on my slopes. No, I won't take any stabs at Joshua, on this one. LOL. Good luck and be careful out there.

[yorkpaddy]

one time my mower torqued back coming up a hill (deck up in the air), then I had to steer around something, well i lost control of the mower, and it headed downhill, I cought it before it hit the house. Then I talked to the customer and dropped them.

another time i was doing this small section 10x40 on a very steep hill, with the rest of the yard at the top of the hill. I got stuck at the bottom, and couldn't get the mower back up. So I had to drive it through the woods, luckily there was a parkway on the otherside, where i was able to pick it up