any 1 rolled a ztr?

[rdh]

i think we all should work safe.but i would like to know if any one has rolled or heard of some one rolling a ztr? i have heard of people wrecking in to trees and fences after sliding down hills.

[Administrator]

Dropped one off a concrete ditch :blob3:

[JLC]

Si senior,

I had my Scag for a week when my trailer ramps gave as I was backing off. Let's just say I was lucky that I lived through it. It stood straight up on the backend and I was able to fall off and roll just before it landed on its top, on top of me. Was upside-down resting on the seat and two front caster swivels. If I wouldn't have made it off, my guess would be that it would have broken my neck or decapitaded me. Went later that day and bought a new trailer with steel ramp gates. Also I never back off the trailer anymore. I back on and drive off. If something were to let go I'd rather have the nose down than up.

[KirbysLawn]

I didn't, but being a paramedic I responded to a call about 5 years ago in which a ZTR flipped on a steep hill and rolled over on the guy. Struck him in the foot and amputated most of his foot. This is why I use my Scamper on steep hills.

[TJLC]

I personally own and use only w/b's. I give all the credit in the world to anyone who takes a ztr on ANY hill. I guess I'm just chicken. All you guys out there with ztrs, please be careful. I don't like hearing about anyone getting hurt.

[awm]

gives me a chance to point out that ztr is excellent on hills
IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE. AND IF YOU PUT WTS ON THE FRONT.
i think they ought to come with wts as a safty feature.
you just dont want that thing flipping on top of you.
we ve all heard the tragedies that happen to farmers.
having said that,i can take my z almost anywhere i did my walk behind. again i stress,get some time in before you try hills much.
in fact if you dont feel its safe dont do it.sorry for the long post ,dont want to get anybody hurt here.

[HOMER]

I roll em off the trailer and roll around the grassy areas then roll em back on the trailer and then the truck starts to roll and the trailer starts to roll along with the truck then we stop rolling and we roll the ztrs off and .........................


No, never rolled one. Stood the Scag straight up when I had the ramp too steep. Deck got hung and I forced the handles a littttttttttllllllle too much. Dang near killed me from the sheer fear. Came down on the siderail of the trailer, freaked out, hit the handles again, straight up once again, dang near died that time too. Came back down and finally landed on the deck of the trailer. All was well....................except there was a little brown stain on my seat:D

Moral of my story..............if the mower your using is prone to do wheelies............make sure you wear a Depends undergarment.

Of course everybody around got a big kick out of that event.

Way too much drama for me.:blob3:

[Lawnshark]

I have never rolled a mower, but we just got an account where the guy rolled his MTD mower down the hill. As we were mowing this account I saw the mower and it looked like it had been hit by a train! It is a wonder he is still alive. He is fine and he loves the job that we do.

[SMB]

Never rolled anything, but after having our ZTR for about 1 year, I can do some pretty steep banks with it. It's so great to not have to push-mow them banks!

[southside]

I own a Walker and I can't see any way of rolloing it. With the atv
tyres it sticks like s#!t to a blanket on steep areas.

[BerksLawn]

Saw a guy roll a bobcat well saw it at the bottom of the hill on its side he was alright must have jumped off, its not worth saving the mower save yourself

[Alan]

I don't see any way to get off most ZTRs in a bailout situation. On my Lazer I'd have to center the steering levers so I could swing them out to give me room to get off anyhow. By the time I did all that it would be all over except for the wiping/crying. Exmark does have a ROPS, but it's so tall you could never work under trees with it. If I ever do flop one I tend to hope it's fatal, I'd hate to be crippled and nobody ever gets out alive anyhow.

[little green guy]

I never rolled a ztr but yesturday I was loading a skid steer on the trailer, I drove up to put the bucket on the front of the trailer so I could connect the auger and laod that. when I was backing of, the front of the machine went stiaght up bacause there was no wieght on the front because i took the bucket of, when in came down it went right back up agian. It sure did scare the crap out of me. The stangest part is that I have loaded and un laoded the machine hundreds of times with out anything on the front when we where snowplowing because I would have to load the bucket, then put the pusher box on and it never happened to me before.

i also saw a guy roll a dozer of the side of a trailer before.

[Evan528]

When I stopped for lunch yeaterday another landscaper was parked next to me with a chopper on his trailer. I asked him how he liked it. He said he only got it because its the only ztr that would fit on his trailer with his walkbehind anf ransomes out front rider. He said "actually im prety impressed with its durability though, last year it went over a wall.... flipped twice and landed on concrete and the only damage to the mower was a mangled seat"! I guess dixie choppers aint half bad huh? ;) I also asked him how he likes the quality of cut.... I could tell hes one of those guys who dosnt pay attention to detail... he said "it cuts like any other mower".

[Fine Lines Lawn]

:angry:

Cuts like any other mower???????????

[bam]

ZTR's aren't meant for hills, they're not stable, they slip, they weigh to much and do not have ROPS. A walk behind is probably quicker for slope areas and are alot safer. Your life is more important than grass.

We also had a death in our company from an employee who was mowing a hill with a ZTR. He slid down a hill into a lake and drowned in 6" of water after the machine landed on top of him.

I know its been said before here, you can't mow all sites with a ZTR. Be smart and pull out a trimmer or go back to the trailer and get a walk-behind.

[John DiMartino]

I know real steep hills are a no-no on a ZTR,but in all honesty my 60" Dixie can take on about 95% of the hills around here.The ones it cant climb or come back down,I dont want anyway, they are so steep they would be dangerous with a W/b too.WHy would I weant that account when there are plenty od flatter ones around.I use a 420 4x4 stiener at the Golf course,and it will climb about 45 degree angles,in the wet morning dew without trouble,you could'nt stand on these slopes to string trim without golf spikes on they are so steep.If I specialized in hilly ground,Id definetly buy a new Steiner 4x4.

[summitgroundskeeping]

but I have almost flipped a 21" mower a few times on a few different hills before. I don't use ZTRs I just love my w/b too much on residential lots. I know ALMOST flipping a $750 mower isn't the same as flippng an $8k ZRT, but I don't know where I'm going with this.

[Alan]

Originally posted by bam
ZTR's aren't meant for hills, they're not stable, they slip, they weigh to much and do not have ROPS

Now just WHERE did you come up with that observation? Other than not having ROPS (which ARE available for some of them) I can't help but think you're a bit off base. Besides, the last time I was in Delaware (slower, lower, at least) I didn't see any slope that would challenge a ZTR.

[Evan528]

Come check out somw of my accounts in PA! Ill Buy you a new ztr if you can mow these hills with one!

[HOMER]

I got a 72" Chopper that will slide off before it flips. I have to raise the armrest sometimes to support myself. I wouldn't take on anything that I thought would kill me.

[Bama]

I've never flipped a ZTR, but last week I was weedeating along a fence row and I stepped in a small hole and lost my footing. The trimmer head turned over. Trimmer line hit a small pile of pea gravel. It sprayed myself and a worker. The blood, the guts....
My worker is now in counselling. For Godsakes! Be careful out there!:D

[Neals]

Well I could say I've been thrown off my grasshopper, mowing like you usually do, all of a sudden I see this baby rabbit in front of me and all I thought was to pull back on the handles to stop,mower did, I didn't and it threw me forward over the handles and over the deck onto the ground. Well I got up and picked up the rabbit and moved it so I could finish mowing. Next time dead rabbit!!

[awm]

if you get a chance post some pictures. im interested in hills that can be mowed with a walkbehind. if thats what you mow them with and you dont think they can be mowed with my lazer.
not saying its not possible ,but ive right much experience with a walk behind also.

[Bassman]

Never rolled but have slid down steep banks and ended up half way into waterways/canals. Don't do that too much anymore, rather take the time to push mow or weed eat down there now. My come along with about 50 ft. of 1/4" cable with hooks on ends has come in mighty handy many times. Seems to always be a tree near by that I can wrap around and winch it out.
I have come up from a steep swail too fast and my ZTR front end went up about 1 foot off the ground at a very severe grade angle. Thought it might go over but pulled back on it pronto. Very scary, did not like that feeling at all.

[Grasshog]

I seen a ZTR in the lake before. No rolls.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

One of my buddies guys rolled a Dixie on top of him self and was suck under it for ½ hr till someone saw him
Only thing that happened to the mower was the seat bent a little and the steering leavers mangled

The guy his pride was vary hurt
He tried to cut some trimming time down and made the job take longer

I loaned a W/B to a different buddy and he was mowing a place called Hill Side Apt. (Get it Hill Side)
He tried to get a little gutsy (said the mower was sticking like glue) and cut some trim time off and rolled the mower down a hill
He said his footing slipped and he pulled the mower over

Any ways if we can’t get it mowed safely we won’t mow it
If we can’t trim it safely we won’t trim it

We leave those head aches for others to deal with (SORRY)

LGF:blob1:

[edward hedrick]

Tried a Exmark Lazer, will stay with my STHM Scag it may not be as fast but it's safer on hills

[jpzink]

Manufacturers are quite aware of the LIABILITY these type of mowers carry. That is why they recommend no more than 15 degrees of slope. Anybody ever gauged a hill or even know what this angle looks like. We all do stupid things in trying to get the job done. Any mower, front deck, mid mount or 4 wheel drive has it's limitations. Read the manual! Front deck mowers have better traction in reverse, mid mounts in forward and 4 wheel drive forward. With the Z mowers it is prudent to start at the bottom and work your way traversing up the hill. Coming straight down is fool hardy as all the wieght is transferred to the fromt caster tires which have no drive or stopping ability. Front decks should work the opposite.

When in doubt, use a WB.

[watatrp]

My Scag SSZ has never rolled and I do some pretty steep slopes at times. During the summer I take off my trac-vac but leave on the bracket. The bracket acts as a wheelie bar and only lets the front wheels go six inches off the ground before it hits the bracket in back. My Great Dane Super Surfer has such a low center of gravity that I think it would have to be sideways before it would roll.

[WILSON BROS.]

We have mowed some pretty steep stuff, with our mowers. Slid down hills, but never rolled one. Experienced that need for depends that was mentioned earlier a time or two. Thought it was nearly impossible to roll a ZTR. However, about a month ago I was at my dealers looking at some used mowers and got to talking about this subject. They had an xxwd Dixie with a full roll cage and seat belt in for service that had been rolled end for end five times. Seems the city uses convicts to mow road sides and offramps. The guy thought the mower would go about anywhere. I guess it did, the mower never lost traction until the wheels came of the ground.