Walk behinds and curbs!

[eggy]

I was curios to see how every goes about getting there walkbehinds up and down curbs? This seems simple but I will confess my walk behind shoul be getting more use but doesnt because it seems like I am wrestling a bear getting it up and down curbs. It would not surprise me if some curbs are about 4 inches high at some malls. The ztr angles up and down curbs with zero problems but the walk behind ..ohhh my I need a break after gettin it on the curb.......

[LAWNS AND MOWER]

Eggy-- Thankgoodness I only have 2 curbs to jump. I cringe everytime I jump them because I know they can't be good for the mower. I pop the front of my Toro WB up and get a running start and push the back wheels over the curb. If the grass is wet I can count on hairballs dropping out from under the deck.

LAWNS AND MOWER

[TLS]

eggy,

I find just the opposite to be true??:(

ZTR's are limited by rear frame clearance. Some are better than others. And also by how high the deck lifts in the center.

A WB can climb any size curb.....well almost. It will clear any curb that is less than the height of the front casters when you pull the mower all the way back toward you (wheelie).

Simply "wheelie" the mower as far back as possible, approach curb, push handles foreward. If rear tires come off the macadam, then you have to put a little "elbow grease" into it and bully it foreward till the rear tires touch the curb. Then the tires will grab and pull it right up. Is this what you are calling "difficult"? :eek:

I've never wrestled a bear, but getting a WB up on a curb isn't/shouldn't be all that bad!

[eggy]

The first bear I wrestled seem to go done easier the my walk behind goes up on curbs! ( ok maybe the bear wrestling was bs) But anyway I have treid that method and it seems the deck gets caught and the tires spin leaving a nice black mark from the tires! It is a belt drive, maybe its out of adjustment, but I really dont belive so....So go foward at the curb instead of reverse and angle?

[TLS]

Straight on, let deck support mower, then push foreward as your tires are spinning, it'll grab and hop right up.

How were you doing it? Going Backwards:confused:

BTW the blades must be OFF for this to not get SCAREY :eek:

[eggy]

I was going in reverse..hmmm...I was going up curbs with the walk behind in the same way I would a ZTR...hmmm Maybe making some blocks or something could help?

[kutnkru]

Not to sound like a complete idiot but wouldnt it be just as easy to park closer to their driveway so that you could just use that instead of hopping curbs???

If this isnt an option you could try putting the machine into a lower gear at the curb so that when the unit does get traction it wont be marring the curbs so much.

You could always cut a 45* angle off a 4x4 and cut it to size and use this to help with your idea for cribbing along the curbs.

[morning dew]

For years I have put the WB over curbs by backing it up. I use Bunton & Bobcat WB's which have good clearance for backing over curbs.

I've tried going forward but that only results in excessive deck wear, marred curbs, sweating & cussin. So I teach all workers now to go backwards over curbs. Very quick with no hassle.

Jesse

[tsmiff1]

Not to sound like a complete idiot but wouldnt it be just as easy to park closer to their driveway so that you could just use that instead of hopping curbs???

What he is referring to is the islands that are commonly found on commercial properties that usually border parking lots and the streets. I don't think someone would be out there scratching their head over this if they could just simply enter from the driveway.
I have a JD walkbehind and was faced with the same situation. I used to go at an angle but this was grinding the bottom of my gear box too bad. Now I back it up and give it a good tug at the point the tires hit the curb.

[olabob]

Sounds like you need to hit the gym...

[landman]

OK guys we are all fairly intellegent here. First of all lets think about how this looks pushing a WB over a curb. So, now let's use our heads, All of our trailers are equipped with (2) pieces of 4"x4" lumber about 12" long, for our larger accounts we might have 2 or 3 sets of these blocks on the trailer. Place them in front of the curb and drive up them slow and the machine goes right up and over with no effort. And you can also use these blocks as wheel chocks for the trailer tires or equiptment on the trailer while in transport. Also you don't have to worry about people complaining about damaged curbs, as well as the damage to the machine. I don't know who says this on thie site but to quote him "work smarter, not harder".

[eggy]

Yes commercial sites is what I was refering too...sorry maybe I wasnt clear. Maybe the gym is in order, and a couple of sites do have high curbs. I guess I just need to find a better method, sounds like every has there own.

[Mark]

I have many curbs, i just backup over them no problems, but the 18"drive tires help. Marks Mowing Service

[lamblawnscaping]

Back up onto the curb and once the back tires are on lift the front of the mower up as you go backwards. Neither the curb or the mower deck gets scraped and it is much easier than trying to wrestle the mower up there going forward. You don't even need hydro sized drive wheels, works fine with all my belt drives.

[TLS]

I don't know how you guys are doing this reverse climb with belt drive WB's, but I've never had a belt drive WB that I could get to actually move in reverse without physically pulling it backwards or pushing down the steering levers. Reverse is totally useless for me :( , and I wouldn't even care if they didn't come with a Reverse gear! I hardly ever use it!
Now, if it won't even go anywhere in Reverse on a flat surface, how in the heck is it going to have the power to muscle itself backwards over a 10" curb? Hydro with 18" drive tires, YES, I'd back it up over. Belt drive with the little 13" tires and useless Reverse, I'll stick to going up it forward. ;)

Not to mention standing on that 10" curb, and bending over and trying to dead lift the mower by the handle bars is DEFINATELY NOT good for anybody's back! :eek:

[eggy]

Uggh that last post is pretty much how I feel to be honest.

[kenneth parsons]

I have the same problem, but all I use is walk behinds. I solved this problem by building some very small ramps and I keep them in the basket of my trailer till I encounter the need. Try it!

[morning dew]

Like I stated before, backwards is the only way we do it. All of our wb's are hydro so it is no longer an issue.

Jesse:blob3:

[gogetter]

I go foward with no problem, and I know the curbs around here are higher then the 4" that Eggy mentioned. I'd say most are 6".
Pop wheelie, let tires pull back end over, with a little lifting on the handles by me. No problem, no wrestling.

[Ssouth]

I agree with gogetter. Approach the curb in 1st gear, pop wheelie, and let the mower pull its own weight. I usually feather the brakes so I don't hit the curb hard. I'm using a 48" belt drive eXmark and no problems so far.

[kutnkru]

Originally posted by tsmiff1
... I don't think someone would be out there scratching their head over this if they could just simply enter from the driveway.Im glad that you have a far better gene pool to choose laborers from out West -LOL!!!

I honestly was thinking about those huge corner lots that you prk fields away from the house beacuse although the side street is usually quiet the main road is damn thruway -LOL!!!

And yes - stupid as I sounded, I hadnt even contemplated the island beds because 9 times out of 10 they are cut with trim mowers. Its very rare anymore that we have aprons large enough for commercial decks with the way they cut out tree rings around here, and many islands wont allow for a 36 to pass on either side anyhow.

[PaulJ]

When I was running Snapper hydros we alsays backed up curbs at a bit of an angle. No problem until the curbs got really high or those %#^ $ square Curbs. NOw with a belt drive backing insn't an option so wheelie forward or find a drive. I still try to go at an angle though. it seems to work beter if your only trying to get one side up at a time.

[olabob]

Listen here is what you do.... You lean on the mower and raise the front of the mower in the air. Then you push the mower so the back tires resrt against the curb. Now shove upward and heave. Then the tires plop right over the curb. No damage. not too much strain. But try getting your employees to do this. Thats another story..... I was just kidding about the gym...

[Albemarle Lawn]

Approach the curb in reverse at an angle. One wheel, then the next should drive right up. Then once the drive (rear) wheels are up, do a dual-hydro 180deg pivot.

Ken

[fireman752]

New memeber replies:
Been doing the pop the wheely thing with my wb's, spend alot of time cussing from worrying about hurting my equipment. And I have to agree, I run with belts also and reverse is just an "R" printed on your gear shift. First time I used it, i was left scratching my head as my wb just sat there and laughed at me.

Happy Mowing:blob2:

[bubble boy]

why don't you use the SCS casey invented??;)

[little green guy]

I don't know if i'd depend on the SCS, it seems to malfunction to fequently.

[Toroguy]

Landman and morning dew win a prize.

For around two dollars and following their advice your problem is solved. If the curbs are to frequent on an account, drop the account and let a competitor wreck his/her mower(s).