steep hills

[Clint]

i have an account that has some steep hills, llike a 4 foot 75 degree one, and then also a hill thats not so steep, but steep enough you cant walk on it, its right next to the highway and has very thick grass, what do you suppose i do? i end up walking on the highway working very hard pushing my 21" around it.. is this what im going to have to do, im about to get my metro 36" and im just curious of how big of hills it can handle..

????

thanks,
clint

[PAPS]

sounds to me like any mower is outta the question... especially a walkbehind. Personally, I would tell the client that the slopes need to be all weedwacked, and would up my price on that account.

[A1 Lawn@Landscapes]

Make sure your boots are tied tight and use a string trimmer. The last thing you want is that feeling of total helplessness as your w/b slides down the hill and into traffic. If you are lucky, you will just lose the account and no one will get hurt. better safe than sorry.

[John DiMartino]

The only thing iwould do is string trim it,and price it accordingly.A wb is to big,and heavy to control should it get away,you may end up getting hurt,its not worth it.

[cantoo]

Golf shoes or ball cleats will make it a little safer.

[Grasshog]

I agree with John. String trim it. It might be good to sit down with the custr and explain to them the dangers. In the long run they may save by planting shrub or Love grass.

James

[awm]

if u are doing it with a 21, id pick a low traffic time an see how the 36 does, if its a large area . otherwise just use a trimmer or the 21.

[Barkleymut]

Use a 2 cycle push mower. Otherwise drop that headache!

[BRIAN GALLO]

I had a yard like that the last 2 years. Every time we cut it someone would slip and fall to the bottom! We had to do it all pretty much with trimmers. The person moved so I got rid of that headache, but if I were still going to cut it this year I was looking into one of those "hover" mowers Husqvarna makes. It's basically a big string trimmer below a deck. My dealer says you can use them on any angle.

[TJLC]

I'm getting ready to do a new comm. property that has a very steep hill that goes into a canal. I'm thinking about using my 21" as much as I can and trimming the rest. I agree to price accordingly, I know I'm going to. I've also wandered about the hover mowers for areas like these?.

[D-Man]

After you trim and mow it, spray a growth regulator on it and you won't have to mess with it for up to 6 weeks. I remember reading some research by Kansas State University that a brand called "premo" provided the best regulation with the least amount of side effects. I'm sure LESCO or Gordon's work well also. Good luck. www.Reasonablelawn.com

[cleancutdude]

A hover mower onthe end of a rope makes avery good tool for doing steep banks . i've got a lot of jobs with 12- 15' 75 deg. banks . Just start your mower climb to the top of the bank with the rope then just pull it up and down as you walk along the top .

[Runner]

Start planting the sprigs of Ivy or some other type of hardy ground cover that doesn't take high maintenance.

[Alan]

I'm trying to figure out how you get ANY soil to hold a 75° angle of repose. Do you have any idea of how steep that really is? Even a 21" won't stay upright on that sort of slope.