Walker hill climbing and oil drain plug Q.

[Jason Rose]

Everything is going well, I have about 10 hours on it and gave it it's first oil change today...the only problem was that the hex head plug in the drain pipe didn't unscrew, the whole pipe did, oil drained okay, just had to sop some off the floor :rolleyes:. Does anyone replace this rather hokey set-up with a valve type drain, and if so what kind?

Second question: I have alot of hills (drainage ditches) that i mow every week, it is just part of the lawn. My Dixon has never had a problem running up and down the slopes either straight up and down, across, or diagonally. The Walker will not go up alot of these and I need help! Mowing the slope with the w/b is really too time consuming, and I hate to be using my dixon on a lawn that i would love to put the $8,000 Walker on, and get some use out of it. I have the 48" ghs deck and low profile tires. Anyone that has any experience, with their ATV knobby style tires, please give some feedback. Yes I can see that these would tear the turf in turns, but I can be careful there, I just need to be able to run up the hills like I always have.

Thanks in advance for any knowledge you all can share on the tires or the oil drain valve! :)

[ZX12R]

I cannot climb steep grades with mine either. I have 16 hours on mine and plan on changing the oil at 25 and also plan on using mobile1. Are you going to go with synthetic?

[landscaper3]

We run those in the winter on our Walkers with snowblowers, hard on the turf. As far as hill climbing we use our Walkers on hills our Z-Master 62" cant hold! We go down slope and back up beside mowed area and so forth. Our ZTR will go straight up and down steep hills but sucks on side mowing. Either mow like this or get a walkbehind mower.

[TMlawncare]

I have a walker model mdg with 48 ghs deck. I always had trouble with hills. When the hopper gets full your traction is gone. I finally decided to go with the walker atv style tires...90% problem solved. I can now mow sideways on hill with the hopper half full that I couldn't even go across empty before. Be really careful with those tire when they are new, they will scuff the turf up. After you wear the tread down just a little they are much more forgiving.

[Jason Rose]

ZX12R...you missed your first scheduled 5 hour oil change! get the break in oil out of there! Also don't run synth. untill after 50 hours (dealer recomandation). After that it's Mobil 1 Synthetic 10w30 all the way.

[Mowing Freak]

I don't have any problem with my walkers on hills, climbing or going sideways with the atv type tires. I would let your mower get broke in first and try that. I would contact your dealer or walker if you have more problems.

[hboyd_com]

I also have a problem going up hills with my MT20GHS however the tip about backing up the hill works. I went up most of my hills backwards yesterday without a problem... only a few spots where it wouldn't climb. The back end lifted a few times but once that I got used to it, it wasn't a problem.

I did notice that I have to pull the right hand control all the way back but only pull the left hand control back part of the way to keep it straight. I suppose there is an adjustment for that but I didn't have time to look at it last night.

I'd be interested in a specific type of ATV tire if anyone has one that works. There are some situations where backing up will be a pain in the #@s and it would be nice to be able to run across the hill.

Thanks.

[kels]

I do not have any problems with hills on my mt20ghs, I have seen posts before about a tail wheel lock that will help with running across hills, however I do not have experience with one, do a search.

[mcambrose]

Get a pair of needle nose vise grips and hold the tube while you unscrew the plug. No big deal. Also, the walker will climp a vertical wall backing up, but doesn't do as well going forward up a hill, Just keep the deck pointed down hill.

[Mowing Freak]

hboyd_com, the atv tires that walker uses is titan fast trekker. If you do a seach on the internet, you can find the same tires for cheaper than what walker sells them for.

[hboyd_com]

Thanks Mowing Freak!

[MOW ED]

Oil hex nut.
Whatever you do DO NOT put a valve on your oil drain valve or you will find yourself with a 2 quart streak of oil on someones lawn with a mower that has a seized motor. I have the same problem with the pipe coming off. I just put the unit on the ramp and put a big drain pan under it. The pipe screws right back in.
It is a minor pain but not a problem for me at all.