Im an LCO of a smaller operation in northern minnesota. Alot of my accounts are on lakeside aspects that all have some significant hills that need to be mowed. Sidehill mowing is very dangerous without the proper equipment, and currently use my snapper pro 52, but wondering if there is different mower that "sticks" a little better than the snapper. Any suggestions would help (i.e. make, models). Thanks.
Sidehill mowing: Which walkbehind?
moe sizlack
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Im an LCO of a smaller operation in northern minnesota. Alot of my accounts are on lakeside aspects that all have some significant hills that need to be mowed. Sidehill mowing is very dangerous without the proper equipment, and currently use my snapper pro 52, but wondering if there is different mower that "sticks" a little better than the snapper. Any suggestions would help (i.e. make, models). Thanks.
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I just got the Ferris dd comfort control 52". I havn't used it much other than driving it around, but it has the widest footprint of all wb's I've seen, and also has speed control overide. When you are on hills you can just make the lower tire travel faster to stay on the hill, rather then slowing the top tire down.
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Does the ferris seem to have a lower profile? Im thinking keeping the weight lower will make it less likley to wash out.
Ferris makes a nice , wide , heavy mower. They hold hills great but if they start to go they are gone where as a lighter unit you can manhandle a bit more. How about going to dual wheels on your unit? I have a friend who puts duals on all thier walk behinds as they only use them where they have to. He simply welds two steel wheels togather. They make awsome hill machines. His last several have been Lesco units.
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Never thought of the duals. Was looking at the quick 36, but without the hydros on both drive tires, it might be a tought.
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Toro with turbo force deck. These have great controls, are good on hills and we all already know the turbo force deck produces a great cut quality. Watch this video. It looks as if the toro has a nice low center of gravity.
Also the Gravely walk behind tend to do really well on hills. They to have a great cut and are very durable mowers.
Also the Gravely walk behind tend to do really well on hills. They to have a great cut and are very durable mowers.
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i hate to admit, but the hills in the toro video are not as steep as most that I have to mow. These hills are steep, and dangerous. Being the LCO, i wont even allow my employees to attempt them. But they are great accounts, and would hate to pass on them.
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No no i didnt post the video to show hills. Those arent even hills in my eyes. I posted it to show how low the stance was on the toro. The lower the better. If your hills are that steep it might be wise to invest in some double wheels for the back of your machines. I have mowed 1 place with a hill so steep it was all I could do to even keep my footing. I used a gravely Pro-50 walkbehind. Had it been any steeper I would have had to wear baseball cleats or golf shoes. I have seen some scag mowers with double wheels on the back.
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So you feel my pain! These are like the ones you describe, barly stand up and hard as hell on the ankles! Ill look into the duals-seems like the thing to do. Did like the toro tho.
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Nice video
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I have the same Tor as in the video but a 40", I can honestly tell you it is great on hills and I have yet to have it feel like its going to tip...I cut my grandmothers lawn and she has a slope on the side that is about 3:1 and the worst it has done is slide when it was wet.
Based on my experience, I don't think your going to have walk-behinds tipping over. What they will do is either nose down or just start sliding down the hill sideways as you go along. So the question is which mower is going to hold the slope longest. The Hustler Trimstar is real bad about nosing down.
We use Bobcats in the mountains of NC and have been very happy. However everyone has their own preference. But i will sat that its easier with belt drive on a hill because you can manually jerk it back into line if it gets away from you ...not so with the hydro wb's.
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I just pulled the trigger on an 08' Exmark Turf Tracer with a 23 hp Kawasaki and a 60" Ultracut deck.
$7100 out the door with a micro mulch kit included.
$7100 out the door with a micro mulch kit included.
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Thanks a lot for the info. Duallys are a for sure.
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Scag w/b behinds do pretty good on hills.......better yet check these photos out
This hill is mowed w/ my scag 52" w/b
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=184331
This hill is mowed w/ my scag 52" w/b
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=184331
Same here, i demoed 3 units on my steepest hill property's and the Ferris felt like it had more control and held the hill better. Plus they beat everyone on price too.
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