What's the trick to mowing grass on a steep hill with a gas push mower

[Elmo]

What's the trick for mowing a half-football field sized steep slope with a gas push mower?

I need to mow the steep hill at the side of my house which is overgrown with tall grasses and weeds. It looks like half a football field on its side, with the shorter distance being the fall line.

I don't know the degrees but it's hard to walk along the slope, mostly due to the unconsolidated soil and the slope; but it's possible to walk it; but with a mower, things get harder fast.

When I tried to mow down the fall line, it was way too hard as I accelerated down and couldn't pull the mower up (and kept falling down, which doesn't seem safe).

When I tried to mow across the fall line, I could barely hold the line to cut a swath but it was always a steep diagnal. Gravity pulled the mower so that it actually moved at a 45 degree angle to my sidewise motion, which itself was something less than straight across the fall line due to the slope.

I thought of tying a rope to the handle and letting gravity mow straight down the fall line; but it might be difficult to pull the running mower back up.

Before I try something stupid, I figured I'd ask you guys if you've solved the problem of trying to mow with a gas push mower (it's all I have) on a steep slope.

[ChairMan]

In news:hushqf$f10$ [e-mail], Elmo spewed forth:

Hire a Mexican

[Elmo]

They'd still need to mow the lawn.

I noticed thick white smoke when I was mowing on the hill ... any idea what that can be from? It's a craftsman 25" or so 4-stroke push type.

I wonder if I can find a moveable winch that I can put at the top of the slope to mow consequitive stripes down the fall line until the approximately 200 or 300 feet long by 100 to 150 feet wide slope is fully mowed.

Any suggestions?

[Ed Pawlowski]

"Elmo" wrote

The white smoke is oil getting past the rings as the motor is tipped over.

Walk across the slope and never let the mower get above you. Best move is to plant a ground cover that does not need mowing. Just let it go natural.

[ransley]

Doesnt thick white smoke mean anything to you? You are ruining your motor, you cant do it with a 4 stroke you are starving it of oil, it going to fry, They only possible way is a 2 stroke lawnboy. Since 2 stroke is no longer made, a used one. But I have a hill like that and a mowing it with a mower nearly killed me many times, push the mower up and slip and it comes running down on you, walk it down and you will still slip on a wet patch. A weed wacker is better, but I just planted ground cover and plants and said screw mowing it, a dangerous pain in the ass. Around here the State stopped using small 4 strokes on steep highway areas, they went Lawnboy because the 4 strokes didnt last 1 year. Now that 2 strokes are no longer made I guess its weed wacker for areas they used small mowers

[Larry W]

Many years ago I had a summer job mowing the grass and other grounds maintenance at a large apartment complex. We used the rope method on some of the steep hills there. If you decide to push the mower accross the slope, don't drag it backwards; make sure you actually turn it around so the opposite side is facing downhill from time to time. Most push mowers do not have very sophistcated lubrication systems and prolonged use with one side downhill can damage the engine. I remember seeing one catch on fire from overheating.

[dadiOH]

I feel your pain.

I have a pond and a lake. When I bought the property, both had almost no slope. Result? A 5-10 yard zone of muck into which anything that ventured on to it would sink. So I got a large track hoe out here and had a proper bank made in most areas...moved maybe 1000 yards of material. Result? No more muck but a steep and unmowable bank.

The solution to an unmowable bank can be either... A. Roundup and/or B. A ground cover. I used wedelia. It is nicely invasive and looks decent. Freezes but comes back (in Florida).

Oh yeah...one more possible solution: goats.

[DerbyDad03]

There is no trick. You simply use one of these (pick the model that matches your requirements)

Just swing it back and forth as you traverse the slope.

[Elmo]

I was afraid of that which is why I asked.

I wonder at what angle a lawnmower can no longer handle slopes.

I know cars are more complicated, but they can handle slopes ... and airplanes too ... so there must be something in a (slope) lawnmower that keeps the oil moving at angles.

[Tony]

I had no idea they still made those! Or maybe started making them again. I see Husqvarna has the name. Do they sell them in the US?

[Tony]

Blowing smoke may be better than blowing none. At least the rings are getting oil. Who knows about the crank and the rest of the insides.

[Elmo]

Going to that page clued me in that the real solution is something called a "slope mower".

It's out of the budget for now ... but in the future ... I think this is self-leveling slope mower (up to 34°) might be just the way to go!

The slope I have is steeper than that in this picture but it gives an idea:

72LC All-Terrain Slope Mower: This one goes to 40 and the pictures are a bit more like the slope that I have, only it's much rougher and less even and there are trees all around in my slope.

SuperSlopeMaster SSM38-72D

[DerbyDad03]

I live in the US but used to be part of a "global team" with members from Australia.

Other than the time difference making conference calls and prompt responses a bit difficult, we had a great time comparing life in the US with life "down under".

It was an Aussie who told me about the Fly-Mo. He said he had one and that they are great on slopes. He said he has one area where he lowered it down on 2 ropes and could swing it back and forth.

[LSMFT]

That's why I was going to suggest. Put a winch on your ATV or lawn tractor and lower and raise the push mower with the cable.

[Evan]

So you need to mow down a hill ?

Are you talking about just mowing grass or are their thicker weeds and small brush plants in that area also ?

Why on earth do you think that a lawnmower would be the best tool to use in that area ? Along that same line, why do you think that it would be safer to buy a huge lawn tractor just to be able to mow that small section of your property ?

Consider the following:

(1.) Using a string trimmer/weed whacker with a heavy duty blade installed to "mow" this area. The equipment is smaller and it will therefore take longer, but the job will be done.

(2.) Consider purchasing the correct tool for such an application, along the lines of something like this:

A "Self-propelled field and brush trimmer":

OR

A "Trimmer/Mower":

(3.) Planting "wild" plants in the area which will look "good" in their natural untamed and un-manicured state.

If you continue to use your normal lawnmower in applications it was not designed to handle you will eventually injure yourself, you have been lucky thus far, but I would not continue to push your luck.

~~ Evan

[Elmo]

I don't think I fully understand the "fly mo" hover mower.

Can I just tie a rope to the handle and lower it down from the top of the slope bank and walk back and forth at the top of the hill holding the flymo on the grade with the rope?

[Bob F]

A plug-in electric mower would be way lighter and easier to handle. It would have no problem with lubrication on a slope.

[DerbyDad03]

Dunno...I'm just telling you what I remember from a few years back when I first heard of "hovering mowers". The guy had some way of controlling it with a rope. Mayby he just lowered the mower striaght up and down.

[DerbyDad03]

re: "A plug-in electric mower ...."

OK, everybody that hates corded landscaping equipment please raise your hand.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

You should feel silly for not reading your owner's manual, in which it clearly tells you which way the mower can be tipped for maintenance purposes. Extrapolate from there....