Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

My yard is not that big ,but I do have a steep hill. Every year I sweat cutting it, for my reg mower wants to flip over. I tried a front drive unit. They just dont have traction on hills. Most of the time I just weed wack at it. If I do it looks terrible, but at least it is cut. I was thinking of getting a rear drive unit and put long studs in the tires. Does anyone have a better idea?

x3 on the ground cover - junipers also work.  Another option is to terrace the hillside so you have several flat shelves instead of a slope.

Maybe those robot mowers would work good on the slope - I've seen a video somewhere of one mowing the slopes on a highway overpass.

Another possible option is to get one of those hovering mowers, tie a rope to it, then walk it back and forth while you stay at the top of the slope, just let out a little more rope after each pass.

Bigger is better. JD X series 4X4! Seriously if its in a place where the ground cover would work that would be the best route. That isn't always the case though. I mow a large yard and bought a Deere X575 4X4 mostly to push snow but there is an area at the edge of the yard where it drops off to a creek and the 4X4 works great there.

Hills/slopes are a major issue at my place. I remove the collector-bag from my mower, to reduce weight and the possibility of roll-over, and I tend to cut diagonally across the slope, rather than try to push the mower straight up the slopes. I also wear golf shoes, for better traction.

This year, I may buy a low-profile/lightweight electric mower, just for those slopes. Mind you, I don't relish the thought of working with 100+ feet of extension-cord.

Having a goat would be great, if the municipality allowed it,,,,, and buying a flame-thrower has crossed my mind as well. 

No slope is too steep for them:

a href="http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l65/caltey/?action=view&amp;current=goats.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l65/caltey/goats.jpg" border="0" alt="goats"></a>

Hopefully the pic is here:

I have found out that a rear wheel drive works much better than a front wheel drive on slopes and hills.