Best for hills?

MAYBE, SOMEDAY, SOMEONE WILL DEVISE A WAY OF PUTTING A WEED WHACKER ON A ZT OR TRACTOR. PUSH A BUTTON... THE WEED WHACKER COMES OUT FROM UNDERNEATH & THEN... YA FLIP A SWITCH TO TURN IT ON & OFF. PUSH THE BUTTON TO RETRACT IT.(KINDA LIKE "KILLIN' 2 BIRDS WITH ONE STONE", YA KNOW? LOL )
 
I have been lurking on this forum for some time but this is one topic that I feel very qualified to address. I just measured it and the slope that I mow is 25 degrees. I won't spend the money for a Ventrac so I've tried several other mower models in the past. Every lawn tractor that I tried would mow fine uphill but would "ski" downhill because of the upfront engine. I tried a regular zero turn once and could not keep the front end pointed in the direction I wanted to go. I used a rear engine Snapper for years but always felt like it was dangerous because I could never clutch it going uphill. If I did, there was no safe way to get started again without doing a wheelie. I only turned it over once when I was forced to stop on an uphill because of an obstacle. That was a scary incident! After I finally got it to start again, it blew blue smoke for an hour. I promptly decided to trade it in on a different mower. After much research (some on this forum) I opted for a 42" CubCadet RZT-S. This was back in 2012 and I'm still using it. As Gearhead mentioned it is a zero turn with a steering wheel. It is by far the safest mower for slopes that I can afford. I CAN mow the 25 degree slope from side to side without feeling tippy, but mostly mow up and down. The rear mounted engine (22hp) keeps me from sliding downhill although I did replace the stock tires with chevron ag tires. And with the independent hydrostatic drive units I can even stop and start on an uphill without the front wheels trying to come off the ground. So until I can afford a Ventrac, I'm sticking with the Cub RZT-S.
 
One person's hill is another person's cliff.

Without seeing "THE HILL" , its slope, obstacles, even soil type, the best advice is either overkill or dangerously insufficient.
 
I bet goats are more maintenance than just about any machine. They still need to be fed in the Winter.

However... I have several areas of brush that's littered with Poison Ivy, and I'd love to be able to rent some goats.
 
Skippydiesel said:
Some words on "tractors" ;
Ride on lawn mowers are for the most part NOT tractors, even if they look a little like a miniature version.
Tractors come in all shapes & sizes, are heavy duty (compared with ride on mowers), usually diesel, have 3 point linkage & tow bars.
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Meh. If it tows, even a kid’s wagon, it is by definition a tractor.

You do know the thing with an engine at the front of a semi truck is a tractor?
 
SHB said:
I mow about 10 acres that contains some significant slopes. Started with a lawn tractor (it was a craftsman), never had an issue, but the high CG definitely caused a pucker factor that limited the slopes I was comfortable to attack. Next was a 60” badboy ZTR with lugged tires, much better, the lower CG definitely felt better, was able to greatly expand the area I mowed, however damp soil conditions could result in a loss of traction and thus control. Mowing downhill was definitely more controllable on the steeper areas when the soil was damp. Current mower is a 60” eXmark radius with lugged tires, don’t have dimensions, but the tires are larger than the badboy. The eXmark is by far the “stickiest“ mower I have tried so far when it comes to slopes. I dont know if it’s the larger tires or weight distribution, but it just feels more solid on slopes, and I have had others tell me the same. It also has a roll bar, which I use when pushing the envelop on slope.
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If it has ROPS then it is probably over 1000 pounds, which would contribute to “sticky”.
 
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