Lawn Mower Safety

[exotion]

If you start to slide you have to accelerate out of it. Catch the wheels up and drive out of it if possible. The answer is 4wheel drive zero turn if your on a slope or walkbehind or stander

Thing with 4wd mowers is the center of gravity and weight distribution.. one wheel starts slipping its going to sink so more weight will be on the slipping tire and less on the wheels you want traction to. They would need a form of posi-trac for that to work

 

[Mid TN Lawn]

You will never have that problem on kubotas front deck four wheel drive model it is designed to mow slopes sideways hold as well as tractor. Great mowers

 

[panabiker]

Ok, I never operated a zero-turn but can someone tell me why a zero-turn is more "deadly" than, say, a conventional rider? Is is prone to tip over when making a turn, or on a slope?

 

[MRCo.]

Ok, I never operated a zero-turn but can someone tell me why a zero-turn is more "deadly" than, say, a conventional rider? Is is prone to tip over when making a turn, or on a slope?

It doesn't have wheels that change direction to steer, it steers via the movement of the drive wheels. So if the drive wheels lose traction you can't turn the front wheels for some directional control, you have no control unless your rear drive wheels gain traction again.

 

[Ric]

Ok, I never operated a zero-turn but can someone tell me why a zero-turn is more "deadly" than, say, a conventional rider? Is is prone to tip over when making a turn, or on a slope?

I don't know where you get the idea that a ztr is more deadly than a conventional rider because it's not so. The thing that makes it as any mower dangerous is the person using it or should I say not knowing how to use it correctly. People tend to push mowers beyond there limits as well as pushing themselves beyond there own limits, it's people who are dangerous not the mower.

 

[panabiker]

I don't know where you get the idea that a ztr is more deadly than a conventional rider because it's not so.

In my post, I implied that I know little about ZTR. I just read this thread and someone mentioned earlier the number of lives lost on ZTR, and that the ZTR should be separately counted from the rest for accident stats. This is why I asked for explanations.

 

[Parkmower]

You will never have that problem on kubotas front deck four wheel drive model it is designed to mow slopes sideways hold as well as tractor. Great mowers

I've run 4wd front mounts for over 15 years. They are still not safe or designed for slopes. Yes I do things on these that would make a lot of operators need new undies. But that doesn't make it ok or safe. We have had 3 roll overs luckily only scrapes and bruises. I almost rolled a jake this past summer sliding sideways down a slope downhill tire cought a rut and uphill wheel went off the ground. I thought i was done And luckily it plopped back down.
We are currently lookin into ventracs with double wheel set ups.

 

[Parkmower]

You will never have that problem on kubotas front deck four wheel drive model it is designed to mow slopes sideways hold as well as tractor. Great mowers

You ever run one? How many hours?

 

[Ric]

In my post, I implied that I know little about ZTR. I just read this thread and someone mentioned earlier the number of lives lost on ZTR, and that the ZTR should be separately counted from the rest for accident stats. This is why I asked for explanations.

My suggestion to anyone is to read the Operator's Manuals that come with there mower and if you don't have a manual visit a dealer that sells the machine and ask for one. All manuals have a list of safe operating practices and training procedures, the do and do not of operation, they also have a slope Indicator that will tell you the maximum degree of slope you can safely operate the machine on with a section on slope operation and how to mow slopes.

The thing is I've never known a Ztr or a Lawn Tractor or any mower that had a brain. Accidents on mowers can mostly be attributed to or blamed on there operators themselves not knowing how to operate the machine or pushing the machine past or beyond its limits and putting it and themselves in a situation it's not intended for and what happens the mower gets a bad reputation because of someones stupidity.

 

[Mid TN Lawn]

You ever run one? How many hours?

Yes as far as hours who can answer that question i started mowing 29 years ago commercially and had run mowers and tractors prior to that.