Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations pond dam mowing-slope safety

i bought a new jd 3038 with a brush cutter about a month ago. the cutter cuts well enough to use as a finish mower, especially on the back of the dam. just curious if any of yall mow with a farm tractor. if so, how steep of a slope do you mow? we currently are using a zero turn, but this year i would like to let the grass grow a little taller and mow with tractor. i just dont wanna flip that unit over!

I have been using a DR All Terrain brush mower. It is walk behind, but I definitely feel safer on slopes than I would on a tractor. That being said, I still avoid going along the side of the slope.

The back of my dam is too steep for anything, but a walk behind.
I'm just going to let it grow. If I get trees starting, I'll have to take them out with a saw.
I've just got a lawn tractor for mowing around the pond. I tried taking my small tractor with a brush cutter, didn't feel comfortable on the slopes, and I do not get a nice cut with it.

The back of my dam is somewhere between 20 deg and 30 deg. at it's steepest. I use my tractor and brush cutter but only going downhill in the lowest gear to keep speed to a minimum. There is very little of the dam where I'd feel comfortable going sideways but, then again, I'm not really comfortable going downhill. I'm glad I only do it once per year.

I have a 1/3 acre area that borders my pond and a strip of about 30' all the rest of the way around. I like djstauder only mow once a yr and that's only to keep ahead of the Cottonwoods, Milkweed and Thistles. My dam is a 4 to 1 slope and my z turn will slide on it. I would not consider using my tractor on it. I mow a strip of 5' right next to the water but that is all flat. The critters like the unmowed portion and it catches leaves in the fall. Be safe.

FWIW, per their respective owner's manuals, I think you will find that, in general, Lawn Tractors and Zero-Turns are not designed to mow on slopes steeper than 15 degrees.

Bill, what is the degree on a 4-1 slope, also a 3-1?

Bob,

A 4:1 is about 14 degrees
A 3:1 is about 18.4 degrees

I mow the back of my levee straight up or straight down, with a 3 pt hitch bush hog mower, in 1st gear. And like others I do it rarely, and in my case only on a portion of the levee. The 'steep' part gets burned annually and that's it.

It's certainly not worth it to risk life and limb to have a pretty patch of grass IMHO.

I also have a 3038E JD tractor.

The rear wheel tread is not adjustable like larger tractors so the wheels can not be set out wider. That is one of the best things to do to make a tractor more stable on slopes, widen the tread width to widest available. Can't do it on this tractor.

One thing that will help a lot for not only stability on side hills, but also for loader use is to put ballast on and in the rear tires. I have two sets of cast wheel weights and also had the rear wheels filled 75% with windshield washer fluid. Most ag tire dealers can do this. You can get more weight with a clacium chloride solution but if you get any leaks it rusts the rims terrible. The windshield washer fluid (available in 55 gallon bulk barrels) will not freeze and will also not rust the rims.

Adding adequate ballast to the rear wheels lowers the center of gravity.

If you have a loader on and are mowing on a side hill, never raise the loader up in the air over a few inches. Keep the bucket as close to the ground without it being a problem hitting. This also will lower the center of gravity compared to a loader lifted higher.

A belly mower will be more stable than a rear mower. I use both a 5' rear rotary mower and also a 72" rear finish mower. Both will try to pull the back of the tractor down hill where as a center mounted mower will be balanced between the front and rear wheels.

I do not use my 3038 on the back of my dam generally, though it is a low enough slope I can (barely). I either use a 15' flex wing mower behind a much larger tractor or if I want it finished looking for a party or get together or something I use my 72" Bad Boy Outlaw XP zero turn mower. It has a significantly lower center of gravity and a significantly wider wheel tread than my 3038. Plus it does a significantly better job than the tractor finish mower.

Mowing a slope up and down you can mow a significantly steeper slope as mentioned. But you have to have a suitable safe turn around area top and bottom (turning up hill on a slope that is steep is the last thing you want to do). About half of my dam backside is bordered by a small creek with a drop off.

Hope some of that info helps.

This looks like an interesting option

https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grd/5417785018.html

I still use a Weedeater.

Can't be mowed safely with your tractor. You can get a sickle mower and mow some on both top and bottom then let the middle go.

I am looking at building some outriggers for my zero turn but not sure if they will work, or if my motor is designed to operate at those angles. Mine is closer to a 3:1

RAH, that is an interesting lookin little diesel. Is the 4 wheel drive an advantage on a grade? It looks to have a much lower center of gravity than my Fordson Super Major but with those turf tires I'd think it would slide. Bad assumption on my part?

Never used one but they appear to be good on slopes (based on a Google search) and the 4wd definitely helps. My 4wd utility tractor is definitely better than the 2wd units I grew up driving. I would think ag or construction tires would improve things over turf tires, but on dry grass, I bet this articulated tractor would work very well. The one being advertised does have some age on it.

I don't think some small engines are designed to operate while tilted to one side or the other. Maybe one of our mechanics will comment?

I use my DR All Terrain mower as straight up and down slopes as I can. It has a lockable differential. No problem mowing the pond bank as long as it is dry. Probably most pond banks only need mowing every couple of months in the growing season. Grass is good; woody brush is not.

Splash lubricated small engines are more sensitive to their orientation where lubrication is concerned than are pressure lubed engines, but there is still a limit to what you can get away with.

My take is simple, albeit probably unpopular: if the terrain is steep enough that you're worried about starving your engine of oil, no matter what engine we're talking about, you're trying to mow someplace you probably shouldn't be, period.

As others have said, mowing up and down the slope is best, provided you have room to turnaround. If the slope is too steep you'll know it, because the wheels will lose traction and the tractor will slide down the slope.

I also use my tractor to mow the pond side of my dam, and it's fairly steep. I carefully back down the slope at a slight diagonal angle till the mower's crazy wheel hits the water, then I stop and drive back up the slope. I repeat this process, moving over slightly on the uphill portion of each pass as I progress along the length of the dam.

FWIW My Dad always told me that when your mowing across a slope, if the uphill front tire stops making a good impression in the grass, then your on too steep a slope.

My take is also simple.

I have recently discovered that I am not Invincible and have had the L3540 in a few precarious situations, which elevated my blood pressure and heart beat, not to mention the "Oh Crap" Total Awareness, that is an integral slow motion, but high speed component of realization at the time.

Hey, didn't pee my pants tho

Just be careful.

My favorite is still the brilliant person who posted something that is very true, and won't be found in any medical textbook. I wish I can find it, but in one of the posts someone mentioned (please take credit if it was you...) that when your anal sphincter tightens, you are on too steep of a slope.

The thing I like about that comment is that it is something we all have experienced but probably never realized it was happening until somebody else pointed it out.

Second, somehow our bodies sense of position in space, and our innate sense of danger figures this out right at the instant where the danger is real, but usually while the mower or tractor is still all 4 wheels on the ground and not YET sliding. How does our brain/body figure this out?

As ive been bldg my pond I made sure my Kubota B23 tractor 4x4 w/a 60" belly mower could stay on the slopes. I also have a front end loader that I keep as close to the ground as possible. With that 60" mower it really helps to keep the tipping to a minimal.

Also, I had the dozer operator cut the slopes down several times to make sure I could mow it and it still has a pretty high pucker factor when I get close to the edge. I don't even have any grass yet but I'm ready for it, i hope.