Zero Turn Recs for Hills/Slopes

Hustler/big dog

Have a 10 year old Gravley ZT42 with a hilly yard, maybe 25' change over my lot. Doing it again, I might have bought a tractor style. Zero turn on the hills are tricky and one wrong move and your skidding and sliding leaving a nice bare spot from the tire stripping the grass. Really takes some finesse and it is the sole reason my 13 year old son hasn't started to mow yet. I can mess up in a hurry, so I know he'll leave the yard without any grass left.

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Have a 10 year old Gravley ZT42 with a hilly yard, maybe 25' change over my lot. Doing it again, I might have bought a tractor style. Zero turn on the hills are tricky and one wrong move and your skidding and sliding leaving a nice bare spot from the tire stripping the grass. Really takes some finesse and it is the sole reason my 13 year old son hasn't started to mow yet. I can mess up in a hurry, so I know he'll leave the yard without any grass left.

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We use this mower at the camp and this week discussed selling it bc it does so poorly on the hills. Slides too much, switching to lawn tractor.

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Zero Turn Recs for Hills/Slopes

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No opinion on the mower but this type tire works really good on side slopes.

Don’t waste your money just replacing tires on a lap bar zero turn.
Problem is there is no stability or control of the front tires. You will end up pumping one lap bar more than the other to keep from slipping.

All a tractor doing is controlling the front tires similar to a steering wheel zero turn. Steering wheel zero turn will just do it faster versus a tractor.

We have an older Hustler FasTrak 54" which has been a great machine and I will buy one again if ours ever wears out. It cuts well, very reliable and easy to operate. The recommendation from Hustler on this particular machine is not to exceed 15 degree slopes. We have put ours on slopes more than this but you must be very careful. It is easy to find yourself on an uncontrolled ride down the hill - as mentioned earlier. NOT FUN. Mowing straight up and down helps and make sure the grass is dry.

You raise a very valid question - I would look at the slope spec's for any ZTR you consider.

Grasshopper 729 with 61" deck & Traction lug tires. The side of the driveway and the road ditch are so steep (approx.33 degrees) that If the grass is too wet you will slide downhill sideways. They can only be cut when it is fairly dry but it works great then.

I’ve got a 15 year old abused Gravely.
Can’t kill that sum bitch

Cub has the patent on their steering wheel system. It is designed to control the front wheels and also make the transmissions work in unison.

The residential unit RZT SX line in the $3k area some closer $4k for your use is all you need. The upper level stuff showing that they are in this category.

I did try this will all the units I stocked just for curiosity.
An equivalent lap bar versus the same unit except with a steering wheel the steering wheel will beat it hands down. You have less fighting of the front caster wheels. Everything runs as one unit. It has its place on hilly terrain or with people who cannot use or do not like lap bars.

On hills the design to keep the front where the caster wheels are from dropping.

I find in areas where there is flat lands my locations sell a few steering wheel units to older people, women, families with multiple users, or people who have limited use of hands due to stroke/ injuries. I have friends who are dealers in Louisiana that sell a few as they deal with slopes around rivers or people who do not want to deal with lap bars.

In hilly areas that where I sell 90% of these versus even your higher level lawn tractors.
Time is again money or for residential customers time spend with family.

Of course use common sense the residential a good unit 2 acres ballpark or less and you are not cutting sharper slopes which a lawn tractor will not do also. What the person is asking above it is fine for most of his application and the price is right. This is a great solution for him.

My number one selling category Z force steering wheel units as where my dealer is that sells them has more larger property owners. For someone with an acre they are buying way more unit than they need. This is 2 to 4 acre machine.

I do sell some Pro Z steering wheel units that mostly to landscapers that cut 90% hilly areas. Lap bar units will not cut it. Again, time is money for these professionals.

Pro and ProZ 972 that competing in the Professional or municipal category. You are not selling these everyday as the price tag reflects that. In its category it does just as well as solutions from other brands which cost well over $20k. This solution right under $20k and been very solid unit. The agencies that bought them love them and done well which is sewage pond levees, levees, parks dept with hilly areas that required osha certified units per a certain slope, and even municipal agencies in hilly areas. In those situations it is an easy sell as it has a great price tag and been a solid unit. I sell other solutions while this solution sold the best and have less service issues after the sale.

I have a Cub Cadet LTX1046KW that will need to be replaced soon. My house lot is built up and the one side and the back are sloped for about 20ft. at 20 to 23 degrees. My current mower handles the fine. Would the equivalent in a "lap bar" zero turn be ok,? The rest of the yard aprox. 1.5 acres if relatively flat.