How to Mow Grass on a Hillside Lawn Mower

Mowing steep slopes 09/08/2013 20:33

How to Mow Grass on a Hillside Lawn Mower

If we talk about mowing vegetation, we should recognize as difficult the conditions under which the use of non-standard equipment with special technical solutions and / or additional structural strength is required for high-quality work and ensuring the safety of workers.

The following conditions can be recognized as complex:

The vast majority of manual and riding lawn mowers are designed to work on slopes with steepness up to 10 °.

To work in such conditions, professionals use three types of mechanisms:

– manipulator mowers,

– special purpose riding mowers,

– special cars with radio control.

Now we will talk about the first type of mowers. Mowing steep and very steep slopes, practically without limiting the angle of inclination, can be carried out by mounted manipulative lawn mowers of the French engineering plant NOREMAT.

The main advantage of the manipulator mowers, which are usually mounted on tractors at the rear, is that the cutting unit itself can be mounted on a special "hand", which can move it up to 8.37m from the axis of rotation "hands". In this case, the angle of inclination of both the main boom and the cutting unit itself changes. The steepness of the slope is practically irrelevant.

The main disadvantage of manipulator mowers. Limited working area., which depends on the length of the boom of the manipulator and the steepness of the slope (the higher the steepness of the slope, the smaller the working area). In addition, there is an additional restriction regarding the access of the tractor itself to certain points of the slope (for example, a long slope with a steepness of 25 ° will become a big obstacle for a tractor with a mower, as there is a high risk of the tractor tipping over). These difficulties can be avoided by using machines of the second type. Special riding lawn mowers designed primarily for use on slopes. These mowers can be divided into two groups:

  • Standard layout;
  • Special design.

Standard layout machines include ATTILA family lawn mowers , produced by the French engineering plant ETESIA. The ATTILA family includes several models: AV98, AV95, AV88, SKF, which differ in mowing width (98, 95, 88 and 85 cm, respectively).

All ATTILA lawn mowers have a very low center of gravity. The mass is distributed between the front and rear axles in a proportion of 33 and 67%. Lugged wheels and rear differential lock allow Attila mowers to operate confidently on slopes up to 17 ° (30%). Modification AV98 is also available with four-wheel drive on all wheels (version AV98X).

Attila lawnmowers feature Briggs professional gasoline engines&Stratton VANGUARD air-cooled, from 16 (AV88) to 21 hp (AV98). Hydromechanical gearbox provides a smooth change in direction and speed. The movement is controlled either using the handle located to the left of the operator (AV88, AV95), or by choosing between the handle and the pedal (both drives are present on the AV98 and SKF mowers). The body of the cutting unit is made of high-strength steel with a thickness of 2.3 mm. The knife is made of high-strength steel 6 mm thick (base). At the edges of the base are fixed 2 knives of a floating type, which rotate around the fixation point. With a strong blow, floating knives rotate around its axis. Knives are sharpened on both sides. A worn right knife can be turned over and mounted on the left side, and on the back. Floating knives can be fixed for better mowing grass on well-kept lawns. The drive shaft of the knife is carried out using a V-shaped belt. Knife grip. Mechanical, due to a change in the tension of the drive belt. In the case of a strong blow, the belt automatically loosens, after which the rotation of the knife stops.

Attila lawn mowers can be used for mowing very tall grass, littered lawns (reinforcement, bricks, machine residues), uneven lawns (pits, mole mounds), as well as for cutting bushes and young trees with a trunk thickness of 4 cm. All that the ATTILA mower will tumble , she will definitely mow.

The SKF mower can be used both on complex lawns (mainly for mowing tall grass and shrubs) and on "ground", since it is possible to easily replace the standard reinforced deck with a special mulching deck (optional).

At the same time, all these models have common design solutions that allow them to constantly work on gentle slopes with steepness of up to 17 ° (30%), and for a short time on steeper slopes. Up to 25-30 ° (50%).

These decisions include:

  • Low center of gravity
  • Mass distribution between the front and rear axles in the proportion of 30% and 70%
  • Wheels with agricultural profile
  • The presence of all-wheel drive (AV98) or the ability to enable differential lock (all models).
  • Powerful engine from the category "professional".

Mowing grass on slopes is usually carried out across the slope, and not along it, so mowing wet grass on a slope requires certain skills.

Technical specifications ATTILA AV98 Technical specifications ATTILA AV95 Technical specifications ATTILA AV88
Engine: Briggs&Stratton vanguard Engine: Briggs&Stratton vanguard Engine: Briggs&Stratton Vanguard 3057
Displacement (cm3): 627 Displacement (cm3): 570 Displacement (cm3): 431
Power (hp): 21 Power (hp): 18 Power (hp): 16
Fuel: AI95 Fuel: AI95 Fuel: AI95
Fuel tank capacity (L): 14 Fuel Tank Capacity (L): 12 Fuel Tank Capacity (L): 11
Transmission Transmission Transmission
Speed ​​forward (km \ h): 12
lowered to 7.5
Speed ​​forward (km \ h): 8
lowered to 4.8
Speed ​​forward (km \ h): 9
Speed ​​back (km \ h): 4
lowered 1.8
Speed ​​back (km \ h): 4
lowered 1.8
Travel speed back (km \ h): 4.5
U-Turn Radius (m): 1 U-Turn Radius (m): 1 U-Turn Radius (m): 1
Noise Level (dB): 87 Noise Level (dB): 85 Noise Level (dB): 86
Number of Knives: 1 Number of Knives: 1 Number of Knives: 1
Mowing Width (cm): 98 Mowing Width (cm): 95 Mowing Width (cm): 88
Mowing height (mm): 8 positions
50-60-70-80-90-100-110-120
Mowing height (mm): 8 positions
50-60-70-80-90-100-110-120
Cutting height (mm): free choice
from 50 to 110
Weight (kg): 285 Weight (kg): 270 Weight (kg): 240
Height (cm): 89 Height (cm): 90 Height (cm): 87
Width (cm): 110 Width (cm): 102 Width (cm): 99
Length (cm): 183 Length (cm): 186 Length (cm): 183

Video: How to Mow Grass on a Hillside Lawn Mower


Special designed mowing mowers designed for mowing on slopes include:

  • ATTILA A180 self-propelled riding lawn mower
  • IRUS universal self-propelled lawn-mowers (Germany).

The basis of the Attila A180 design is a two-wheeled chassis with a 3-cylinder liquid-cooled YANMAR 3T NE 82A diesel engine. Power – 30 HP Hydrostatic transmission. Each wheel has its own hydraulic motor. Change of speed and direction of movement is carried out by one pedal. Special low-pressure tires (0.7–1.1 bar) with lugs allow the mower to feel confident even on wet grass.

At the same time, the mower operator and the chassis itself (including the engine and all controls) are constantly in a vertical position relative to the bottom of the slope. Alignment of the chassis occurs automatically using special sensors and hydraulic cylinders. This constructive solution allows mowing on slopes with steepness up to 27 about (50%). To protect against rolling, the Attila A180 mower has a special arc, and the operator’s seat is equipped with a seat belt. A sound signal warns the operator that a steep slope has been reached. Naturally, constructively the Attila A180 can also work on steeper slopes (during demonstration shows, mowing on slopes up to 45 0 was repeatedly performed), but the steepness restriction is dictated by the safety issues of the mower operator.

The cutting unit (deck) consists of two independent housings made of steel with a width of 95 cm each (total mowing width Attila A180 = 180 cm). Each deck can freely move relative to another, which allows you to mow surfaces of complex configuration: on the slopes and ridges of hills, on slopes and in ditches. Each deck has a knife made of high strength steel, consisting of a knife base and two so-called “floating” type knives fixed at its ends. Knives are called “floating” because when they hit a solid object, they rotate around the attachment point. Their rotation is provided by hydraulic motors.

The mower has a protection system that automatically stops the blades when the temperature of the hydraulic fluid exceeds 116 ° C or when the mower alignment control system is switched to manual mode.

Attila A180 cutting unit makes it easy to mow very tall grass, dead wood and shrubs up to 4 cm in diameter. The standard situation for Attila A180 is to work on littered lawns (bricks, reinforcement, machine residues, etc.) and along roadsides (bottles, metal parts, tire skins, etc.).


Universal mowers IRUS DELTRAK and QUATRAK
with radio control allow you to mow grass and shrubs on very steep slopes up to 55 °, as they are equipped with:

Mowing is carried out with the help of a replaceable attachment tool of various types, which is selected depending on the working conditions, namely:

  • Chain mowers 105 and 125 cm wide (piston hydraulic motor, three drive belts). Equipped with a high-speed rotor for working in difficult conditions, on which, depending on the conditions, Y-shaped and T-shaped knives can be installed.
  • Rotary mowers with a width of 1330 and 1660 mm (3 or 4 discs having two floating-type knives on each disc). Direct hydraulic drive.
  • Segment (front) mowers with a width of 1150, 1500 and 1900 mm, designed for mowing tall and thick grass.

It should be noted that in productivity one DELTRAK multifunctional mower is able to replace up to 15 "craftsmen" with gasoline braids. And from a safety point of view, mowing on a steep slope using a radio-controlled mower is much safer than working with a hand tool.

Comparison table of characteristics of special mowers for slopes

Model ETESIA ATTILA A180 ETESIA ATTILA AV98 ETESIA ATTILA AV95 ETESIA ATTILA AV88 IRUS DELTRAK 2.5 IRUS QUATRAK NOREMAT MAGISTRA 73T
Maximum
mowing width, cm
180 98 95 88 Grass. 190
Bush. 125
125 Grass. 145
Bush. 125
Maximum slope
slope, degrees
27 twenty twenty twenty 55 fifty Irrelevant
Estimated
productivity, m 2
23400 11760 10450 7920 Up to 12,500 flail
mower 1.25m
Up to 19000 frontal
segment mower
8750 rotary,
flail or
segment mower
18750.21750
at a tractor speed of 15 km \ h
Bush cut, mm up to 40 up to 50 up to 50 up to 50 up to 50 up to 50 up to 100
Mowing littered and
uneven lawns
Yes Yes Yes Yes With chain mower With chain mower With chain mower
Autonomy complete complete complete complete complete complete Need a tractor carrier
Control Mower operator Mower operator Mower operator Mower operator Remote Remote The operator in the tractor cab
(joystick)
Cutting unit 2 knives rotating
horizontally surface.
Two knives floating
type at both ends of the base
1 reinforced knife
rotating horizontally
surface. 2 floating knives
at the ends of the base of the knife.
1 reinforced knife
rotating horizontally
surface. 2 floating knives
at the ends of the base of the knife.
1 reinforced knife
rotating horizontally
surface. 2 floating knives
at the ends of the base of the knife.
Various interchangeable mowers: flail
rotary, segmented with hydraulic drive
Various interchangeable mowers: flail
rotary, segmented with hydraulic drive
Various interchangeable mowers: flail
rotary, segmented with hydraulic drive

The article is published in the journal. "Landscape design" No. 5 of 2012, pp. 56-59