Mowing Steep Hillside

[Mongoose]

I need to figure out a safe solution to a steep grass hillside. Leaving the stupid thing isn't an option as we have community fines if grass/ground cover get over 8 inches tall. The hill is about 15 feet (terraced flat lots with steep hillsides in between) and steep enough I can't consistently stand on the face. It would be a black or more ski run (if it were longer). Hubby can't stand on it either. Today I tried with a weedwacker and fell down the hill again. I'm here by myself with two littles a lot and would like to avoid a disaster.

Things I've tried:

1) reel mower. I can't seem to push this up the hill.
2) self-propelled push mower. It won't drive up the hill and stalls when going across the face. Perhaps a gas flow problem.
3) weedwacker. Works if I could manage not to kill myself.
4) hedge trimmers (those big scissors). These don't seem to cut grass well?
5) scissors. This worked but it would be nice to have a faster option. The hill is about 2300 square feet of surface area.

I'm very concerned about injuring myself. I've fallen down the hill with the reel mower and now the weed wackier. I've also lost control of the self-propelled mower but wasn't where it landed. I actually fell down it when out hand trimming with the scissors/hedge clippers but could avoid it then by laying down ("lounge cutting" as it were). Hubby hasn't had any better luck staying on his feet.

We can't pay anyone to cut it and don't want to destabilize the slope. If we were staying here long-term I would probably opt for short ground cover so we wouldn't have to mow it and it would never get over 8 inches high.  We want to be out of this house/area in 2-4 years for other reasons so something cheap that won't turn off potential buyers would be great.

Any brilliant suggestions?

[TheBuddha]

A goat?

[lizzzi]

Try googling "how to mow on a slope" or something like that. Also look for hover mowers on Youtube...apparently they are used for slopes. There is also on Youtube a mower called 22T GOAT that looks exactly like a little tank...with those tracks on the bottom like a tank. It is robotic and mows by itself. I also saw a suggestion to wear sturdy shoes/boots with good ankle support and cleats or spikes when you are dealing with mowing a slope. You could try using a regular power mower and pushing it downward (so it can't fall on top of you, I guess), or try mowing at a diagonal instead of straight up and down.

[zolotiyeruki]

Is it an option to change the landscaping? plant bushes?  terrace the yard? 

I have a sister who put in a few rain gardens, using native plants and arranging things to catch and retain rain water.  Reduced erosion, looks nice, and helps the rest of the lawn grow by retaining that water.

[FIRE me]

A few suggestions.

Get some boots with deeply treaded soles. If that fails, use sport shoe cleats.

Try a different push / self propelled mower, and cut side to side not going up and down the hill. Up and down is unsafe, don't ever do it that way.

If no luck with the different mower, use the weed whacker while wearing cleats.

[TheBuddha]

Hire a neighborhood kid to do it?

[Argyle]

I know someone who died from getting tangled up in a mower on a steep roadside.  For that reason I would be very careful, and I wouldn't hire a local kid to do it.

[TheBuddha]

Hire a day laborer to do it? (with a reel mower or scissors if it's otherwise dangerous)

[patrat]

Injuries matter. Avoid things that are proven likely to hurt you, such as falling down this hill. Even a single broken bone can make you near useless for taking care of the littles, compare the price of two months of daycare vs solving the problem.

Powered mowers are ruled out. Walking on the hill without traction spikes is too. If you must do it in the short term, get kahtoola microspikes for traction and use the string trimmer or reel mower, its less likely to amputate you.

The real answer is to invest in a solution to keep you from mowing that steep hill. Replant shorter cover, starve it for water, cover in stabilized rock, or terrace it. If you terrace well, you now have a great vegetable garden area, and a selling point if you own the property. Keep the terraces under a set height (forgot what) and professionals and permits are not typically needed.

Maybe even consider deliberately killing the grass until you can solve it for good.

[MsPeacock]

Is it an option to change the landscaping? plant bushes?  terrace the yard? 

I have a sister who put in a few rain gardens, using native plants and arranging things to catch and retain rain water.  Reduced erosion, looks nice, and helps the rest of the lawn grow by retaining that water.

+1  - this is what I did w/ my front slope. It was extremely difficult to mow and steep, only about 15-20 feet long x length of my front yard. I ripped out all the grass, had the area tilled, put down weed block, planted a bunch of bushes and perennials, got free wood chips and covered up the weed block. That was about 4 years ago and the plants look great, filled in really well, and it is much easier to take care of (and more attractive).

In this area I have seen landscape guys handled a steep slope by tying a rope to the bar of the power mower and lowering it up and down the hill. I personally would not have the strength to do this, but it seems safer than trying to actually walk on an overly steep hill w/ a mower or weed wacker or whatever.

[JAYSLOL]

Landscaper here.  Why won't the self-propelled mower go up the hill?  Because of the stalling?  Not enough power?  Hill too bumpy or soil too soft for the mower wheels?  Is the cutting deck set too low?  Try borrowing a neighbours lawnmower, just because yours is stalling and having a hard time climbing the hill doesn't mean another mower couldn't do it.  A commercial honda mower can pretty much climb a wall.  Use the power of the wheels to help keep it straight as you mow across the slope by pointing the mower slightly uphill as you walk

[Fishindude]

Mowing a steep hill like that sucks, and is dangerous.
I would plant it in a landscaping material that you won't have to mow.  A low growing viney material like crown vetch would work here.

[OldDogNewTrick]

Get thee to a local nurseryman, (or nurserywoman), who specialize in xeriscaping/local plant landscaping. There is no doubt a low-growing groundcover that meets your zone requirements. Put a few flowering ornamental trees up at the same time. Envy of the neighborhood.

[Mongoose]

Landscaper here.  Why won't the self-propelled mower go up the hill?  Because of the stalling?  Not enough power?  Hill too bumpy or soil too soft for the mower wheels?  Is the cutting deck set too low?  Try borrowing a neighbours lawnmower...

A combination of all of these problems. Across the hill stalls the motor in both directions. Maybe a gas flow issue? The self propelled doesn't have enough power  to go up/down or across (combined with my lack of strength to keep it up). It drifts downslope until it stalls. The hill is very bumpy and soft...and infested with rabbits and moles. Both neighbors lawn mowers (different brands from ours) did the same. The neighbors have less steep hills to contend with and their mowers work fine on their slopes. We got the steepest one.

cut side to side not going up and down the hill. Up and down is unsafe, don't ever do it that way.

Thanks. We will stop doing this. We were trying to get further between having to restart between stalls and going up at diagonal. It was a wrestling match to keep the mower from rolling. We're going to institute a " no mower on the hill rule" and look into terraces. We don't want to destabilize the slope. The uphill neighbor is the local judge.😬

In the meantime, we can scissor or cleat/weedwacker it. I am very sore today from yesterday's crash.

After reading the replies I'm hopeful that doing something permanent might help the house sell. We're in a farming area where gardening is very popular.

Anyone have a rule of thumb for terrace widths? (Something that would be easy to engineer).

[pbkmaine]

Clover or pine straw.

[JAYSLOL]

Landscaper here.  Why won't the self-propelled mower go up the hill?  Because of the stalling?  Not enough power?  Hill too bumpy or soil too soft for the mower wheels?  Is the cutting deck set too low?  Try borrowing a neighbours lawnmower...

A combination of all of these problems. Across the hill stalls the motor in both directions. Maybe a gas flow issue? The self propelled doesn't have enough power  to go up/down or across (combined with my lack of strength to keep it up). It drifts downslope until it stalls. The hill is very bumpy and soft...and infested with rabbits and moles. Both neighbors lawn mowers (different brands from ours) did the same. The neighbors have less steep hills to contend with and their mowers work fine on their slopes. We got the steepest one.

cut side to side not going up and down the hill. Up and down is unsafe, don't ever do it that way.

Thanks. We will stop doing this. We were trying to get further between having to restart between stalls and going up at diagonal. It was a wrestling match to keep the mower from rolling. We're going to institute a " no mower on the hill rule" and look into terraces. We don't want to destabilize the slope. The uphill neighbor is the local judge.😬

In the meantime, we can scissor or cleat/weedwacker it. I am very sore today from yesterday's crash.

After reading the replies I'm hopeful that doing something permanent might help the house sell. We're in a farming area where gardening is very popular.

Anyone have a rule of thumb for terrace widths? (Something that would be easy to engineer).

Yeah, could be fuel issue, could also be oil, at that angle oil could be getting into all sorts of places it shouldn't be while running.  Usually you start seeing some smoking if this is the case.  It's hard to do much other than weed whacking when the hill is soft and bumpy.  I would also check with a local nursery on low ground cover plants that work in your area or if it's in your budget do some terracing.  Good luck!

[Playing with Fire UK]

The way I've seen it done:

Get a lightweight electric hover mower (and long extension lead), tape/velcro the handle to keep it running. Stand at the top of the hill and tie the mower to a rope (and tape the rope to the power cord). Use a pendulum action to swing the mower over the grass getting lower and lower, then collect the grass from the bottom.

[enigmaT120]

I bought some soccer cleats at a second hand store and wear them when I mow our slope.  A self-propelled Craftsman mower a guy from work gave me (and I made a new control cable for) makes it up most of the hill, but like others said, I usuallly go diagonally.  The cleats work great, no more having my feet slide out from under me and go under the mower deck.  OK that never happened, but I came close.

For the very steep parts I do use a brush cutter (weed whacker on steroids, it's a forestry tool) and use the soccer cleats.  Not falling down is good.

[JLR]

I once saw someone with a rope tied to their mower handle, lowering it down a steep slope, then pulling it back up.

[Monkey Uncle]

Not sure just how steep your slope is, but I mow a slope that is probably 60%+ in some areas using a weed whacker.  I wear lug sole boots and only mow when the grass is dry.  I have fallen a few times, but it's a rare occurrence.  I have developed mild tendonitis in one of my ankles, which I suspect is due to standing/walking on this slope.  So, good ankle support is important.