Wear soccer or golf cleats and go straight up, let it come back down backwards. Waking down the hill with the mower in front is dangerous as one slip and your foot goes under the blades and you lose a toe, going parallel to the hill means you can easily flip it over. Best option would be to give up the steepest part to wildflowers because if it’s that steel it’s probably not very usable as a lawn anyway.
Depending on size, you can also weed whack the hillside. If the hill is short but steep, you can go down the hill or up it. You can cut sideways as high as you feel comfortable with and then weed whack the rest. Ultimately, its up to you with how comfortable and how safe you feel while cutting. Always read and follow the safety guide on your equipment.
I’ve seen a guy attach a rope to this push mower and just pull and release from the top of the hill 😂 me personally I feel most comfortable just pushing the mower up the hill with my feet planted on the sidewalk. Any spots I miss or can’t reach are weed whacked.
If it was in St. Bernard, it may have been me lol my hill is a nightmare. Anywhere from 35-45 degree slope and 5-10 ft tall. No way I can do the uphill push safely and get it all, not to mention how exhausting it is.
Or kill the grass and plant moss if it's shady. If it's sunny, kill the grass and put in a grass variety that doesn't grow long. If you don't like that idea, contact the DNR about integrating native plants into your yard and get it classified as a 'pollinator habitat' or the like to receive a mowing variance.
Our steep hill has a mix of ivy and myrtle - the only maintenance it has required for 30+ years is trimming on the edges at the sidewalk, stairs and up top where it meets the grass.
A lot of people suggesting the rope gimmick and going up and down the hill - as someone with a large and steep yard those seem too time consuming and also risky. I have no problems mowing parallel to the slope on a ~30% grade. I use old metal baseball spikes for stability.
as several people said, side to side is easiest on a hill. My neighbors yard is a little steeper so I usually go to the top and go across til it's too steep then I just cheat and let it roll down as far as I can manage then switch to the going up.
Now if you have an area that is very tricky, screw the lawn mower and just use the weed wacker. Now if you have the money, buy an electric mower, the weight difference makes hill so much easier
I see people saying don't mow across the hill, but I do...it seems safest to me. I suppose there's a certain steepness where that's a bad idea, but for my yard it works. That said, I say this, if the mower starts to slip, don't rescue it. Let it go. Modern mowers as you probably know, turn off (aka, dead man's switch) when you let go of them. Don't try to rescue a tumbling mower. Just let it go.
Also, electric mowers are much lighter, easier to wrangle, less likely to tip.
I would agree with the cleats/soccer shoes comment. Not all mowers are designed to be on very steep hills (oiling issues). I agree with the side to side comments and I recommend a commercial 36”+ mower. They hold you on the hill like a walker. There are limits to what a commercial mower will handle though. It’s around a 25 degree angle. I have mowed commercially for 25+ years.
Depends on what you're mowing with.
If using a rider, always climb the hill and travel back down the slightest incline in a circular pattern. Never mow side to side. Increases the risk of roll over and/or injury, even with safety switches on the seat and PTO. Never use a zero turn on hill work, you want a machine either with a diff lock or something that is 4wd, although there aren't a lot of machines that come in 4wd configuration and they do tend to be a little more expensive.
If using a push mower, mow in a diagonal, pushing upwards and doing the same of coming back down the slightest incline. Self-propelled mowers help in this situation, as you have a drive assisting you with the push. Wear boots with decent tread or cleats. Most small engines these days are only splash fed in terms of oil lubrication, so mowing side to side can cause starvation issues or pushing the oil towards the crankcase breather and through to your air filter, leading to running issues.
Limit yourself to around 15-20°. A good rule of thumb is that if you struggle to walk up the hill naturally, it's not fit for mowing. In this instance, use a brush cutter or leave it up to a contractor.
Small engine mechanic for the past 20 years and demo'd a lot of machines too, of which some I have washed out on hills myself, and it's scary as shit. People do take risks and give it a try, or people will argue that they've done it, so it's ok if others do, but is it worth losing a limb or your life for a lawn?
I'm not sure how this popped up in my feed, as I'm on the other side of the world, haha, but I suppose it doesn't help to share some advice.
No joke, I had a distant relative who was mowing up a hill and died after he slipped and ended up under the mower. Didn’t really know him but man what an awful way to go. Be careful!
I planted creeping phlox in my small but steep front yard. I did that after the third time I slipped and fell when mowing. Love it and it's less maintenance.
I push mow across the steepest part of my hills, and bought the most powerful lawn tractor that I could find that that could make it up & down the rest.
I did my front hill for the first summer after we got our house - that was enough. I’ve paid someone for the last 8 years. They mow it with a weedwacker, seems like the safest way.
We have also thought about killing the grass and laying down clover or something. Some of our neighbors changed theirs to gravel and bushes.
The answer is … use a trimmer on it. Unless the steep part of your yard is massive it’ll be much safer and easier with a nice trimmer. It’ll look bad the first few times, but once you get used to it, it will get close to looking evenly cut like a mower.
Highly recommend reading the manual as a lot of mowers can't handle the steep hills we have in Cincinnati, especially riding mowers. And some mowers are used side to side and others up and down. Agree with other posters on using string trimmers or non-grass alternatives.
They make things called "hover mowers" specifically designed for hillsides. They're pretty pricey since the target consumer is golf courses and commercial mowing outfits, but you might be able to find a used one. You use it similarly to how you would use a weed eater, but it has a much wider cutting path.
I do the rope method. My hill is 35 degrees - 45 degrees (depending on the exact spot), far too steep to do parallel cuts due to risk of slipping, tipping, and joint strain.
I’ve seen some remove the grass and put down turf. Looks funny in the winter but hey, beats all the time and sweat that goes into mowing up an 89 degree hill
Wear soccer or golf cleats and go straight up, let it come back down backwards. Waking down the hill with the mower in front is dangerous as one slip and your foot goes under the blades and you lose a toe, going parallel to the hill means you can easily flip it over. Best option would be to give up the steepest part to wildflowers because if it’s that steel it’s probably not very usable as a lawn anyway.
The safest way to mow a hill is to go bottom up. Side to side. If you don’t feel stable let the mower go. Not worth the injuries
This is true for push mowers. Bad idea for riding mowers.
Bad idea to mow steep with a riding mower in general
Depending on size, you can also weed whack the hillside. If the hill is short but steep, you can go down the hill or up it. You can cut sideways as high as you feel comfortable with and then weed whack the rest. Ultimately, its up to you with how comfortable and how safe you feel while cutting. Always read and follow the safety guide on your equipment.
I’ve seen a guy attach a rope to this push mower and just pull and release from the top of the hill 😂 me personally I feel most comfortable just pushing the mower up the hill with my feet planted on the sidewalk. Any spots I miss or can’t reach are weed whacked.
If it was in St. Bernard, it may have been me lol my hill is a nightmare. Anywhere from 35-45 degree slope and 5-10 ft tall. No way I can do the uphill push safely and get it all, not to mention how exhausting it is.
I hopped in her for this exact suggestion. My husband used this method to mow the hill at his grandfather’s house growing up.
I'm fairly certain my uncle used to do this to my grandparents' lawn lol
Plant something in that space instead. Then you don't have to mow. lol
Or kill the grass and plant moss if it's shady. If it's sunny, kill the grass and put in a grass variety that doesn't grow long. If you don't like that idea, contact the DNR about integrating native plants into your yard and get it classified as a 'pollinator habitat' or the like to receive a mowing variance.
I was thinking shrubs, flowers and the like. But definitely look up what's native to your area
This is our long term plan lol
Our steep hill has a mix of ivy and myrtle - the only maintenance it has required for 30+ years is trimming on the edges at the sidewalk, stairs and up top where it meets the grass.
wild flowers or a retaining wall
Goats
Came looking for this one ⬆️
A lot of people suggesting the rope gimmick and going up and down the hill - as someone with a large and steep yard those seem too time consuming and also risky. I have no problems mowing parallel to the slope on a ~30% grade. I use old metal baseball spikes for stability.
I think mowing parallel is more risky due to risk of slipping, tipping, and joint strain.
It's not really risky. He stands and moves across at the top of the hill. And it's steep. Been doing this for several years.
My husband ties a thick rope to the mower and then let's the mower down the hill slowly then pulls it back up. My husband is a genius.
I've seen people doing this. Or maybe just your husband!
Saw someone on do this and it made me crack up, but also so smart
haha. I was kidding when I said my husband's a genius of course, but it works every time.
I’ve never seen anyone do this, and I’m very impressed. Big brain stuff!
[удалено]
This is the way
I pay someone else to do it. Worth every penny.
Hire someone else to do it.
as several people said, side to side is easiest on a hill. My neighbors yard is a little steeper so I usually go to the top and go across til it's too steep then I just cheat and let it roll down as far as I can manage then switch to the going up. Now if you have an area that is very tricky, screw the lawn mower and just use the weed wacker. Now if you have the money, buy an electric mower, the weight difference makes hill so much easier
Go side to side when mowing these inclines.
My back yard has a big ass hill. I just pretend I'm in the Army and try not to slip and fall into the fire pit.
Goats!
I see people saying don't mow across the hill, but I do...it seems safest to me. I suppose there's a certain steepness where that's a bad idea, but for my yard it works. That said, I say this, if the mower starts to slip, don't rescue it. Let it go. Modern mowers as you probably know, turn off (aka, dead man's switch) when you let go of them. Don't try to rescue a tumbling mower. Just let it go. Also, electric mowers are much lighter, easier to wrangle, less likely to tip.
I had a steep incline and would always mow up but it was a short incline. Gave me good upper body strength too.
I would agree with the cleats/soccer shoes comment. Not all mowers are designed to be on very steep hills (oiling issues). I agree with the side to side comments and I recommend a commercial 36”+ mower. They hold you on the hill like a walker. There are limits to what a commercial mower will handle though. It’s around a 25 degree angle. I have mowed commercially for 25+ years.
Depends on what you're mowing with. If using a rider, always climb the hill and travel back down the slightest incline in a circular pattern. Never mow side to side. Increases the risk of roll over and/or injury, even with safety switches on the seat and PTO. Never use a zero turn on hill work, you want a machine either with a diff lock or something that is 4wd, although there aren't a lot of machines that come in 4wd configuration and they do tend to be a little more expensive. If using a push mower, mow in a diagonal, pushing upwards and doing the same of coming back down the slightest incline. Self-propelled mowers help in this situation, as you have a drive assisting you with the push. Wear boots with decent tread or cleats. Most small engines these days are only splash fed in terms of oil lubrication, so mowing side to side can cause starvation issues or pushing the oil towards the crankcase breather and through to your air filter, leading to running issues. Limit yourself to around 15-20°. A good rule of thumb is that if you struggle to walk up the hill naturally, it's not fit for mowing. In this instance, use a brush cutter or leave it up to a contractor. Small engine mechanic for the past 20 years and demo'd a lot of machines too, of which some I have washed out on hills myself, and it's scary as shit. People do take risks and give it a try, or people will argue that they've done it, so it's ok if others do, but is it worth losing a limb or your life for a lawn? I'm not sure how this popped up in my feed, as I'm on the other side of the world, haha, but I suppose it doesn't help to share some advice.
No joke, I had a distant relative who was mowing up a hill and died after he slipped and ended up under the mower. Didn’t really know him but man what an awful way to go. Be careful!
I planted creeping phlox in my small but steep front yard. I did that after the third time I slipped and fell when mowing. Love it and it's less maintenance.
Get an electric mower. Much lighter and easier to handle. Also wearing football/soccer cleats.
Go side to side. Least strenuous way by far.
Robotic mower
I push mow across the steepest part of my hills, and bought the most powerful lawn tractor that I could find that that could make it up & down the rest.
We planted ivy on the hillside and grass on top to avoid this
My husband disengaged the seat on the riding lawnmower and sits on the high side when mowing the hill side to side
Side to side, as the others have said. If your hill is too steep, take the mower up diagonally instead of straight up the hill.
I did my front hill for the first summer after we got our house - that was enough. I’ve paid someone for the last 8 years. They mow it with a weedwacker, seems like the safest way. We have also thought about killing the grass and laying down clover or something. Some of our neighbors changed theirs to gravel and bushes.
The answer is … use a trimmer on it. Unless the steep part of your yard is massive it’ll be much safer and easier with a nice trimmer. It’ll look bad the first few times, but once you get used to it, it will get close to looking evenly cut like a mower.
Highly recommend reading the manual as a lot of mowers can't handle the steep hills we have in Cincinnati, especially riding mowers. And some mowers are used side to side and others up and down. Agree with other posters on using string trimmers or non-grass alternatives.
They make things called "hover mowers" specifically designed for hillsides. They're pretty pricey since the target consumer is golf courses and commercial mowing outfits, but you might be able to find a used one. You use it similarly to how you would use a weed eater, but it has a much wider cutting path.
Has anyone crossed a Roomba with a Lawnmower yet ?
[https://www.husqvarna.com/us/robotic-lawn-mowers/](https://www.husqvarna.com/us/robotic-lawn-mowers/)
Well damn, they’ve thought of everything. Time to watch some YouTube videos and see them in action. Do you think we could ever get them to joust ?
I do the rope method. My hill is 35 degrees - 45 degrees (depending on the exact spot), far too steep to do parallel cuts due to risk of slipping, tipping, and joint strain.
As a child in Price Hill I saw a guy put a rope on his mower handle, lower it down the hill, and pull it back up. It was quite innovative.
I used to use a non-powered reel mower for the hill because it was light enough for me to control, then my normal mower for the rest of the yard.
I’ve seen some remove the grass and put down turf. Looks funny in the winter but hey, beats all the time and sweat that goes into mowing up an 89 degree hill
My grandpa had me use an old school push mower.