On Sun, 13 Jun 2010 12:03:31 -0400, "Twaynes" wrote:

In ,
DerbyDad03 typed:
On Jun 11, 1:57 pm, "Bob F" wrote:
Elmo wrote:
What's the trick for mowing a half-football field sized
steep slope with a gas push mower?

I need to mow the steep hill at the side of my house
which is overgrown with tall grasses and weeds. It looks
like half a football field on its side, with the shorter
distance being the fall line.

I don't know the degrees but it's hard to walk along the
slope, mostly due to the unconsolidated soil and the
slope; but it's possible to walk it; but with a mower,
things get harder fast.

When I tried to mow down the fall line, it was way too
hard as I accelerated down and couldn't pull the mower up
(and kept falling down, which doesn't seem safe).

When I tried to mow across the fall line, I could barely
hold the line to cut a swath but it was always a steep
diagnal. Gravity pulled the mower so that it actually
moved at a 45 degree angle to my sidewise motion, which
itself was something less than straight across the fall
line due to the slope.

I thought of tying a rope to the handle and letting
gravity mow straight down the fall line; but it might be
difficult to pull the running mower back up.

Before I try something stupid, I figured I'd ask you guys
if you've solved the problem of trying to mow with a gas
push mower (it's all I have) on a steep slope.

A plug-in electric mower would be way lighter and easier
to handle. It would have no problem with lubrication on a
slope.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"A plug-in electric mower ...."

OK, everybody that hates corded landscaping equipment
please raise your hand

Electric CAN be great, depending on how long the extension cord would be.
Next time you're in the store or online, check the wire gauge and length it
can be used with. The lower the GA number, the longer the Feet in length the
cord can be. Most stock cords seem to be only 18 Ga and I've seen them as
large as 12 Ga, but nothing larger.

10AWG is available at the BORG and OWES, but it's pricey. All cords are a
PITA to pull around and put away, but the larger the wire the harder it gets,
exponentially.

12 GA might get you the distance; you'll
have to check and see. I don't think you need to pay a LOT of attention to
starting currents with mowers; it's running current that matters. The motors
seem to live OK with an extended spin-up time, but extended run times with
insufficient current/voltage might burn out the motors quicker. Working on
my back yard fence, I once used an electric stapler that charged a capacitor
for the "shooting" power. At 100' it could still work but the punches were
weak, and at 150' it couldn't charge the cap to the OK to Fire limit or
however they do it. Out came the emergency genset! Even the 100' cord made
the thing too weak to set the set the 9/16" staples completely.

Get a larger extension cord.