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.

Walk up and down a steep slope enough, and you'll see the only "safe" way
to mow a slope is sideways. If you try mowing DOWN the hill, you could
slip (especially if the grass is damp) and end up with your foot under the
mower. If you push the mower UP the slope, you could slip and have the
mower roll back down onto your foot, hand, or whatever.

Of course, even mowing sideways has limits. The gravity feed carbs on many
mowers will not supply fuel properly when tilted, or the mower could flip
sideways if the slope is too steep.

The best way to "mow" a slope is with a weed eater (string line trimmer),
or get some goats to do it for you.

Better yet, if you're going to live here a while, cover the slope in plants
or other groundcover that don't need mowing, or terrace the slope to
provide level areas you can mow (and use).

Anthony