Mowing Ditches/Banks?

C

cold1313

New member
Dec 15, 2012
79
0
0
Northern, Ohio, USA
Any suggestions on how to mow steep banks to a pond? I can "sort of" close with my tractor and the 3 point Woods in the back, before the pucker factor has me turn away.

I have a 2 acre pond, so backing down the bank with the 3 pt rotary isn't an option, that'll take forever, and some sections are steep enough that I don't want to try it.

I spent about 7 hours with the industrial weed whip and probably not even 1/4 done.

I was doing some homework on boom/ditch mowers, but you need the big tractors to handle those.

Mine is a 2013 B3200HSD and I have a Woods finishing mower.

Tempted to try and figure something out with a self powered Swisher deck and somehow connect to the tractor, but the Swishers only take up to 15* incline due to the oiling system.

Any recommendations (besides push mowing ;) )
 
O

Orange Tractors

Member

Equipment
L175 w/Woods L59, Allis Chalmers WD
Jul 19, 2009
323
4
18
Butler, MO
My idea was a weedwhacker, but you have already ruled that out.

Swimming is fun, but not with a tractor, which is what any thing else would involve.

Next idea: Plant a few willow trees and forget about mowing the bank.

Robert
 
C

cold1313

New member
Dec 15, 2012
79
0
0
Northern, Ohio, USA
I agree, my only other thought was a walk behind bush hog, which wouldn't be too much faster than the heavy duty weed whacker that I have.

I was hoping someone had figured out a way to use a stand alone mowing deck (like Swisher) to tow behind to cut banks.
 
S

Stubbyie

New member
Jul 1, 2010
879
7
0
Midcontinent
We rigged a receiver hitch carrier basket on top of a brushhog and use it to carry around a 30-gal plastic spray tank. Run 12-v from tractor and with a long enough hose you can sit, drive, and spray one-handed.

If you've got the right electric pump (or have a PTO pump and perhaps a little bit larger tank) you can rig a broadcast spray (around here sometimes called 'fan spray' or 'cluster' spray) head. Ours came with a blanking kit (a brass disk and O-ring) so it only sprays from half the outlets: perfect for keeping ditches under control.

Same for your pond. Drive around the top of the dam with a half-spray cluster head and let RoundUp rain down on the undeserving.

Here's the good part: read RoundUp label (online if not on jug; same for any 41% Glyphosate but may not be spelled out on label) and find that you can mix so as to obtain a 'chemical trim' instead of a complete kill. You can inhibit growth without denuding your pond bank and creating an opportunity for erosion. You can use admixtures (enhancers, defoamers, surfactants) and design your spray solution to meet your needs.

Chemical trimming works really well. We shoot about 300-gals of full strength RU mix per year and about half again that much as 'trim' to keep areas under control without going to bare soil.

Regardless of concerns about genetically modified foodstuffs, RU is generally considered relatively benign in the herbicide world. One fun fact: RU based on soil retention and adsorption and microbial breakdown in situ has about a 17-year half-life.
 
C

cold1313

New member
Dec 15, 2012
79
0
0
Northern, Ohio, USA
I would consider a boom mower. Bush Hog makes a nice unit, easier to use, but they are all for larger tractors. (10,000+ pounds)

I haven't found one for these "compact" tractors...
 
N

number9

Member

Equipment
L3800HST, 4x4, LA524
Apr 25, 2013
199
11
18
KY
I've got a bank on my pond that is too steep to mow. I was looking at it with my Dad and we are going to add dirt to the bank and let it extend farther into the pond so it will be on a nicer slope that I can mow easily with the tractor. But I've got some excavating to do anyway and a LOT of material I need to find places to put.

...
 
ctmike

ctmike

New member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L 3750 DT with loader, brush mower, rear grader blade, box scraper, rear blower,
May 10, 2013
143
0
0
Suffield, CT
You could pick up a used Swisher mower and replace the engine with a vertical-shaft engine that has a pressurized oiling system.

I use a Swisher pull-behind mower on my yard and have a few areas where the mower is angled a bit without any problems with the stock engine over the past 12 years.
 
C

cold1313

New member
Dec 15, 2012
79
0
0
Northern, Ohio, USA
That's the option that I'm leaning towards at the moment. I'm going to take my angle meter out there this weekend and get a true idea of what I'm dealing with and regroup.

Kunz makes their mowers with pressurized oiling systems but they are much more money out of the box. If I could find a used one of those, I might be set.

Then all I would have to do is extend the boom arm about 10 feet LOL
 
Bulldog

Bulldog

Well-known member

Equipment
M 9000 DTC, L 3000 DT
Mar 30, 2010
5,440
78
48
Rocky Face, Georgia
I know I got a good deal but I didn't realize how good until now. I found mine for $3k. :eek:

Aside from mowing around the ponds I have been doing some practice and have found a new trick this bad boy does like a champ. If you take time and really watch this is a bush trimming machine. I cut the bushed/shrubs around my mom's house in about 15 minutes. Square front, flat top and no extention cord required. I love it. :D
 

Attachments

You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Bottom