Mowing Steep Hills - Loader on or off?

[DueEast]

My property is rolling hills and needs to be mowed quite a bit in the spring/summer. I have been mowing with my loader on but feel like I am beating my tractor/loader up with the bouncing going over rough terrain. I would like to take the loader off next time I mow but don't know if the lack of front end weight would be a safety issue for me when driving up my steep hills.

I might be overthinking this, but would like to hear other more experienced opinions.

 

[dirtydeed]

Take it off. Only takes a minute. Your tractor will feel like a hot rod.
You can always kick it into 4wd or diff lock as needed.

 

[PA452]

Definitely take it off. You won't miss the front end weight, and neither will your front axle.

 

[BigG]

Since you are mowing with a L2501 that means you are using a rear mounted mower. Without seeing the hills that you are mowing you may need to add front ballast if you are carrying the mower up off the ground. The best thing is to try it with a great deal of caution.

Do you mow in 2wd or 4wd now? If the hills are very steep you could load the front tires to help hold the front down. If you were mowing flat land then it would be no problem to just drop the FEL to mow.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

You may need to play it by ear. Our Ford 3930 (50 HP, 2 WD, no loader or cab, '90's vintage) has primarily been used as a mower with a Bush Hog 286, which weighs almost 1000 lbs. The only front weight was a brush grill that weighs about 30 lbs., and it always felt a little light on the front. Recently, I installed a weight bracket (welded 2 5-weight Kubota brackets to make an 8-weight bracket) and six 55 lb. weights. It feels much more stable going uphill than before.
So I'd say it depends on your tractor and mower.

 

[DueEast]

Since you are mowing with a L2501 that means you are using a rear mounted mower. Without seeing the hills that you are mowing you may need to add front ballast if you are carrying the mower up off the ground. The best thing is to try it with a great deal of caution.

Do you mow in 2wd or 4wd now? If the hills are very steep you could load the front tires to help hold the front down. If you were mowing flat land then it would be no problem to just drop the FEL to mow.

You are correct. I am running a Land Pride RCR1260 which weighs 500 lbs. I have loaded rear tires but no weight on the front (without the loader). My hills are steep enough that I wouldn't feel safe mowing in 2WD. I keep that tractor in 4 almost all the time.

As far as lifting the mower, I wouldn't have a need to do that on the hill. I am fortunate that my property levels out at top and bottom so I can turn around with no issues. My main concern is climbing the steep parts and possibly losing traction on my front axle. I need pretty much everything I can get out of my tractor to make it up the hill, of course losing the loader weight will probably help that significantly.

 

[BigG]

I think if the hills are that steep that I would load the front tires. This will help with the front end traction and it will not cost much to try it. There are several videos on youtube on how to load a tire. It is a pretty easy DIY job.RV antifreeze should work if the temps do not go too low.

You may get some feedback that says you should not load front tires. A lot of the older tractors carried weights on the front rims and I can find no reason not to use loaded front tires.

 

[PaulL]

If it were me, I'd take the loader off and try it carefully. If it feels light, I'd get a weight bracket to add weight to the front - loaded tires are permanent, weights can go on and off as needed.

 

[TheOldHokie]

My property is rolling hills and needs to be mowed quite a bit in the spring/summer. I have been mowing with my loader on but feel like I am beating my tractor/loader up with the bouncing going over rough terrain. I would like to take the loader off next time I mow but don't know if the lack of front end weight would be a safety issue for me when driving up my steep hills.

I might be overthinking this, but would like to hear other more experienced opinions.

I am mowing steep hills with a L3901 with loaded rears and a 700# Woods finish mower. The tractor is always in 4WD and the loader stays on. It provides needed ballast and lowers the CG significantly. I would not feel comfortable with out it and IMO its safer than with it off.

I have mowed this acreage for 30 years with the same setup on a smaller B series tractor and never once have I ever thought I was "beating" anything up by leaving the loader on a tractor for which it was designed. The only downside to having the loader on is it can make manuevering in tight quarters a bit more difficult. I have two smaller G series tractors for those areas.

Dan