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Adding slopes to one’s lawn can accentuate its visual appeal. Instead of being completely flat like most other properties, a lawn can be distinguished easily with a hilly terrain. However, maintaining these hills requires extra attention and the right pieces of equipment. Thus, we are here to recommend you the best lawn mower for hills you can get this year.
Top 5 Best Lawn Mowers For Hills In 2017
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What To Know About Mowing Hills
Before you start mowing the hills on your property, you must be aware of these tips. They should keep you safe while you take care of the lawn.
Depression And Speed
Mowing hills is not about high-speed operations using the most powerful lawn mowers with the biggest deck sizes. Instead, you should mow at a low speed to reduce the risk of losing control of the mower and tip over.
If you go down from the hilly area, first check if your wheels generate a decent depression over the lawn grass. If there is barely any depression over the grass, you should only move the lawnmower very slowly.
Brakes And Maintenance
If you want to completely stop your lawn mower, the common response is to use the brake. However, things are different when you are mowing the hills. If you use the brake while you are on a slope, the lawn mower won’t totally stop.
The rear wheels will be locked, but the machine will still slide down the slope. In this situation, it’s better to use a transmission to slow it down considerably. Still, you must always conduct proper maintenance, especially with the brakes. This is both for your safety and the longevity of your lawn mower.
Lastly, you should be aware of your surroundings. When your lawn mower begins to tip over, you should know where to go. Thus, pay attention to bumps, stones, and any other obstacles that you may come in contact with once you move away from the lawn mower.
Effectiveness Of The Different Lawn Mower Types
There are several types of lawn mowers you can buy, and each one of them will perform differently. Here, we discuss how to operate them on the slopes.
Walk-Behind Lawn Mowers
Also known as a stander lawn mower, this is unarguably easy to operate on hilly areas. This type is generally safe to use because you can quickly position your weight as you move along the hill. Likewise, you only have to press the right buttons to control the walk-behind lawn mower.
If you want a walk-behind lawn mower without spending too much, you can buy a model that isn’t self-propelled. The cutting operation will be smooth as long as the mower has a strong motor.
Zero-Turn Lawn Mowers
As the name implies, such a lawn mower is capable of turning at zero degrees. This is typically used in large-sized lawns, especially thanks to its steering system. However, the efficiency of clearing huge swaths of land is not as useful on bumpy garden as on flat terrain. Such mower is heavy and prone to tipping over, which can lead to serious injuries.
Riding Lawn Mowers
Compared to a walk-behind lawn mower, this type is more likely to tip over when used on hills. However, the risks are not as high as when you use a zero-turn mower. As long as the rear wheels are sizable enough, a riding lawn mower or a lawn tractor should have adequate traction on the slopes.
In addition, a rear-engine riding lawn mower will work fine on hilly areas. You can have efficient cuts with each turn without worrying about the exhaust fumes. It does not move fast about just around five miles per hour, but it is simple to maneuver.
Factors To Consider Before Buying The Best Lawn Mower For Hills
Deck Size
If you have an open yard, its decks size ranging from 42 inches to 54 inches should be alright. However, a lawn with narrow areas and various obstacles such as hilly areas and hedges can benefit from shorter decks. After all, it becomes easier for the machine to move around if it’s not too long to hit anything around its path.
Difficulty Of Operating
Not all lawn mowers are hard to control. If you are new to operating such machine, you should consider model with easy control features. For example, a cruise control will allow your lawn mower to navigate around an area without complex instructions.
Type Of Wheel Drive
Traction is incredibly important if you are going to cut grass in hilly areas. While a front-wheel lawn mower is good for standards lawns, it won’t perform well on slopes. Compared to a front-wheel or even an all-wheel drive, the rear wheel drive gives the best traction on hilly terrain.
In fact, a lawn mower with a rear-wheel drive will typically have bigger rear than those located at the front to increase traction. Moreover, treaded tires and a low-profile design will help a lawn mower move on hills without falling over on its side.
Attachments
While many lawn mowers can be readily connected to various attachments such as baggers and snow blowers, you shouldn’t worry if your lawn mower cannot accommodate them. After all, this simply adds more weight to the lawn. In particular, the rear section becomes heavier and increases the risk of the lawn mower tipping over.
Weight
As we’ve previously mentioned, the overall weight of the lawn mower needs to be relatively light. Otherwise, it will be difficult to move it up and down hilly areas. If possible, you should get a light mower that still provides enough power to easily move it on slopes.
Top 5 Best Lawn Mower For Hills Reviews
EGO Power+ LM2001-X Lawn Mower
Via amazon.com
This lawn mower is designed to be resistant to the harsh elements of weather. The standard operating duration of the EGO Power+ LM2001-X is about an hour and a half, which is long enough for a standard mowing session. An advanced 56-volt Arc-Lithium battery is used for this model. The battery is fully loaded in just 30 minutes using a fan-cooled rapid charger. To protect this premium battery, they include a green cover.
As for storage purposes, you can fold the handle of the EGO Power+ LM2001-X to make it more compact. As long as you keep it an upright position, you shouldn’t worry about it being damaged when not in use. Speaking of its appearance, this mower has a two-tone grey and green aesthetic.
Moreover, this mower uses a 20-inch cutting deck, which is narrow enough for use on slopes and other uneven terrains. Pushing this is not hard, and its noise output is at an acceptable 70 decibels.
This is far quieter than a gas-powered lawn mower, and it has no emissions. You also can choose among five height adjustments, which reduces the number of times you have to go over the same area.
What We Liked
- LED headlights allow you to remove debris before mowing at any time of the day
- 20-inch cutting deck is easy to move around on hilly areas
- Contains a 5-year and a 3-year warranty for the batteries and chargers
- Not too noisy when activated yet powerful enough to go up and down slopes
- Compact design for hassle-free storage
What We Didn't Like
- Axles have average durability
- No spare battery is included
Honda HRX217K5VKA Lawn Mower
Via amazon.com
This is far quieter than a gas-powered lawn mower, and it has no emissions. You also can choose among five height adjustments, which reduces the number of times you have to go over the same area.
If you move from a flat surface to a hilly terrain, you could utilize the speed adjustment dial and the Select Drive control. The 21 inches deck size is good for hills. It is constructed out of Nexite that is resistant not only to rust and denting but also to high-impact incidents. In addition, the lawn mower does not suddenly stop even when you cut at a considerably low height.
Likewise, this Honda lawn mower has a twin-blade MicroCut System to create very small lawn clippings that are ideal for mulching. This precise cutting system could reduce the time you spend emptying the bag.
Moreover, the Honda HRX217K5VKA lawn mower has the Versamow System. This will allow you to conduct mulching, bagging, or shredding by simply using the Clip Director knob. Thus, you might not have to buy expensive attachments.
What We Liked
- Easy to empty the collection bag due to the sizable opening
- Saves money in the long run due to its fuel-efficient engine
- Use of Nexite that provides durability and rust resistance
- Works well regardless of the cutting height
What We Didn't Like
- Handle does not provide a good grip if you have sweaty hands
- Fastest setting feels unnecessary since the slowest setting already moves at a steady pace
GreenWorks PRO GLM801601 Lawn Mower
Via www.amazon.com
Similar to the EGO Power+ LM2001-X, this battery-powered mower lasts for 45 minutes for every full charge of the 2AH battery. Thankfully, this model comes with two of the Li-ion batteries that only need 30 minutes to get a full charge. You could also swap the batteries for bigger-capacity compatible variants such as the 80-volt GBA80400 4AH battery and the 80-volt GCH8040 4AH battery.
The brushless electric motor that powers this GreenWorks guy matches the capabilities of a 160cc gas engine. As expected, it has a 21-inch deck size and is lightweight overall. Still, this GreenWorks lawn mower packs a pair of sizable 10-inch rear wheels with a considerable amount of traction on hills. Pushing it up and down slopes is not tiring. In fact, it produces smooth 180-degree turns.
What We Liked
- Rubber component at the rear section safeguards the operator from rock and other debris
- Comes with two rapid-charging batteries
- Low-speed setting does not produce high noise
- Light and compact design for easy handling and storage
What We Didn't Like
- Creates quite a lot of noise when using the high-speed setting
- Battery charger lets out a bad smell during initial use
Husqvarna 961450021 HU800AWDH Hi-Wheel Mower
Via amazon.com
While this lawn mower is developed by Husqvarna, the brand relies on Honda to provide the GCV190 190cc gas 4-cycle engine for fuel efficiency. This engine starts quickly and provides sufficient cutting power for mowing hills. The 22-inch deck is tough due to its powder-coated construction. Even if rocks were in the way, the mower deck wouldn’t be easily damaged.
Just like the other entries on this list, this is built for mulching, bagging, and discharging the grass clippings. Specifically, the side discharging system should work well. Furthermore, the risk of tipping over shouldn’t be such a worry with the All Wheel Drive feature of Husqvarna. In other words, the 961450021 HU800AWDH Hi-Wheel Mower has high rear wheels while still balancing all of the four wheels.
In particular, the front wheels measure eight inches while the rear wheels measure 11 inches. Thus, it can move well on uneven surfaces. Moreover, you can stay adjust the speed of the lawn mower using a trigger located on the handlebar. You even have the option to relax as you use the self-propelling feature.
What We Liked
- All Wheel Drive System keeps it balanced in hilly areas
- Fuel-efficient Honda engine
- Powder-coated deck gives it excellent durability
- Adjusting the speed is done by simply squeezing a trigger
What We Didn't Like
- Pulling the lawn mower backward is quite difficult due to the large rear wheels
- Gaps between the mower and the bag lead to clippings and dirt getting on the deck
Troy-Bilt Neighborhood Riding Lawn Mower
Via amazon.com
Finally, we have a lawn mower with a massive 382cc Auto Choke OHV engine, which makes it the most powerful model on this list. The fuel tank can contain 1.3 gallons at a time and it has a window for checking the gas level.
The maximum forward speed of the Troy-Bilt lawn mower is 4.25 mph, but you can adjust the performance using the six-speed transmission. After all, you only need a slow speed for mowing the hills. Likewise, it has a 30-inch cutting deck that should cut fast. You can choose among five mowing height options. However, the size of the deck requires you to cautious on slopes.
Consequently, this Troy-Bilt lawn machine has an 18-inch turning radius along with massive 16-inch rear wheels. To keep you comfortable, this riding lawn mower has a mid-back seat. The 13-inch steering wheel is also designed with a soft grip. Lastly, you have a two-year limited warranty for this model.
What We Liked
- Six-speed transmission for finding the right mowing speed
- 18-inch turning radius makes it maneuverable despite its fairly huge size
- 16-inch rear wheels create a good depression on the grass for traction
- Five mowing-height options
What We Didn't Like
- Plastic footrest is tough but slippery
- Size makes it risky for use on slopes
Best Lawn Mower For Hills - Winner
Overall, our favorite lawn mower for hills is none other than the EGO Power+ LM2001-X. While it only comes with a single battery, this 56-volt Arc-Lithium battery delivers enough power and longevity.
For only half an hour using the rapid charger, you can get this lawn mower running for 90 minutes. Moreover, the green cover ensures that the premium battery is protected.
Via amazon.com
As we’ve discussed earlier, a slow cutting speed and a light weight will work best for slopes. The EGO Power+ LM2001-X lawn mower has offers both of these. In addition, the 20-inch cutting deck is just the right size for mowing on uneven terrain. The noise output does not require you to put ear protection. There are even LED headlights so you can operate it whenever you want.
Its grey and green color looks good both on the lawn and inside the storage area. Speaking of storage, it has a compact design that makes handling it easy. If that wasn’t enough, you have two warranties for the batteries and charges.
We hope that you learned a lot from our guide. Mowing hills is definitely different compared to mowing on flat terrain. Bigger does not mean better in such a situation. It’s important to know how to handle the machine on uneven terrain to keep you safe while being efficient.
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