Mowing Your Steep Lawn This Season? 3 Operating Procedures to Boost Safety When Using a Ride-On Mower

Mowing a steep lawn while seated can be more enjoyable and less daunting if you use the right mower. A steep lawn has more challenges and mowing it with a push-behind mower can be quite daunting. It's safer and more enjoyable to mow a steep lawn with a ride-on mower as long as you know the operating procedures to follow. These operating procedures prevent the riding mower from tipping end-over-end or to one side when mowing a steep lawn. Here are three safe operating procedures to follow when operating a ride-on lawnmower.

Identify Hazards

Check the steep lawn before you mow it to ensure safe mowing. Don't use the sit-on mower if it can't back up the slope. If you feel the sloppy lawn is safe to mow, look out for other hazards such as uneven ground, drop-offs, ruts and holes. People who ignore such hazards end up increasing the tipping risks of their riding mower. Get rid of all rocks, sticks, debris and other hard objects that could harm the mower. Feel the grass to know if it's dry or wet; don't mow if the grass is wet because wet grass causes the wheels of the riding mower to slip.

Maintain Low Speed

Drive the lawn tractor slowly and steadily if you want to mow the sloppy grass safely. It's hard to control the riding mower when running it at high speed. Maintain low speed if you want to approach a steep lawn safely and avoid shifting gears when mowing up the slope. Tipping risks increase when you change or increase speed suddenly, and it's even more dangerous when you stop on the slope. Disengage the mowing blades if the riding mower stops or loses traction when mowing down the slope.

Uphold the Up and Down Pattern

Mowing a sloppy lawn is more hazardous when you don't know the mowing direction to follow. Mowing horizontally across the sloppy lawn is a good idea when using a push-behind mower, but it's unsafe when using a riding mower. Mow up and down if you don't want your lawn tractor to tip sideways. Don't turn the riding mower or change directions when mowing a sloppy lawn. Instead, drive the ride-on mower straight down the slope. Ensure you drive the lawn tractor onto a flat area before you turn it around to mow up the slope.

Don't think of how fast you need to mow a sloppy lawn, but how safely you could do it. The above operating procedures will keep you safe while mowing and reduce the tractor's maintenance and repair costs.