Best Lawn Mowers for Steep Hills

A hilly terrain on your lawn can create breathtaking scenery that is aesthetically pleasing and enhance the overall appearance of your property. However, maintaining steep hills can be a nightmare because most mowers don’t work well on inclinations and slopes.

Not sure what mower to buy for your hilly terrain? We’ve got you covered.

In this article, after over 9.5 hours of research, we reveal 7 top-rated lawnmowers for steep hills that offer balance, stability, ease of operation, and control. 

After reading this article, you will know the most suitable mower for your steep lawn.

In a hurry? Check our top 3 picks below:

Top 3 Best Lawn Mowers for Steep Banks

1. Snapper XD 82V MAX Cordless Electric Push Lawn Mower

The Snapper XD 82V MAX is a multifunctional 3-in-1 cordless electric mower with durable 21-inch steel, foldable handle, and intelligent load sensing technology perfect for medium lawns.

Design

The Snapper XD 82V MAX Cordless Electric 21” Push Lawn Mower comes with a 21-inch steel mowing deck for corrosion resistance and durability. Its push-button start mechanism makes starting the mower hassle-free.

The mower’s adjustable 7-position height options are ideal for different users and grass heights. In addition, it can be stored vertically to reduce storage space by 70%.

Cutting Power and Performance

The Snapper XD 82V lawn mower is powered by 2 82V MAX 2.0 lithium-ion batteries with a combined runtime of 90 minutes, providing enough power for proper yard maintenance. Its 21-inch cutting width enhances its performance and your mowing speed which helps you get through every mowing session promptly.

Accessories

The 3-in-1 push lawn mower’s bushel bagger collects the grass clippings for easy disposal. Its mulching bag recycles the cut grass blades and replenishes the lawn with it.

Special Features

The mower’s intelligent load-sensing technology helps optimize its power levels to prevent overloading it for maximum efficiency while the 7 cutting positions allows you to choose a convenient mowing height for better performance.

Read full Snapper XD 82V Review

2. GreenWorks 40V 20-Inch Cordless Push Lawn Mower 25302

The Greenworks 40V 20-inch cordless 2-in-1 push lawn mower 25302 combines an impressive corrosion-resistant design with double batteries for outstanding cutting performance when handling all types of grass.

Design

The GreenWorks 40V 20-Inch cordless (2-in-1) Push Lawn Mower 25302 has a corrosion-resistant, stamped plastic deck.

The mower’s 20-inch cutting deck offers a good cutting capacity and great maneuverability balance, which make it great for small and mid-sized lawns.

Cutting Power and Performance

Thanks to the mower’s dual blades rotating in different directions for a clean cut, you can mow swiftly and get a lot done in a small time while its G-max 40Vdouble lithium-ion batteries offer a combined runtime of 70 minutes, enough time to sustain you during a mowing session.

At the mower’s rear is a large 55L capacity grass catcher with a mesh for clean grass clippings management.

Accessories

The mower’s grass catcher comes with a small flap that lifts up to indicate that it’s time to empty the bag.

Special Features

For a longer runtime, the mower’s automatic battery switchover port switches automatically to the backup battery when the main battery is down. This saves time and energy.  

Read full GreenWorks 40V 20-Inch cordless Mower Review

3. WORX WR147 Landroid M ¼ Acre Robotic Lawn Mower

The WORX WR147 Landroid M ¼ Acre Robotic Lawn Mower leverages the power of Artificial Intelligence for mowing efficiency and performance.

Design

This is a fully automated lawn mower with an app that receives software updates for checking its mowing progress. Made of a rain-resistant body, the robot lawn mower handles different weather conditions with ease.

Cutting Power and Performance

The Landroid mower is a beast that does the entire mowing job by itself. The automated lawn mower can mow up to a quarter of an acre itself, provided you measure the lawn and set the mowing boundary. The automower takes it up from there.

The robotic lawn mower uses patented AIA technology to navigate narrow passageways other robotic mowers can only dream of. That’s besides its ability to work on slopes up to 20 degrees.

Its 7-inch offset 3-blade cutting system ensures it can get closer to the turf’s edge to reduce the trimming you’ll do later.

Special Features

The Landroid robotic mower comes with a rain sensor that easily detects imminent rain. When it does, it quickly returns to the charger until the lawn is dry and safe to mow.

Thanks to its customized mowing schedules, the mower can handle a mowing task in your absence. Using your yard’s conditions and size, it can recommend appropriate times to mow the lawn in the future.  

4. SENIX LPPX5-L X5 Cordless Mower, Blue

The Senix mower’s 15-inch cutting width and brushless motor help keep your lawn well cut. It is one of the most affordable lawn mowers for steep hills.

Design

The Senix LPPX5-L X5 Cordless Mower, Blue comes with a 15-inch cutting deck that makes mowing a steep hill stress-free.

With the aid of its single-lever height adjustment, you can choose from its 6 cutting position, giving you a mowing range between 1.2 inches and 3.5 inches. The mower’s hard top grass catcher is durable and helps keep the mowed lawn tidy.

Cutting Power and Performance

The mower’s 58-volt brushless motor system provides a long runtime that allows you to cover a large surface of your lawn in a short time. You can choose a convenient mowing height from the available six options with the aid of a single lever, helping you to mow your lawn effortlessly.

Special Features

The lawn mower comes with a safety key that prevents accidental start-up.

5. Sun Joe iON16LM 40-Volt Brushless Cordless Lawn Mower

This brushless cordless lawn mower leaves zero carbon footprints, offers up to 2,000 hours of motor life, and is super quiet.

Design

The Sun Joe iON16LM 40-Volt 16-inch Brushless Cordless Lawn Mower is engineered with a compact design that features a rear all-terrain and rugged front wheels that are ideal for small to mid-sized lawns. For maximum performance, the environmental-friendly and cordless mower releases no carbon emissions and doesn’t use oil.

The mower also starts instantly, thanks to its simple push-start button while its grass catcher makes grass clippings management super easy.

Cutting Power and Performance

The mower’s 6-position height adjustment lever offers a wide mowing height range between 1.18 and 3.15 inches to make it suitable for different users.

Its brushless motor leverages lithium-ion technology to deliver 40 minutes runtime, maximizes the mower’s motor performance, increases battery efficiency, and decreases vibration and noise. These features extend its motor life (up to 2,000 hours) and make the environment clean.

The machine is designed to suit different user classes through its six cutting heights that provide a mowing range of between 1.18 and 3.15 inches.

Special Features

The lawn mower boasts energy star-certified deck material and is approved by ETL while its EcoSharp technology prevents power failure and maximizes performance.

Read full Sun Joe iON16LM review

6. Craftsman M215 159cc Self-Propelled Gas Powered Mower

This mower comes with dual-lever adjusters, a large deck for fast mowing, and zag-treaded tires for better traction.

Design

The Craftsman M215 159cc 21-inch 3-in-1 Self-Propelled Gas Powered Lawn Mower comes with auto choke and recoil features that eliminate choking or priming to start the mower.

Its front-wheel-drive system helps you maneuver your lawn with ease while the dual-lever adjustable cutting height feature offers you a versatile mower for grasses of different heights. That’s besides its 21-inch cutting deck that offers impressive cutting speed and efficiency.

Cutting Power and Performance

The mower’s variable speed helps you mow at your preferred propulsion speed while you move around your lawn effortlessly. You can easily start the machine without breaking a sweat, thanks to its auto choke and recoil start features.

Its large cutting deck ensures you require just a few passes to have a clean-cut, saving you time and effort while its dual lever offers you different cutting heights to choose from for comfort.

Special Features

The mower’s rear wheels with zag treading offer traction that enhances its balance and stability while working on the steep hill.

Read full Craftsman M215 review

7. EGO Power + LM2021 Battery Push Lawn Mower

The EGO Power + LM2021 battery-powered cordless battery offers durability, 60 minutes runtime, and LED headlights for improved vision when working in the dark.

Design

The EGO lawn mower’s cutting deck is made of weather-resistant alloy for durability on steep banks and keeps your mower safe under different conditions.

Cutting Power and Performance

The mower’s 56-volt lithium-ion battery generates a 60-minute runtime that delivers enough torque to make it cut through lawns easily. Its operator won’t struggle to start the mower because its push-button start system has simplified that process.

The single-lever height adjustment option allows you to choose a convenient mowing height from the 6 available options.

Accessories

The mower comes with LED headlights that increase visibility in the dark.

Special Features

The mower’s universal battery compatibility with all EGO Power + Arc li-ion batteries ensures you can conveniently power your mower with any type of battery.

Read full EGO Power + LM2021 review

Final Verdict

Based on feedback from homeowners across different online stores, our number #1 recommended lawn mower for steep hills is the GreenWorks 40V 20-Inch Cordless (2-in-1) Push Lawn Mower. It is powered by two batteries, and comes with two blades for a swift and clean cut.

Factors to Consider Before Buying a Lawn Mower for Steep Hills

There are usually many options to choose from when shopping for a lawn mower for a steep hill. Knowing what to look for saves time and money. Here are few key factors to pay attention to:

Engine Capacity

The engine capacity is one of the important factors you should consider when shopping for the ideal lawn mower for your hilly lawn. Go for a mower that has a powerful engine with cooling systems that will regulate the engines’ temperature and keep it in a good working condition for optimal performance.

Deck Size

A lawn mower’s deck size defines its mowing speed. An ideal mower for steep hills must have a deck size between 14 and 30 inches. A smaller deck size limits your mowing area and that in turn, increases your mowing time. On the other hand, a bigger deck size reduces your mowing time because it enables you to cover a larger surface area quickly.

Motor Type

Generally, mowing down a slope can be quite challenging with a high risk of losing control. When you’re pushing a mower up a hill, you need extra effort to keep you and the machine in line.

A lawn mower powered by a strong motor system offers you enough power to push the mower up the hill or mow downward without losing control. The motor’s power also comes in handy when handling rough terrains or mowing tall grass. 

The Terrain

Among other factors, you need to consider the steepness, the landscape, presence or absence of obstacles, holes, and other objects or obstacles that can increase the mowing difficulty or decrease the mower’s functionality.

Depending on the terrain, you may go for an all-terrain or an all-wheel-drive mower that can work around all obstacles or challenges easily.

Weight

Consider a mower’s weight if you intend to use it on hilly terrain. While lightweight lawn tractors are easily maneuverable, heavy lawnmowers are more difficult to control. However, considering how tricky mowing a steep hill can be, don’t compromise power for weight. For the best performance, strike a balance between the two.

Ease of Use

Mowing on a steep hill is already challenging. Don’t complicate issues by using a lawn mower that requires special efforts to start and use. Go for a maneuverable model that is also easy to start.

You also need a mower with a good grass management system that can bag, mulch, and discharge grass blades.

Tips for Mowing Steep Hills: Doing it the Right Way

Mowing a steep lawn without taking precautionary measures into consideration is dangerous and may be suicidal. Here are a few safety tips to keep in mind:

Inspect the Lawn

Checking the landscape before mowing is necessary to avoid unnecessary injury that may result from being hit by airborne objects such as rocks, ruts, sticks, and bricks while mowing. If you identify some of these harmful objects during the inspection, remove them to enhance your safety.

Check for dangerous holes as well. If you can fill them up, do that. Otherwise, mark such places and carefully mow around them

Mow Laterally

Mowing down a slope is dangerous and exposes you to harm and injuries. You run the risk of stumbling and sustaining an injury, either from the fall or if you are hit by the rolling mower. If there are people at the bottom of the hill, you may injure them as well.

To avoid this danger, mow laterally, from left to right, rather than from top to bottom. Lateral mowing enhances your stability and reduces the chances of slipping.

Use the Appropriate Mower

Not all mowers are suitable for hilly terrains. After considering your terrain and other factors, choose a lawn mower that is appropriate for your landscape to minimize your stress, save precious time, and reduce the workload on the mower.

Don’t Mow when the Lawn is Wet

Mowing a wet lawn is dangerous. Aside from the risk of an electric shock if you are using an electric model, a wet lawn will be slippery, a disadvantage on a steep hill.

A slip on the wet lawn can lead to serious injuries or damage the lawn. To prevent either this from happening, only mow when the lawn is dry enough and safer to cut.

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