mmbr, thanks for your input and clarification.
I've been using an old self propelled push mower and riding mower because they are narrow for east access and pretty easy to find up for sale. Also a weed whacker with a blade. All are under sized for the task but it's a start.
The side slope is along the trail edge, especially where the trail was built up with crushed limestone. It's only a small drop off to forest or bush or a wet ditch, but it's important to keep the trail width cleared to stay ahead of drooping and overhanging bush. And the side slope isn't all smooth. It's a bit precarious with a riding lawnmower.
I hadn't thought of chemicals/spraying. I know the local utilities and municipal post public notices about using them. The trail is a combination of private and public lands. The land user agreements state rules like max width, etc. Even gate installation will exceed the rules because of the post depths but I think that's negotiable for safety reasons whereas chemical applications approval would be doubtful. About ten years ago governments greatly restricted herbicides, pesticides etc.
OK thanks for the new info,
but honestly there is NOT going to be any machine your going to be riding that is going to do what you want. at 40 inches wide,(non that small will handle a larger mower either if you did, still be a mower under 40 inches which means lots of passes which you don;'t want)
if you feel using a riding lawn mower things are a bit precarious, any thing else will be as well, due to the narrowness of things and why your not going to find anything made commercially , due to liability issues
its just again about the laws of physic's and gravity at work when your dealing with your measurements
so your going to be stuck using a push mower, and basically hand tools to be safe, and or a riding mower (which you can add duel wheels to, using adapters, or even winding things with wheel spacers, can fill tires, but doing this will make things more hairy on side hills with any sort of bumps or things your tires are going to run over as they will no longer flex over objects they encounter, and with wheel spacers or duel kits added ,,
but then your not going to be driving thru your gates, and will have to remove, reinstall and repeat at every gate, which I gather you don;t want to be doing! time consuming and well, added work to a job!
Spraying is a more logical way to control things IMO< I would at least try and see what the officials say,
, chemicals to control weeds have been in use SAFELY for decades now by millions of people
yes , the word chemical can upset many, but there is no getting away from chemical use , like it o not, its every where from on our food to things we use, chemicals are involved in most things!
some times its about about how there introduced that can help or hurt with getting them approved
if not chemicals, , again, you need to have gates that a FULL sized vehicle can enter, and this again should be a major deal with safety concerns, and again, HOW its brought up cam make a bigger impact on when and how it taken into consideration
a person or kid falling getting hurt, in an emergency, , an emergency vehicle should have access to trails(unless maybe pure hiking trails, and well, they don't tend to ever be mowed or not any I know of)
SO, pushing for wider gates, or gates that can be adjusted , something like a dual gate, where one side can stay closed and other opened when needed for vehicle access and such, ,is a safety concern
your worried about safety of chemical use,or they are, well, not having access for a emergency is also a a problem to worry about, and more folks fall;, have heart attacks and so on than have issues related to chemical use on a trail!
some times the priority's need to be in check with reality(and no bash meant here)
so I would again say you need to talk to officials more about these worries, all the more so if worried about weeds and tree's and such growing into trails and being a danger to folks tripping and so on, that just increases the odds of someone getting hurt, due to trails not being able to be maintained, due to,the gates!
I been doing trail maintenance on a few hundred miles of trails for a few decades now, so I have some trail work experience
l;astly, and again you will get a work out but will be side hill safe,, a WALK behind brush hog type unit will get thru your gates, but will be very time consuming to cover 8 miles and mean many passes due to it will have to be a smaller mower
a walk behind like this, or in a brush hog set up would at least be faster than a weedwacker, but again be a long day using over 8 miles , but about your best option if wider gates and no chemicals can be used, and you MAY be able to get a wider unit thru gate by angling it thru the opening, not a lot wider, but over 40 inches IMO
Cuts material at base WITHOUT chopping, ideal for small-scale forage (hay) harvesting. Very efficient, requires half the horsepower of a rotary mower.
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