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Hover mower for slopes

Updated: October 2026

The bullet says the mower is happy on slopes, and the bank behind the house is why you searched. A hover mower for slopes is a small bank you can cross on foot, not a machine that climbs. Flymo’s incline page narrows the advert. The manuals tell you the direction, and one family prints a 20° cap you must not paint onto every listing in the [hover mower comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/hover-mower). Wheels or air is [hover mower vs rotary mower](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/hover-mower/sub/hover-mower-vs-rotary). The start routine is [how to use a hover mower](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/hover-mower/sub/hover-mower-how-to-use). Width and cable are the [hover mower buying guide](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/hover-mower/sub/hover-mower-buying-guide). There was no measured bank. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The bullet says the mower is happy on slopes, and the bank behind the house is why you searched. A hover mower for slopes is a small bank you can cross on foot, not a machine that climbs.

Our top picks

Flymo Flymo Turbo Lite 250

Best overall

Flymo Flymo Turbo Lite 250
8.4/10about £68.95
View offer
Flymo Flymo SimpliGlide 360

Alternative

Flymo Flymo SimpliGlide 360
8.4/10about £110.99
View offer
BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER BEMWH551-GB

Best value

BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER BEMWH551-GB
8.4/10about £49.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the advert means by a slope
  2. 2.Across the face, and the 20° line
  3. 3.The lead on a bank
  4. 4.When the bank is the wrong job

What the advert means by a slope

Bullets in this category like the phrase ideal for slopes. Flymo’s incline guide says something tighter. Hover mowers are typically not as effective as other walk-behind mowers on steep hills. Small banks are where they come into their own, swept sideways. If you would not stand there with a mower in your hands, the bullet has oversold the job. Nothing in these twelve corded listings drives itself. A cell that says Automatic, or AC/DC, is still a mains hover with a lead. A 45° figure belongs to other machines, and a review that says steep is one garden, not your gradient.

Across the face, and the 20° line

Mow across the face. Do not mow up and down. The Hover Vac safety list and the SimpliGlide material both say that, and they say not to mow excessively steep slopes. The EasiGlide 360 operator manual adds a number: do not use the product on a slope steeper than 20°. That 20° line belongs only to the manuals that print it. The listings in this folder do not print a degree. Read the sheet in the box before you treat 20° as your model’s cap. A Flymo sales line says the cushion makes up-and-down easier. That sentence conflicts with the manuals. Use the manual.
Flymo Flymo Turbo Lite 250

Testsieger

Flymo Flymo Turbo Lite 250
8.4/10about £68.95
View offer

The lead on a bank

Every hover in this set is corded. On a bank the lead is a trip and a cut-cable problem. Mow so the cable stays on grass you have already cut and is not dragged into the blade. Use an RCD at no more than 30 mA, and use the test button before you start. An RCD does not make a sliced lead safe. The LawnMaster MEH1836-01 states 15 m, the longest lead here. That is more reach from the socket, not a steeper rating. The mulch LawnMaster says long cord and gives no metres. A BLACK+DECKER review says uneven ground makes the mower stick. That is one garden, not a claim that every hover fails on bumps.

When the bank is the wrong job

Stop when you cannot keep your footing, when you would be standing below the mower, or when the only route is up and down. The manuals do not turn that feeling into a degree except where the EasiGlide sheet prints 20°. If the bank is steeper than the sheet you were given, it is the wrong machine even if the website said slopes. One LawnMaster mulch review says the handle-to-body slots released on a steep incline. That is a complaint on the MEH1633M-01, not a test of every hover. Treat a handle that comes out of its slots as a stop. A 15 m lead does not fix a face you cannot stand on.

Common questions

Are hover mowers good on slopes?
They suit a small bank you can walk across, swept sideways, which is Flymo’s incline wording. They are a poor match for a steep hill. Flymo says they are typically not as effective there as other walk-behind mowers. The Royal Horticultural Society allows a few bumps and does not give a degree. Good on slopes on a product bullet is wider than either source. Your bank has to fit the small-bank sentence before the advert does.
Should I mow up the bank or across it?
Across the face, never up and down. That is the Hover Vac safety list, the SimpliGlide material, and the EasiGlide 360 manual. A Flymo sales page has said the cushion makes up-and-down easier. The operator manuals disagree, and the manual is the instruction you follow with the machine in your hands. Keep the lead out of the blade while you cross. If the only comfortable route is straight down, the bank is already the wrong job.
Is there a maximum angle?
There is a 20° maximum on the EasiGlide 360 operator manual, with the across-the-face rule. Do not copy 20° onto a SimpliGlide excerpt that says excessively steep without that number, and do not copy it onto a listing that prints no degree. The sheet in your box is the cap for your model. Petrol-hover figures around 45° are a different machine. A review that says steep is not a measured angle.
Will it drive itself up?
No. The Royal Horticultural Society says there is no self-propelled hover of this type, and none of these twelve listings claims a drive. You push, including on the bank. A fan makes the cushion. It does not climb. If the deck runs away downhill, that is gravity and a light machine. Turn across the face or stop. Do not chase it from below.
Is a corded hover a bad idea on a bank because of the cable?
The cable is an extra hazard, not an automatic ban. You keep it on grass already cut, you use a 30 mA RCD, and you do not drag slack into the blade. Most of these listings state 10 m. Fifteen metres on one LawnMaster is more reach, not permission for a steeper face. A cut lead is the moment to stop and have a competent person replace it. Dark cable is harder to see when you are watching your feet.
When should a landscaper take the bank?
When you cannot stand above the mower, when the face is steeper than the manual you were given, or when the grass is so long and wet that the deck will not float and your shoes will not hold. The EasiGlide 20° line is the only numbered cap in the sources used here, and it applies where that manual prints it. Smoke, a handle that releases, or a lead you cannot keep clear are reasons to stop on the day.

Related pages

Best hover mower

Hover mower

Hover mower buying guide: clippings, width and cable

How to use a hover mower: cushion, spacers and lead

Hover mower vs rotary mower: air cushion or wheels

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings for this set. Retrieved 22 October 2026.

  1. HSE: electricity FAQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for use Outdoors Regulations 2001, Schedule 3 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for use Outdoors Regulations 2001, Schedule 4 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. RHS: lawn mowing (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Which?: how to buy the best lawn mower (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Flymo: hover FAQs (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Flymo: reasons a lawnmower may not be working (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Flymo SimpliGlide manual (retrieved 22.10.2026)