2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill!

   / 2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill!
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#21  
More Details- It was the rear wheels that started to slide & I knew I was in trouble. The grass was a little slick, it was in the evening and there may been some dew. When I turned to avoid the transformer the tractor just rolled onto it's side. My limbs were all inside, but my shoulder hit pretty hard on the downhill side. Since then I have experimented going down less steep hills with and without 4WD, and I definitely can see a big difference in control.

The damage to my pride was more than too my wallet, but I learned a big lesson.
 
   / 2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill! #22  
Wow! Glad you are ok jd. That could happen to any one of us. You had the ROPS up and had your seat belt on:thumbsup: Expect the unexpected folks.
 
   / 2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill! #23  
Glad to hear that your ok.

My Dad died from a tractor rollover when I was just a kid (before rops or 4wd) so safety when operating is stuck in my head. Still, it's easy to get a bit too comfortable with any machine and that's when accidents happen. And I've done it too. Thank you for the reminder to stay on our toes.
 
   / 2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill! #24  
Just an observation, as I too operate an eHydro daily on 30 acres of pretty steep Kentucky hillside; half pasture, half woods. R3s (Turf tires) suck, I consider them wholly unsafe for the type of work I do on this property. Especially with the top heavy cab version. I started out with R1s (ag tires) on this John Deere. Good traction, but I soon discovered that they were not load rated to carry the additional combined weight of cab/loader/ballast box. So I went to R4s (industrial tires). Maybe 2-3 instances of minor slippage on wet grass in the 9 months I've owned it. Not quite as good traction as the original R1s, but much much safer than R3s

//greg//
 
   / 2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill! #25  
Boy, good thing you had your ROPS up and seatbelt on!
This post ought to be in the Safety forum
 
   / 2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill! #26  
The post did the job. Makes one STOP and think.
I would also like to thank jdpotter for actually posting the event and WITH pictures. As they say, "a picture is worth a 1000 words". The picture will burn into the brains of others more so than just mere words, IMO.

Thanks
 
   / 2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill! #27  
Boy, good thing you had your ROPS up and seatbelt on!
This post ought to be in the Safety forum
I agree. I remember the controversy involving the use of ROPS and seat belts in a previous thread. I am glad that you survived the accident without severe injury jdpotter.
 
   / 2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill! #28  
Boy, good thing you had your ROPS up and seatbelt on!
This post ought to be in the Safety forum

You got that right Roy, This is the type of accident that a lot of people don't give much thought to, and is not fully understood by many. But it should be required reading for all.

James K0UA
 
   / 2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill! #29  
Still, it's easy to get a bit too comfortable with any machine and that's when accidents happen.
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Sorry to hear about your father.

I can see a trend here going in that direction. Turf tires aren't too good for hills so R1 tires, liquid, wheel weights, ballast, 4 wheel drive, roll over protection, seat belt, keep front loader low etc. will solve those problems in the operator's mind and there is no need to measure the slope angle and possibly avoid that area all together with the tractor.

History lesson? - In my opinion it's never been worth the paper it's written on.
 
   / 2320 Rollover- Always use 4WD going down a hill! #30  
I just have a couple of thoughts.

First off, I'm glad your O.K., and this really shows the importance of a ROPS in the up postion and your seat belt on.

I also mow a similar hill, and it may be steeper, and I have also forgot to put mine in 4 wheel drive and slide down the hill. I don't have anything at the bottom and have a little flat area, so its a little safer.

You actually can regain control by speeding up. The rear tires will "catch up" to the ground speed of the tractor and give you more control, but this isn't the instictive thing to do. I used to mow my hill with a 2 wheel drive riding mower, and this is how I went down the hill, I'd start out slow and gradually speed up to keep the rear tires moving.

I don't think the kind of tires had a lot to do with it. The grass looks pretty lush and just cutting green lush grass can makes things a little slick.

Someone else mentioned think about what you will do if you bump your tractor into nuetral. I had that happen to me on my hill and it wasn't pretty. If you are used to driving a HST tractor you don't use the brakes a lot. If you bump it into neutral, the brakes still work but I had trouble getting on the brakes quick enough. The tractor free wheels and picks up speed in a hurry on a hill in nuetral.
 
 
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