I'm freaked my B2920 will tip over sideways

   / I'm freaked my B2920 will tip over sideways #31  
Taking off the backhoe will probably make you feel more secure. Most people mow with the FEL on, just keep it low.

The FEL makes a dandy emergency brake if you lose traction down the hill. But the FEL does NOT help with stability on a side hill for any reason. The FEL adds weight to the front axle, and transfers almost the same amount off the back wheels to the front. The front rocks and so it is tippy.

I have a hillside to mow, about 20 degrees. As an experiment, I parked my BX there fully decked for loader work. The rear tires are loaded, I had another 45 lbs in wheel weights and a 275 lb bar on the 3ph, FEL about 6 inches off the ground. I stood there and pushed on the roll bar and was able to lift the rear wheel off the ground with one hand. I went back to the garage and pulled the wheel weights, dropped the weight bar, and the FEL and went back to the same spot. I pushed on the roll bar again and could not lift the wheel. Convinced me right there I'd never mow that hill with the FEL on.
 
   / I'm freaked my B2920 will tip over sideways #33  
A few things about stability on these little B-series tractors:

-They are much more stable than you would think just crossing a slope, where you get into trouble is with the loader (since they are so light)

-Taking the loader and backhoe off for slope work will greatly increase the stability

-The slower you go the steeper the slope you can work safely

-When working across a slope for the first time use 2wd This is the best indicator of if you are getting too steep. In 2wd the uphill side tire will start to loose traction when you are getting near the tipping point. When this happens stop, put it in 4wd and turn down the hill and figure a different way to mow it.
 
   / I'm freaked my B2920 will tip over sideways #34  
I'm with the others about mowing without loader or BH. Not only more stable but also more maneuverable. Plus the extra weight makes for tire imprints in the lawn, especially if damp. I'm pretty cautious and play it safe, after mowing the same lawn over and over, my confidence has grown and I am comfortable mowing on about a 15 -20 degree slope. BTW, if you have an iPhone you can get a tilt-meter app, just place your phone on the tractor deck to see what your angle of inclination is - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clinometer-level-slope-finder/id286215117?mt=8
 
   / I'm freaked my B2920 will tip over sideways #35  
I disagree on BH removal. I do a lot of road maintenance with my B26TLB on a road that's uphill the whole way at 10-15 % grade. I clean the ditches with the FEL putting tractor at 90 deg to slope. This is only possible with the BH swung to high side, extended and low to the ground. It also requires particular attention to potential for low side wheel drop, keeping the FEL bucket low, going slow, and repositioning the BH as the tractor changes angle to the slope. An extended high side BH adds another clearance to monitor while mowing and is probably not advisable for long runs. However the main reason to leave BH on is that it increases percentage of tractor weight on rear wheels. With a pivoting front axle the only lateral stability you get is from the rear wheels. If you must cut across a slope lower the boom with dipper in and bucket curled up. If you get in a tight spot swing it uphill but what ever you do don't forget to swing it back when crossing in the other direction.
Any attachment changes the center of gravity. The more weight up high the more tippy. The BH is hugely heavy and sits relatively high on the tractor so raises the center of gravity a lot. Thats why tractors are very tippy with the FEL bucket loaded and raised high. With the FEL bucket at or below hood level its much more stable. Removing the bh takes 1400 lbs off and helps tremendously. Loaded tires are heavy and help lower the center of gravity making the machine more stable. Th same applies to any 3 pt implement, the lower to the ground it is the more stable.

Ill try and measure some slopes tonight.
 
   / I'm freaked my B2920 will tip over sideways #36  
I have a b2920 also and were I felt uncomfortable on slopes with my honda riding tractor I feel comfortable with the b2920 you get use to the slopes but make sure to put seatbelt on and rops up and if you got fel on keep it low close to the ground take your time be careful ,I also had a bx 25 and didn't really notice any big difference between it and b2920.to give you a example of my hill angle when parked at bottom of hill and just start going up hill with bagger on back ,I can't go straight up hill because bagger will contact ground and dig in aprox 3 to 4 " in sod notice my hill is a ditch so there is a angle behind also , I will measure angle of hill with my I pad not sure how acurate it is ,but will give you a idea,it's 20 degrees and I cut the grass on it with the fel on and off with turf tires not filled and no wheel spacers, and my cutting deck is a 60"kubota as for weight i think its around 250lbs , i think the 20 degree angle is the limit of this tractor combo,hope this helps
 
   / I'm freaked my B2920 will tip over sideways #37  
I nearly tipped my little Kubota B7510HST while using the FEL (right front wheel dropped into a rut and the left rear lifted about a foot off ground level). White knuckle time for sure :confused:

If you are anxious about stability, you're only recourse is to lower the center of gravity and increase the track width. Here's what my modified 1964 MF135 diesel looks like. It's a field tractor that was modified to work by the guy who sold it to me to work in his olive orchard.

MF135 stump1 (1).JPGMF135 stump2.JPG

The rears are BF Goodrich 6 ply 18.4-16 tires (18" wide, 16" dia rim, 40" tall overall) and replace the usual tall rears that have 28" dia rims or larger. The front axle spindles are shorter to keep the tractor level. You'd have to really work at it to roll this baby.

Adding rear wheel spaces or converting to dualies are probably your best bet to minimize the rollover hazard on your Kubota.

Good luck and be careful out there.
 
   / I'm freaked my B2920 will tip over sideways #38  
One more thing on the backhoe... if you are feeling unstable and swing it uphill fast it will make the tractor rock downhill as a reaction so your better off backing up than swinging the hoe if you are scared.
 
   / I'm freaked my B2920 will tip over sideways #39  
How far can you lean one of these sideways before it tips over? You sit so high up even a marginal side slope seems dicey. I spent a lot of time jogging around today trying to keep it flat on slopes I'd just burn across with a riding lawn mower. To the point I'm now wondering if I made the right choice for mowing. Note I have ballast in the rear tires a FEL and BH though I'll take the BH and FEL off for mowing.

I have a L4330 and it scared the **** out of me. With the top and tilt kit also came with( I think) 2 wheel weights each side. Not near enough. I filled the tires, still not good, better but not good, I found another dealer that had wheel weights that fit and bought 8 more. I put 5 on each side. The last one sticks out past the wheel about 2" but I can deal with that. Kabota dealers will tell you this is not needed but that's crap. Its still not as stable as the J D but at least you can raise the bucket while turning. Other than that has been a good tractor. I cut hay with a 7-5 mower and pull a 330 freeman bailer with it
The only other problem I've had is with the drawbar. The oem one broke right at the tractor. The 330 freeman may be a little heavy for it. . . DUH. Good luck to you. Good tractors but they WILL tip over.
Sheepdr
 
   / I'm freaked my B2920 will tip over sideways #40  
Last week I had a close call I was on flat ground in brush and downed trees. One minute I'm level next I'm tipping over. Here is what happened. I have a BH 76 on my B3200 HST with R4's. As I passed a tree a branch snagged the down lever on the backhoe. It pushed the lever down and to the side, just enough to tip sideways as it lifted the rear tires off the ground. The branch had enough spring to keep pressure on the lever even after I stopped. I was at an angle, rocking near going over. I reached back and pulled the lever to get the bucket off the ground and level out. Reversed direction and removed the branch that tried to kill me.
It was close. I have tipped a bigger tractor while cleaning ditches.
I will be more careful where I drive in the future. I think my wife called our Insurance agent shortly after I mentioned the incident.
 
 
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