Steepest grade you have made it up?

[GrumpyJoe]

In the market for a tractor. Probably the 3016 Shuttle over the 3616 shuttle. Can't see spending an extra $3 to 4 thousand for 8 more horses considering everything else is pretty much the same. My question is that I live on 21 acres of heavy woods and uneven terrain. Also have power line with some pretty steep hills. There is a lot of downed trees that I plan to cut up for fire wood but nervous about flipping the tractor going up the hill. Anyone have any experience going up and down steep hills?

First time commenting on this forum but I am very impressed with the things I have read so far. Thanks.

 

[Citydude]

In the market for a tractor. Probably the 3016 Shuttle over the 3616 shuttle. Can't see spending an extra $3 to 4 thousand for 8 more horses considering everything else is pretty much the same. My question is that I live on 21 acres of heavy woods and uneven terrain. Also have power line with some pretty steep hills. There is a lot of downed trees that I plan to cut up for fire wood but nervous about flipping the tractor going up the hill. Anyone have any experience going up and down steep hills? First time commenting on this forum but I am very impressed with the things I have read so far. Thanks.

I back up steep hills, steep areas like under interstate highway bridges, in 4 wheel drive, low gear. Always keep the nose straight down, going up and back down the incline.

 

[4570Man]

With an implement on the back there is very little danger of it tipping backwards. With nothing on the back a tractor would climb a hill steep enough to flip it backwards.

 

[yanmars]

Some put ballast in the tires to keep the center of gravity low. Also watch if you have a front end loader, that can get you tippy in a hurry.

As mentioned straight in and out, sideways on the hills can be problem.

 

[LD1]

Any pictures of the property in question? Just how steep is it?

You can download a simple level app on a phone and get the degrees.

Weather to back up or down or straight up/down depends on how the tractor is configured. Typically you always want the load UP hill. But a tractor can have a load on the front or back.

With a loader on, and no implement (or a light one) on the back, I'd be inclined to keep the loader uphill. No loader and an implement on back, I'd keep the nose pointed downhill. Anything inbetween just depends on how heavy the load is at each end. With a 4wd tractor in 4wd, it is just as easy to flip a tractor forward as it is to flip it over backwards.

 

[Sysop]

I have one hill I've climbed a couple times that has an extreme pucker factor any direction I take it. LD1 has it right, when climbing an extremely steep hill that is on the verge of not being climbed, you want the heavy end on the uphill end whether you are going up or down, no matter which direction that is facing. On my big hill I generally keep a long implement on the rear such as my brush cutter or my backhoe and put a load of gravel in the FEL to hold the front end down and I go forward up the hill. I'll drop the gravel while on the hill and come back down forward also. Keep the heavy end uphill, you'll do fine.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I don't know your situation. So much about a matter like this deals with experience! It's something you would have a hard time conveying to someone. If you have any doubt, don't! And just because someone made the grade, doesn't mean it's SAFE to do so.

I don't know what's worse, the steep grade or the uneven terrain. Certainly both together are a good recipe for disaster!

 

[bcp]

Ballast in the tires will contribute to a back flip on a hill, as the center of the weight is now behind the ground contact point.



Bruce

 

[SedonaDave]

Ballast in the tires will contribute to a back flip on a hill, as the center of the weight is now behind the ground contact point.

View attachment 424604

Bruce

So when going down, the safest would be straight forward?

 

[Teachu2]

I'm a recent buyer of a competing product, a Kioti DS3510. My property is in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and has some steep grades that I need to mow. My research here led me to believe that weight matters more than just about any other factor - the more a tractor weighs, the better it will perform as far as limiting wheel spin, which is especially problematic on grades. My 1984 21hp 2000lb 4wd Mitsubishi couldn't come close to the tops of several grades on my property, and the pucker factor running that tall, narrow tractor with my homebuilt ROPS was pretty high. When the 5' brush cutter proved too much for it, we decided a new tractor was in the cards.

Every dealer I spoke to that was familiar with the terrain in question recommended a non-HST tractor - even if they didn't have one to sell. The closest Mahindra dealer, while a very personable and accommodating fellow, was new to the tractor business. He did not have and could not locate either a 3016 Shuttle nor a 3616 Shuttle. He had no service, contracted out his service work, and couldn't get me what I wanted - so he was out.

I shopped around based on what owners said online - Kubota, Kioti, and Case all seemed to have good reputations. Most forum posters agreed that there are lots of good machines on the market, but good dealers matter more that the color of the paint. The Case dealer actually endorsed Kioti - his parents bought one new 25 years ago, and still haven't had a problem with it. The Kioti dealer has been in the tractor business 75 years, and offered to bring up a new Kioti and let me demo it for the weekend, no strings attached. He hunted up a dealer trade for a new DS3510 (which is still a Tier3) and made he a great deal. It was less expensive than a comparably-equipped Kubota, Case, or Mahindra, and when the service department saw where it was going, they filled all four tires.

I have now mowed all the slopes that I could not do before. The most extreme ones have required 1st gear and diff lock, but it made it without issue. I've run up hills, down hills, and ever cross hills on some of the moderate slopes. On the really steep ones, straight up and down, and in both orientations. With the loader, 5' rotary cutter, and ballasted tires, I'm close to 4800lbs on R4 tires. I spun out a couple of times in steep, loose soil, but was able to back down a bit then engage the diff lock and finish the climb/mow.

Had I not had such a density of trees, I might have gone to a larger tractor. I'm glad I didn't, as I avoided Tier4 and can go several places that the 45hp model could not. The Kioti tractor weighs a bit more than the Mahindra, but I suspect the gap narrows when you add respective FELs. I may add wheel weights on the rears, and about 4 5gal buckets of sand in the loader, if I have to tackle another steep overgrown hillside, but I think it will be fine otherwise.

Good luck with your search.