Hill Climbing Primer

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The ground is finally drying up enough to get into & out of the low area surrounding the creek and start bringing out ash logs I've been stacking up down there. There's a pretty steep (25' up over about 75' distance grade through a 50' wide opening, see topo) that will need to be traversed so I'm looking for some tips / answers to questions.



First some info:
Tractor is 25 HP MFWD Ford 1700 w/ 770 FEL (900 lb capacity)
All tires are at least 75%, rears are new.
Rear tires are loaded and have 200 lb center weights each tire
Governor operates as it should
Time to complete job isn't an issue
Logs will be chained in groups or individually to FEL to carry them
Could drag logs using drawbar or 3 pt hitch, but prefer not to.
Heaviest logs will be in the 1,000 pound weight range which I could cut in half if need be.
What else?

Now some questions re: going uphill:
Can the differential lock be engaged while wheels are spinning? I read elsewhere on another brand tractor this was a no-no.
What is the best thing to do if forward progress isn't possible.

My former ride was a 9n, which had a wider stance and lower center of gravity. I mostly looking for advice, whether it seems obvious or not, on getting up and down the hill with and without a load.

 

[PHPaul]

Can the differential lock be engaged while wheels are spinning? I read elsewhere on another brand tractor this was a no-no.

It can be, and often is on my John Deere 750. Not sure about your Ford.

What is the best thing to do if forward progress isn't possible.

Back up the hill, keep the weight down hill. Keep the load as low as possible.

Go straight up, don't try to cross it at an angle. Assuming you have a ROPS, wear your seat belt.

Better yet, park the tractor at the top and winch the logs up to a more level spot.

 

[redman135]

Engage diff lock BEFORE you spin a wheel or you risk breaking teeth off your gears.

 

[Code54]

Can you run a snatch block(s) and pull from the top to bring the log up you without going down?

 

[Gary Fowler]

That sounds like a 30 degree slope. I wouldn't want to be dragging anything that might induce my tractor to turn over backward on that steep of a slope. That slope is already getting pretty hairy just driving the tractor up. Loading into the FEL and carrying them up might be your best solution on this. That way gravity is your friend by putting more weight on the front to keep it down and give you more traction. You may even find that with a log on the front that you can also drag up a small tree at the same time but do be watchful of a hang up that might pull you over back ward.
I think PHpaul's idea is safest. If you don't have a winch, invest in a snatch block if you have something to hook it to at the top

 

[Looking4new]

I would stay at the top of the hill and anchor the tractor to a stout tree up there and winch the logs up.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Can the differential lock be engaged while wheels are spinning? I read elsewhere on another brand tractor this was a no-no.

It can be, and often is on my John Deere 750. Not sure about your Ford.

What is the best thing to do if forward progress isn't possible.

Back up the hill, keep the weight down hill. Keep the load as low as possible.

Go straight up, don't try to cross it at an angle. Assuming you have a ROPS, wear your seat belt.

Better yet, park the tractor at the top and winch the logs up to a more level spot.

That sounds like a 30 degree slope. I wouldn't want to be dragging anything that might induce my tractor to turn over backward on that steep of a slope. That slope is already getting pretty hairy just driving the tractor up. Loading into the FEL and carrying them up might be your best solution on this. That way gravity is your friend by putting more weight on the front to keep it down and give you more traction. You may even find that with a log on the front that you can also drag up a small tree at the same time but do be watchful of a hang up that might pull you over back ward.
I think PHpaul's idea is safest. If you don't have a winch, invest in a snatch block if you have something to hook it to at the top

NO. NO. The slope is 18 degrees and he has 4wd and plans to carry them. Do not back up. Engage diff lock when theres no or only a low/slow difference in wheel rotation. Carry low. Dont work when muddy.
larry

 

[Gordon Gould]

I get about 20 degrees too. Very steep, go straight up and be very careful. Don't try it if the ground conditions are such that you think you might loose traction. Backing down would be tricky. Do not back down with the clutch in. Logs in bucket a good idea as said. Keeps front end down. You will have much better traction going forward up the hill. Hard to know what you mean by spinning. Normally it is fine to engage the dif-lock if the wheels are turning but not slipping. Engage the dif-lock before you start up the steep slope but don't make any hard turns with it engaged. I would start with logs a lot lighter than 1000 lbs and see how it goes.

 

[k0ua]

I measure that as 18.4 degrees, or as would be called in roof pitch as a 4 in 12. That is steep but doable. I too would go up it straight with a load in FEL held very low. Of course if you have the snatchblock, and cable and a flat place to pull and all, that would be a sure bet. But I believe you can do it with what you have.

 

[joshuabardwell]

If you carry them with the FEL, always keep the front of the tractor facing uphill when the log is on the loader. So go up forwards and go down backwards (if you have reason to go down loaded). Facing downhill with a load in the bucket puts a lot of stress on the front axle, and if one has a 2WD tractor, there is a risk of the rear wheels losing traction resulting in a runaway.

If you carry the logs in your FEL, keep them as short as possible and make sure to pick them up balanced--note, I said balanced, not centered. I once had occasion to move an approximately 10' long log with my loader. I took it very slow and kept the log very low. There was a greatly increased risk of going sideways because the log extended so far out to either side.

Honestly, skidding the logs is probably the "right" way to do this, whether you do it with a winch or your tractor. Getting the logs hooked up to the FEL, centered, etc... is going to be a trick, and then you will have a lot of maneuvering to make sure you are approaching a hill dead-on vs. cross-slope. All in all, it'll be a heck of a headache. On top of that, you know you are right at the limit of your FEL's rating, whereas your drawbar/3pt can handle 1000 lbs without breaking a sweat. I would suggest figuring out a way to lift the front end of the log so it isn't digging into the ground, then skid them out with the tractor. Make sure you are always pulling from BELOW the rear axle, to avoid a rollover if the log hangs up from something.