Driving on side slopes

robertk · Jul 28, 2006

My property is hilly with different degrees of slopes. the steepest is about 26 percent which is about 15 degrees. I drive up and down and across but very slowly with my loader kept low. As many times as I've done It I still don't feel comfortable in the seat.I was just wondering what type of slopes you guys drive on and what you consider just to steep to drive on? also what type of tractor are you driving?

Bob

zipp669 · Jul 28, 2006

When I start to slide down the hill on dirt it is too steep.
I ride it out on 2 to 1 slopes & even some 1 to 1 stuff.
I do erosion control in Iowa so I see some pretty nasty stuff.
People think I am nuts to go on some of them.
Tires I buy always have to have the 2 piece rims and they are dished out as wide a they will go.
You may want to see if that is possible on your tractor.
You are right to carry your loader low. But it does not always work.
Weight on the rear will also keep your rear down better too..

see my profile to see what I use.

I just ordered a 6500 mahindra july 26 & should be getting a new 4530 jd in the next week & trading in the 4500.

also I have never had a tractor on its side or go over nor any employee thankfully.
I have had to hook up another tractor & or skid loader to stop me though or get me out of a predicament after I have started to go.
did have a rear tire off the ground about 2' one time.

Another when I was spraying for the railroad I went to turn around on the hill and felt it start to go so I hit the left brake as the right tire was coming off the ground, and swung the tractor around so it was headed downhill.
Yes I have had my breath taken away & had major adreniline rushes or whatever you want to call it.

Biggest thing is do not do what I do.
Be Careful.
Stay off those types of hills. Especially sideways.

rickmacheske · Jul 28, 2006

I have quite a bit of slope on my field. It doesn't bother me much until I have something in the loader or I hit a bump. When I hit a bump one of the rear wheels can come off the ground pretty easily. Just a little while ago I had to move about 21 truckloads of dirt from one place to another. Unfortunately, the trucker dumped the dirt in a location where I could only get at it from the side of a slope. I looked into widening my back wheels, but found no good way to do it. I ended up attaching my bush hog to the back and keeping it on the ground. That seemed to help quite a bit. I always kept the FEL as low to the ground as possible. Bottom line....drive up or down if you can, lower your CG and widen your wheels if you can't. Filling the rears can help but since I mow around my house I didn't want to do that.

NewToy · Jul 28, 2006

Zipp, I was wondering what is the steepest slope you feel comfortable travelling up and down? The 15 degree side slope is about the max for me while mowing as the rear end tends to slip down the hill from the weight of the mower. I have no loader and my rears aren't loaded. Would spreading the rears out and or loading help keep it planted? I've been somewhat hesitant to load tires as I primarily mow with the tractor and wanted to keep the weight down.

Thanks,
John

slowrev · Jul 28, 2006

IMHO excessive weight on a tractor for traction/stability can be worse on hills than less weight. Gravity sort of wins if you put too much weight on your tractor to the point where you can lock your brakes up and still slide down the hill.

wilkesland · Jul 28, 2006

I have a lot of slopes on my property greater than 15 degrees and I've resolved that any that I would have to go sideways on greater than 15 degrees to leave alone. I will go up and down on greater than 15 degrees but very slowly. Traveling sideways on a slope at 15 degrees, twice I've had a wheel to drop in a hole I didn't see on the low side and pegged the tiltmeter (25 degrees). Fortunately I was going slow and the tractor seemed pretty stable. I very s-l-o-w-l-y turned up slope and decided to do something else for a while. Going sideways at greater than 15 degrees for me is in the margins of safety, by that I mean I could do it, but I no longer have a buffer for the unexpected -like a hole. I know others do these kinds of slopes, but not me. Dying in a tractor roll over does not appeal to me.

Carld · Jul 28, 2006

After a discussion on another site I checked the slope on the hill I bush hog and found it to be about 20 deg. I have not had any trouble but it is as steep as I want to be on sideways. If you feel like it is tipping over always try to turn downhill. Turning uphill will add to the momentum of the roll. You should turn into the roll to counter the tipping motion. A high spot uphill or hole downhill can tip the tractor before you can react so be carefull. I have slipped into a ditch that was maybe 30 or 40 deg but steered out as quick as I could and it didn't roll over. If you steer into the ditch it may tip over when it hits the bottom of the ditch. It did tip and bounce a little. There are a few places I won't go on my 7 acres.

roxynoodle · Jul 28, 2006

Well a couple weeks ago I almost rolled on my 15 degree slope. Had a front tire come up off the ground and I was about halfway there. I think my mistake was not coming down the hill straight. I was at an angle. So I am not going to comfortable with slopes, especially until a ROPS is available for my tractor. One is supposed to be soon and I will buy it.

robertk · Jul 28, 2006

slowrev said:
IMHO excessive weight on a tractor for traction/stability can be worse on hills than less weight. Gravity sort of wins if you put too much weight on your tractor to the point where you can lock your brakes up and still slide down the hill.

Slowrev, I understand what you are saying about more weight = less traction when in the braking mode in some side slope conditions, but do you think more weight, such as filled tires, would be an advantage when only using the tractors low gears for acceleration and braking on slopes?
Bob