clearing and making trails on steep ground

[RAW]

I recently saw a picture of an Antonio Carraro tractor working downhill on a 42 degree slope.

What makes that tractor more capable of steep terrain than say a MF 400 series?

Having a good bit of experience in off-road vehicles, I also understand the side-slope issue is different than up/down values.

What would a tractor be rated at for straight up/down slope travel?

 

[DocHeb]

Can't answer your questions specifically, maybe somebody else will ring in.

 

[3RRL]

A tractor CAN crawl up or down a steep slope like your truck or ATV with no power or traction problem. I've done it on my property where my 4x4 Artic Cat starts to lose traction.
Here's the difference.
First, there is no "suspension" to speak of. Your truck's suspension will take up some slack when you hit a dip with the front wheels. The one going into the dip goes lower and the opposite wheel tends to go higher into your wheel well. This offsets the amount of tilt you experience in the cab....it tries to keep it level. I'm sure you've seen the off-roaders on boulders where the axles are tilted way more than the cab is.

Not so on a tractor. When one of the wheels goes into a dip the whole tractor tends to follow it and rocks or tilts in that direction with a bunch of mass behind it. This becomes a dangerous situation. If the steep incline has no dips like this, going up or down would not be too bad. Going sideways around a slope is where it's really dangerous for the same reason. One little dip and the whole thing could tip over.

Add to that the load you may have on the tractor, whether pulling or pushing. Especially a load in the FEL. Imagine being able to change the center of gravity by where you carry the load. Lift it too high while on a steep trail and you may tip right over. Sometimes that load represents a third or more of the entire tractor weight. Try to carry it as low as possible.

The other thing ...
You tend to feel a little invincible because the tractor CAN climb about everywhere. That's about when you get yourself in a predicament. The no suspension thing was the first, immediate pucker factor I experienced.

 

[tjkadar]

The Antonio Carraro tractor is specifically made for that type of terrain. To see exactly what makes them different, visit Antonio Carraro. They make a compact, low profile machine that is reliable, innovative, and powerful. They also have a price tag to match.

Here a few highlights:

The Full Chassis with Oscillation system known as
ACTIO (tm) consists of a powerful, steel section which
forms an integral part of the axle, which houses both a
front and rear transmission and has an articulated joint
which allows for longitudinal oscillation of a good 15
degrees.

Essentially with the ACTIO (tm) system the TGF acts as a
single unit made up of two completely independent
tractors of the same mass and dimension which oscillate
independently of each other following the contours and
different gradients of the terrain, thereby maintaining
constant stability and grip.

With its overhanging engine the total weight of the tractor
can be redistributed - 60% of its weight on the front axle
and 40% on the rear one. Ideal balance which becomes
perfect when rear equipment is fitted: 50% on the front
and 50% on the rear.

The ACTIO (tm) system provides for the use of four large
wheel drive, with the rear wheels slightly bigger than the
front ones; on the TGF, thanks to its adjustable
mudguards, it is possible to choose any type of tyre
combination (R20 rear and R18 front or R24 rear and
R20 front), as well as many different widths in order to
obtain the best equilibrium between traction and
performance according to the terrain and the task at
hand. The constant grip of the tyres with the ground due
to the longitudinal oscillation allows the engine to ground
all its power with consequent advantages in terms of
productivity and safety.

 

[gotrocks]

Degrees and Percent slope? I think I've got this right.
If you drop 15 feet in 100 feet (15 percent slope) you have an angle of 8.5 degrees.
If you drop 60 feet in 100 feet (60 percent slope) you have and angle of 31 degrees

That also means if you use the 8 foot 2x4 and have 1 foot 3 inches difference then you only have 15 percent slope or 8.5 degrees.

 

[roermo]

OPPS, um and dang,
My fault guys was not reading what I was typing I should of watched it I ment any way degree. or maybe angle.

So to mess up my own thread.

and in this case I would be going down the steepest part but across at the bottom.

thanks and sorry

Roger

 

[gotrocks]

Don't feel bad, there are numerous post that I have seen with % used when I think they meant degrees.

If you use the 8 foot 2x4 method with a level then 2 feet 1.5 inches fall will give you just a little under 15%.

Hope this helps. "Better to be safe than sorry." (who said that?) /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[roermo]

I can't wait for the sun to come up and try the 2x4 on the hill. I also cut the grass on a steep slop and I think I will find out why it is a pucker factor to me. its will most likly show too steep to go acorss, so much so my wife will not watch me cut it. She leaves. So the 2x4 idea might make me think twice. Even with my rops up it will not help the finder if I roll. Like every ones has stated better save than sorry.

thanks folks

Roger

 

[RAW]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The Antonio Carraro tractor is specifically made for that type of terrain. To see exactly what makes them different, visit Antonio Carraro. )</font>

I've been to their site numerous times. I wish they had a dealer somewhere in the southeast. I'd love to check these out in person and shop them against the Landini and Massey Ferguson.

 

[gotrocks]

See there I just did it myself. It should have read "15 degrees"

...................................................... o
I guess we could take the time to type 15 but that still does not look quite right.

Anyone know how to use special symbols like Wordperfect offers to show the degrees correctly?