Tractors on hills

[kenlip]

As as total novice in the world of tractors, I am trying to tabulate the correct protocols for handing tractors on hills. This is only about going up or down hills, and not about riding along a slope.

Please have a look a the attached PDF of my first draft and comment as you see fit. I hope that, with help from all of you who have vast experience with tractors, I'll be able to refine this into something accurate and useful to the more novice tractor users.

Thanks
Ken

View attachment TRACTOR HILL SAFETY 01.pdf

 

[/pine]

As as total novice in the world of tractors, I am trying to tabulate the correct protocols for handing tractors on hills. This is only about going up or down hills, and not about riding along a slope.

Please have a look a the attached PDF of my first draft and comment as you see fit. I hope that, with help from all of you who have vast experience with tractors, I'll be able to refine this into something accurate and useful to the more novice tractor users.

Thanks
Ken

View attachment 529514

 

[4570Man]

I found your chart difficult to visualize as an experienced operator. To be fair I didn't spend a lot of time reading it. One thing I did when driving across a steep hill was put the FEL bucket on the ground and if equipped swing the backhoe arm up the hill.

 

[teg]

It's different between 2 wheel drive tractors vs. ones with 4 wheel drive... 4 wheel drive basically transfer braking from rear wheel and applies that to the front tires.

 

[bcp]

I "stumbled" a bit on reading about jack-knifing with a rear (3-pt) implement.

Bruce

 

[kenlip]

You can call them "protocols"...however the only way to realize what your are relating in a graphic is experiencing what is known as "the pucker factor"... no amount of spread sheets etc. can prepare you...you will learn from your reactions or lack of...

The best words of advice a new tractor operator (especially a tractor with a loader) hauling loads on grades will ever hear is "LOW AND SLOW" (in 4wd)

Naturally, there is no substitute for experience. However, one wants to optimise safety / reduce risk, while one gets that experience. For example, if one wants to mix acid and water, the correct protocol is to always add the acid to the water and never the water to the acid. That's a protocol. Experience will teach the person how to correctly handle the bottle of acid.

Just as one doesn't want to learn the correct way to mix acid and water by experimenting with different methods and witnessing the effects if one does it incorrectly, one doesn't want to learn the correct way to drive a tractor up and down hills by experimenting with different methods and witnessing the effects if one does it incorrectly.

"LOW AND SLOW" might help when driving a tractor with a heavy FEL bucket forwards down a hill but it would be a LOT better if the person reversed "LOW AND SLOW".

If all it took was for people to "learn from your reactions or lack of..." there wouldn't be people getting killed by tractors. People die on tractors, so obviously relying on reactions is hardly a satisfactory protocol.

 

[kenlip]

I "stumbled" a bit on reading about jack-knifing with a rear (3-pt) implement.

Bruce

OOOPS! Careless cut & paste.

Thanks for pointing it out.

Please review the second draft, attached.

View attachment TRACTOR HILL SAFETY 02.pdf

 

[kenlip]

It's different between 2 wheel drive tractors vs. ones with 4 wheel drive... 4 wheel drive basically transfer braking from rear wheel and applies that to the front tires.

How does the efficiency of the braking on the smaller front wheels compare to that on the back wheels?

 

[Code54]

Reversing , uphill, implement attached behind low - listed as "risky". Not sure I understand that. If I am backing up a hill with my implement facing uphill (say box blade) I find it as safe as I can really get. I maybe misreading it but that is what I am visualizing.

 

[/pine]

Naturally, there is no substitute for experience. However, one wants to optimise safety / reduce risk, while one gets that experience. For example, if one wants to mix acid and water, the correct protocol is to always add the acid to the water and never the water to the acid. That's a protocol. Experience will teach the person how to correctly handle the bottle of acid.

Just as one doesn't want to learn the correct way to mix acid and water by experimenting with different methods and witnessing the effects if one does it incorrectly, one doesn't want to learn the correct way to drive a tractor up and down hills by experimenting with different methods and witnessing the effects if one does it incorrectly.

"LOW AND SLOW" might help when driving a tractor with a heavy FEL bucket forwards down a hill but it would be a LOT better if the person reversed "LOW AND SLOW".

If all it took as for people to "learn from your reactions or lack of..." there wouldn't be people getting killed by tractors. People die on tractors, so obviously relying on reactions is hardly a satisfactory protocol.

Your acid analogy does not fit with the last paragraph of your ("total novice") lecture...
For instance total novices don't generally go out and buy undiluted acids that don't come from home depot etc...but there are thousands of total novices that buy tractors...and they can read and absorb every precaution and warning...a good percentage will never fasten the seat belt...!...
BTW..."low and slow" is an old, overall term (older than HST) referring in general to low center of gravity and (s)low gear
Also, a good portion of the folks killed or injured operating tractors and related equipment are older highly experienced operators...that may or may not have lost a little in the way of reaction time etc...