Mowing Mowing Hilly Land with Kubota L245DT

[ammodram]

Hi folks -

New to the forum, and new to tractor operation in general. I just purchased an old Kubota L245DT in good shape with FEL and rear angle blade included (R1 tires) for $5,000. I want to use the tractor primarily to mow wild meadows and old fields on my bumpy, stony 116 acre property in Southwestern PA. The first thing I will do is buy and install a ROPS and seat belts from Kubota!

I realize this tractor is probably a little small, but it is all I could afford at the moment on my budget. It will also be used infrequently, so I didn't want to sink a big investment into it.

I have started managing the property (a reclaimed strip mine) for wildlife, especially grassland birds, and need to mow chunks of it (perhaps 10-30 acres per year) in a rotation to keep it free from locust and other woody growth.

I plan to pick up a shear-pin type King Kutter 4' or 5' brush hog to do some initial mowing work this spring. I've removed the scattered trees and saplings (including the small stuff) from the areas I want to mow using a chainsaw to cut the stumps to ground level, and I will carefully mark or remove large rocks and any holes prior to mowing.

In some areas, Pheasants Forever will be coming in with a no-till drill and planting native grasses. I've chosen flat benches in the hillside for my native grass establishment. I'll probably let the worst slopes grow up to brush, or maybe pay someone to mow them.

However, the whole property is on a hillside, and traversing some relatively steep slopes on a daily basis, even if not mowing, will be inevitable.

A local dealer (trying to sell me a new tractor) mentioned that the L245DT is a little on the light side. Tractordata.com gives weight as 2340 lbs.

My questions to you guys are the following:

1. How steep is too steep for this tractor to climb with a 4' or 5' brush hog raised a foot or two on the 3 pt? Are there any benchmarks of % slope or slope angle that are generally agreed upon to be unsafe that I can check to get an idea before trying anything dangerous?

2. The previous owner had no ballast in the tires and no weights. He did turn the rear wheels around to widen the wheel base. Any suggestions on how much weight to add and in what location to make this machine as safe as possible for the application? I'm considering RimGuard in the tires and/or iron wheel or front weights. Is the tractor safe to use on hilly ground without adding weight - I'm guessing not?

3. How much counterbalance will the FEL (not sure of the model #) provide when climbing hills? I assume I should leave it attached and held as close to the ground as possible while climbing slopes, to help counteract rear roll-over and the weight of the the brush hog?

4. Should/can one climb a hill in reverse with a brush hog attached? I have the advantage on the old L245 of being able to put the PTO in neutral for traveling. This is another reason I like this tractor, since independent PTOs seem to be hard to come be in low-end modern CUTs.

5. Would folks recommend a 4' or 5' King Kutter brush hog for this machine? I believe the weight is similar.

Any other suggestions about the relative safety of this tractor in hilly country would be much appreciated. Tips and experiences on driving a tractor with no power steering and gear transmission in these conditions would be most appreciated. I know from reading similar posts that many of you love your hydro transmissions, but again, my budget prohibited a newer, fancier model. Since I am a novice operator, I would like to benefit from all the experience on this forum before I put myself into a potentially dangerous situation.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[NuBota]

Matt - Welcome and congrats!

I'm still a rookie - right at 40 hrs - and have a BX24 TLB. But I live on Mt. Fuji. Had the tractor about a month before I would leave the front yard (only flat part). First thing I did was order the Tilt-Meter (advertised here) to see just how steep my slopes really were. I put it on my little 20 HP Murray lawn tractor which I have had 6 years and have handled every slope in my yard - both vertical and horizontal - even one over 25 degrees (tilt meter won't go any higher. I do this one sideways - out rigger style. That said, I used it to scout slopes before I go out in the BX

I don't do any slopes on the BX horizontal over 10 degrees. Vertical, I always back up the hill. This is with the FEL (500#) and BH (600# attached). The rear wheels are also filled. This has always been most comfortable and makes sense to me because of the wheel rotation. Popping a wheelie because of two much sudden torque (say change in traction or in your case clutch) going fwd up a hill seems to be obvious disaster. The BX has an issue with stopping abrubtly when letting of the HST while backing - with the BH on it actually rocks backward very noticably. I would not enjoy that inertia backing down a hill. 4WD going fwd down the hill works great as well when backing up. The Murray would lose traction and slide - granted turf tires vs R4s. Have not even considered trying without 4WD. And I am not even going to try the 25+ degree slope.

There are other good threads on this topic here as well - but hopefully folks with your model and similar setup will chime in specifically. There was a wide range of reponses on how folks handle their slopes.

Good luck and be careful! Low and slow.....

 

[RoyJackson]

I'd suggest you operate the tractor up and down slope. Also, you'll want your loader installed to act as front weight to counterbalance the cutter.
Since the machine is new to you, you probably don't know what is under the brush you'll be cutting. Keeping the loader bucket low isa good way to find hidden obstructions you may not want under the cutter.
If just transporting, I suggest you tow the cutter rather then lift it. When you rig it to the 3PH, just don't connect the upper link. That cutter is quite heavy (600+ pounds) and will make the front end of the Kubota quite light going upslope.
As far as how much slope your tractor can handle...well, that depends. Going up or down slope, 25 to 30 degrees is reasonable. Just make sure you select the gear you want before traveling up or down. Don't try to shift while on the slope. Definitely use 4WD in both directions too. Using 4WD will aid in both traction and engine braking.
Going across a slope...again, it depends but at 10-12 degrees, I get mighty nervous.
Never traverse a slope when it's wet!

You'll want to put enough fluid in those tires to cover the rims.

This post didn't answer all your questions, but now you've got some food for thought.