Mowing on slopes maximum angle before tip

[alpha&omega]

Is there some way to reduce the amount of mowing debris that otherwise piles up on a rotary cutter deck or do you just have to clean it off?

You just have to clean it off. Same goes for the chaff that accumulates on the radiator, oil cooler and a/c fins (for those with a cab).
As @5030 mentioned, you don’t always park next to the barn when you shut your tractor off and therefore don’t alway have access to an air compressor or blower. Your reason for not parking at or in the barn maybe vary; whether it because you don’t have the room, don’t have the time to drive home, or are getting back at it that same evening following morning - in those cases having something lightweight and portable makes that job a breeze.
Sure is better than cleaning wet nasty grass clumps off the top of the deck and out from under the safety shields (for those who run them).

 

[MossRoad]

Just another example of a 45 degree angle... a 12/12 roof pitch.

Think you could drive a tractor up or down that? How about across?

 

[5030]

Quite often I leave my tractors and implements parked in a field and have my wife fetch me home (dinner time) and get back to it this next morning.

Consequently that is why I have the Bauer 20 volt blower behind the seat so I can blow off everything and the rad screens when I park them and everything is somewhat dry and not in the AM when everything has dew on it and that especially applies to my round baler. Nothing worse than damp chaff sticking to a round baler to ruin a day. Besides, when I blow them off I can check the fluids and inspect the implements for any impending issues. Sure, I'd like to bring them home at night and use my compressor to blow them off but that isn't always possible and it wastes high priced fuel as well.

 

[2manyrocks]

I suspect it is more important than ever to blow off debris because of the heat from these DPF systems, and not to blow it off around where the tractor is stored where it can accumulate and become a fire hazard.

 

[Texasmark]

Even ground conditions play a role. Soft ground versus hard ground, etc.

I find backing onto steep ground to be safer and more effective-even in the amount of ground you mow.
The reason is as has been stated by me and others, the upper back tire is the “tippy” tire. If you put the tippy tire ahead of the front tires by reversing the tractor, you get an earlier warning AND the mower mows more grass (if it’s a bush hog or rear mower like mine) because you are pushing it across/up the hill in front of you.

Having the mower “in front” of you when reversing has a stabilizing affect for MY steep mowing situations.

Experience has taught me these things.

If you read the safety guidelines published by tractors mfgrs. in their customer supplied brochures they recommend just that....back up the grade!

I had a neighborhood teen helping me yesterday and I was teaching him how to operate my equipment. The first thing I did was to get the safety pages out of my owners manual and had him read them.....I do recall seeing the back up for safety picture and verbiage. We had a nice safe day of his learning and us getting the job done....no accidents!

 

[GeneV]

OK, so I know there are multiple threads on this topic. But they all say the same about "pucker factor" and "if you don't feel safe". I do understand there are multiple factors, and no way to give a precise maximum angle before tipping that fits all tractors. That said, I'd like to try to quantify with some real data that could be used to derive general safe / unsafe angles in various scenarios.

To that end, I'm asking people to reply with specific information about their experiences, and to avoid replying with non-quantifiable information like how your butt feels or listening to the pucker factor. Also, please do not use this thread to post general safety information (safety first is *alwasy* good, but that information already exists in the other threads about mowing on hills). Instead, please post information such as:

1) What degree slopes do you mow / drive over sideways without experiencing any stability issues?
2) What is your setup relevant to stability (tractor type, ballasting, wheel width, etc.)?
3) If you have had the unfortunate experience of tipping over (or almost tipping over), what degree slope and were there contributing factors such as hitting a rock?
4) If you have specific angle guidelines from manufacturers / dealerships please share (along with the relevant tractor and setup information mentioned in 2).

Also of interest -- what degree slopes do you safely turn around on after having traversed uphill (and, of course, again info on the tractor and setup you use).

Hopefully we'll get enough good responses here for newbies like me to gain a better understanding as we try to understand the specific safety limits of our tractors.

Thanks!

Depending what machine I'm using. On the Massey, I'd be fairly careful doing my 15 degree slopes. On my Bradley stander, that's straight up fun...I'll wheelie that badboy up there just for kicks, mow it side-to-side, whatever, no fear.

 

[GeneV]

Remove the loader and lower your CG.

Yeh that, for sure.

 

[oosik]

Sidehilling - it's not so much what you can see and expect - it's what you do not see and can not expect. I NEVER run my tractor to what I call the max side slope. There may be a hidden hole or rock that can upset the apple cart.

Even at that - there have been a couple times where the hidden rock almost got me. It's not a good feeling either.

Going up/down the slope. It may take more time but it's time spent on your tractor - not in the hospital.

 

[Jrasband]

With my LS with R4's I am always running out of traction before I hit my limit. Also I always mow on contour not up and down. Also, I remove the loader to lessen compaction and because it is so darn fun mowing with steering brakes and no front end loader.

 

[alpha&omega]

Just another example of a 45 degree angle... a 12/12 roof pitch.

Think you could drive a tractor up or down that? How about across?

Complete change of topic, but after watching that video my back hurts.

I’m not sure why anyone would choose to make their roof that pitch, especially going into it knowing they were the one who would be sheathing and roofing it. Even in my younger days, a 12/12 or even 10/12 was enough to give you a pretty good pucker factor. With the new ice/water and synthetic vapor barrier you can stick to the roof a little better than the ole 15lb felt from the yesteryears.