Tractor and Slopes

dieselcrawler · Nov 1, 2015

No cows here... couple horses/ponies is all.

Checked a few more slopes today... sidehill, I can get to 30°, thats all i want, backing up a hill, 45°, and it feels like yer gonna land on yer nose!

TomSeller · Nov 2, 2015

dieselcrawler said:
No cows here... couple horses/ponies is all.

Checked a few more slopes today... sidehill, I can get to 30°, thats all i want, backing up a hill, 45°, and it feels like yer gonna land on yer nose!

I thought they might be mountain goats with that slope.

streamin · Nov 2, 2015

Dieselcrawler, that property is very pretty, how many acres do you have?

Mike9 · Nov 2, 2015

jenkinsph said:
I don't know about others but I have sensors in my butt that determine how far I will go.

:laughing: I was thinking the same thing when I started reading this thread. It's called "flying by the seat of your pants" and I employ the "pucker factor" as a backup.

dieselcrawler · Nov 2, 2015

streamin said:
Dieselcrawler, that property is very pretty, how many acres do you have?

Thanks... about 118 ac. About 50% "clear" medows, rest woods. Medows haven't been kept up, I've been working on clearing them as I can over the two and a half years we've been here.

Red lines approximate property lines.

RadarJet · Nov 4, 2015

I'm still fairly new with this tractor (BX2200), but this was some good learning experience. Bringing up about 3 yards of gravel on this side hill was slow going. Dumping up the hill was easy, but traversing got the pucker factor up, both loaded and unloaded. I really need to get more counter weights on the back besides filled tires. Our 5 acres is all like this, so there is never any time to relax.

jenkinsph · Nov 5, 2015

RadarJet said:
I'm still fairly new with this tractor (BX2200), but this was some good learning experience. Bringing up about 3 yards of gravel on this side hill was slow going. Dumping up the hill was easy, but traversing got the pucker factor up, both loaded and unloaded. I really need to get more counter weights on the back besides filled tires. Our 5 acres is all like this, so there is never any time to relax.

Agree you need some counter weight for most fel work. I would also be concerned with the bulkhead holding up in your picture. Looks like it needs more support imo.

RadarJet · Nov 5, 2015

Would wheel weights (50 lbs) do any good, or do I just need to hang my loaded carryall off the back?

I agree the picture of the wall looks suspect- but it's just the photo angle. However, I've got 4' driven piles with pre-stressed tiebacks hidden under the gravel- the end piece is only temporary. The facing is reclaimed cedar. It's quite solid.

jenkinsph · Nov 5, 2015

RadarJet said:
Would wheel weights (50 lbs) do any good, or do I just need to hang my loaded carryall off the back?

I agree the picture of the wall looks suspect- but it's just the photo angle. However, I've got 4' driven piles with pre-stressed tiebacks hidden under the gravel- the end piece is only temporary. The facing is reclaimed cedar. It's quite solid.

Much better to use the carry all or other 3ph implement for two reasons, one it is easy to remove for mowing and second it reduces the load on the front axle.

Good to hear that there is more structure than is shown in the picture.

DrRod · Nov 5, 2015

What bothers me is the surprise factor in the field. I can be comfortably traversing a slope and then roll over a ground hog hole, some other hoe, or a low stump and that changes a decent angle to a scary angle. So I don't push the limits because there all always some unknowns out there.

Yet, my neighbors mow fields that seem impossibly steep and seem to have no hesitation. They are a good bit rough and ready than I am but I still wonder how they do it.