Safety Issues - Stability

[marchanna]

I did a little bit of searching on the forum and found this thread:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/293829-calculating-your-predicted-rollover-angle.html

RedNeckGeek, good points regarding the bucket height. Anyone who has done forklift safety training will be aware of this.

 

[tractorshopper]

All good advice, though I'd put "widen stance" first (as some did).
Beyond stabilizing, one safety action I've seen violated time and again is folding down the ROPS and leaving folded. Many folks park their tractor in a garage with a standard overhead door. There are few tractors that will go through a standard OH door with the ROPS up, so they get folded down. Laziness sets in and the ROPS ends up staying down all the time.
Don't do this; make it a habit to have the ROPS up and locked (pinned) and your seat belt fastened. Too many older tractors killed their owners because they lacked safety features; it is especially sad to see owners of more modern tractors die because they failed to use (or defeated!) the safety features innate to their tractor.

RD, good points; I only listed the widening of the wheels last because it may or may not be an option. I'm not familiar enough with the Kioti's to know. I totally agree with you that there is some awesome advice given here. This is what TBN is all about in my opinion. Varying levels of experience looking out for each other. Wisdom being freely passed on. I have learned a lot here myself and thank you all for sharing and contributing to my understanding and safety.

Emilio, not much I can add to the wealth of info already given on these 3 pages, but I did want to tell you, you are not a DA for asking anything; in fact, I consider you a genius for asking. Please keep on asking. A healthy tractor owner is a happy tractor owner.

 

[emilioespejo]

I just want to thank everyone in this forum and in particular Steve, David and Coby for the time invested in answering my concerns. Thank you so much! The one thing I didn't tell you out of shame is that the wife was grounding me from using the tractor unless I fixed the problem.. lol...

 

[aczlan]

The one thing I didn't tell you out of shame is that the wife was grounding me from using the tractor unless I fixed the problem.. lol...

Wise woman...

Aaron Z

 

[Soldier415]

I just want to thank everyone in this forum and in particular Steve, David and Coby for the time invested in answering my concerns. Thank you so much! The one thing I didn't tell you out of shame is that the wife was grounding me from using the tractor unless I fixed the problem.. lol...

You got a good one there. Flipping an ATV = bruised pride and a few bruises. Flipping a tractor = possibly no more emilio

 

[CobyRupert]

Here's a good article (don't worry, it's only 4 pages and has pictures too!!) about Tractor Overturn Hazards , center of gravity, etc... written by Penn State / Cooperative Extension
View attachment Tractor Overturn Hazards 202[1].pdf

 

[countrybumpkin]

28 - 30 is my max on side slope, any more and then it wants to slide down the slope a bit.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

28 - 30 is my max on side slope, any more and then it wants to slide down the slope a bit.

Which is fine as long as it doesn't catch on something on the downhill side, at which point momentum will cause the tractor to roll. Once the tractor starts to slide you've lost control of both speed and direction, and your options for preventing the tip over are left up to fate and luck.

What's your name? I want to take a life insurance policy out on you, naming me as the beneficiary.:laughing::laughing::laughing:

 

[marchanna]

I think I'm going to buy a dashboard inclinometer and do some math.

 

[ritcheyvs]

... I'm not familiar enough with the Kioti's to know. ...

Depends on the model. My DK45s with R4 tires has four possible rear wheel spacings (flip the offset rim and flip the offset disk). I have read that other model/tire combinations only have one spacing option.

Static stability is easy to determine/compute but dynamic stability is what counts and dynamic stability has so many variables it cannot be quantified in any useful way. You don't want to operate anywhere near the static stability limit. I recall several cases where a driver rolled a flightline fuel truck by going too fast with a half-full truck. That same condition would have been safe with a full or empty truck but half-full fuel shosh put the CG too high and too far from the center-line.