Least Tippy Machine

[k0ua]

Fifth: Someone above said he is comfy on slopes 20 deg steeper than his wife? To clarify (look at the red chart above) a 20 degree slope is roughly 40% which is a fairly steep one to begin with so his wife must have been on the flat only ??

Yep anything but flat ground is "pretty scary" for the wife. She can't tolerate much slope at all.

 

[4570Man]

Yep anything but flat ground is "pretty scary" for the wife. She can't tolerate much slope at all.

My experience is 99 percent of people will overestimate the angle of a hill by double what it actually is.

 

[k0ua]

My experience is 99 percent of people will overestimate the angle of a hill by double what it actually is.

I wouldn't doubt that for a moment.

 

[Hay Dude]

I cut places where some people won’t walk. My experience has been most times tractors will slide, not tip.

 

[Xfaxman]

Excellent feedback. Thanks everyone. I've decided to fill the holes with a dozer first. There are hundreds of holes, since the property was previously a tree farm.
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Regarding filling/grading with a dozer: Could a heavy (20,000 pound) wheel loader work just as well?

Based on what my 11,000 pound compact telehandler can do moving dirt with the 1 cubic yard 6 foot wide bucket, I would say yes the wheel loader could do it.

 

[hube2]

My experience is 99 percent of people will overestimate the angle of a hill by double what it actually is.

This is why I put a magnetic level on my hood to measure the angle of my tractor on the slope rather than the slop. 30 degrees, give or take, is the angle my tractor is at on the steepest slop I will mow. There are a few places steeper but I won't mow those.

 

[60047]

@Xfaxman If you have operated both a compact wheel loader and standard wheel loader, how does the stability compare to your telehandler? How has maintenance been on your machine? I had been eyeing a ground-engaging telehandler for a couple years, but they have have always been outside of my budget.

 

[Xfaxman]

Have not operated a wheel loader, I am judging their performance from watching videos and no pivoting front axle, same as my dirt digging compact telehandler. So it is not tippy like a tractor.

I did a direct comparison with a Bobcat T300 using my toothed bucket and mine dug hard clay and sandrock where the T300 just spun the tracks.

Maintenance has been no problem. And it has done everything that I have needed a machine to do since I got it back in September of 2009.
Never have wished for my tractor back.

 

[4570Man]

Regarding filling/grading with a dozer: Could a heavy (20,000 pound) wheel loader work just as well?

I’m sure it would work but not nearly as good as a dozer. A loader was designed to lift dirt, a dozer was designed to shape it.

 

[Tony H]

I have a Kubota L4330 with 6-inch wheel spacers and ag tires. I thought for sure this arrangement would provide the level of stability I was looking for, but it doesn't. I live on 14 acres of rolling/bumpy land that was previously a tree farm. There are holes all over the place and the land is generally uneven.

I plant a few acres, but I'm mostly interested in managing the land, clearing, and freeing up space for new uses. I felt much more stable in a Bobcat T650 that I had rented before buying the Kubota.

What types of machines are very stable on uneven ground, can use standard attachments, and are easy to work on/maintain? My budget is about $30,000.

Small but look at Ventrac