Rollover paranoia

[vagem55]

BTW, you can buy wheel spacers for your B3030, as i have them for mine.
There might be a problem with clearance if you have a mid-mount mower (not sure if it's the 60 or 72").
Dual wheels are not authorized, even if you could find them.
I mounted an inexpensive inclinometer on my dash, as our property is also steep.
My dealer fills all the rears.

 

[slingworks]

Rollover fear is always in my mind lol

When I was a teenager my dad tipped an H over that had a "defective' loader on it. He had borrowed it to load round bales on a truck. Worked fine until we had a bale up and the loader decided to swing about 18" to the left. The whole tractor went on it's side. At first it went slowly and he jumped off...Just his ego was bruised, considering it was a borrowed tractor.

A friend of the family also flipped (literally like a pop a wheelie) an H straight over. He was in his 80s and a slim older gent. He was tossed to the ground without much damage. He said a few words I can't repeat and went in the house for the day. About 10 years later when he was in his 90's he tipped a different H on it's side and wasn't so fortunate. Ended up crushing his hip and leg. Survived, but never really farmed much after.

Looking back I'd never touch a trike tractor. I do have one without a rollbar (low profile Zetor) I find myself leery still when mowing hillsides, etc. I think the tractor you bought is ok. Looks like you live in farmer's paradise with all that "flat."

 

[riptides]

Deal with the paranoid feeling if it impedes your tractor work, professionally, within the medical community.

Respect your equipment, think about what you are doing, tell other what you are doing, where you are doing it and when you may stop. Never work alone without a notification system in place.

Your tractor is fine, as you are.

I survived a roll over. Only cost me some skull fractures, a few weeks between intensive care and the hospital. And one eye.

 

[Stephen D]

Hello Stephen D, No you are not being paranoid. Once bitten twice shy.
Experience is a blunt teacher, AND you only had a bad fright and NO injury. Fortunatly a relatively low cost learning experience.

You ALWAYS have several things coming togather to cause an accident.
In this case, in a hurry, not looking,ran over a heap of dirt, NARROW track(width).

This combination WILL arise in the future so you need to break the incident chain.
Practically, this means increasing the track(width) of the tractor so an abrupt shift of the centre-of-gravity does not tip the tractor over.To do this with your existing rims you have 2 options
1) get wheel spacers, steel or aluminium. These are low cost and you will be surprised how a small increase in track has a large increase in stable "feel". Other members will tell you what they use and where to find them.
2) Dual wheels, massive difference in stable "feel" a much larger width (can you fit every where you currrently go?) Generally you will slide of the hillside instead of roll off the hillside. In your case backing over a heap of dirt,you better have your seat belt on as you are likely to be tossed into the door instead off rolling the tractor.

NOTE :
1)Your stability comes from the back axle. Making it wider gains stability. The front axle is on a pivot and by the time it hits the travel stop you are past the point of no return.

2) In your photo you have the loader down low. EXCELLENT, that is where it should be(curl bucket right back so if you hit the ground it slides instead of digging in). And when you are loading a trailer etc, keep the loader low UNTIL you are approaching the trailer to tip into it. A common mistake is to lift up high WHILE MANUVERING. This is a classic roll over senario.

3) Ballast: Are your rear tyre filled (partly) with liquid?
You will find a 3ph couterweight to be a good safty invest ment. Ask other members how they made/setup theirs to see what would work best for you.

4)Is there a company that does tractor saftey near you? Possibly state Ag saftey? Some formal trainig may be the best way for you to grow your confidence back.


Some food for thought.
Good Luck.

At the time I rolled it, I think I had a heavy 7-foot box blade on my 3 point, probably 700 lbs.- way too much for my cat 1 hitch but my theory was that it's width would somehow act as "stops" for rollover didn't pan out. The rear tires are air filled but I almost always have an 800 lb. ballast box on the 3 point these days. I lower it as close to the ground as I can, which caused the belly mower wheels to contact the ground- and that's why now the mower sits in the garage. I haven't tried removing the FEL and ballast box to use it as a mower (which would be nice when it's 95 and humid), and with the weight of the 72" deck beneath it maybe it would feel safer on the hills. My zero turn is so fast it hardly ever seemed worth the trouble of reconfiguring the tractor, especially because I use the FEL so much. Thank you to everyone for your kind words and sound advice.

 

[PEJ5]

If it does not feel right then pause. You mentioned you were not looking for strategies, probably because you have read and studied and know what you need. It was not likely the 15° that got you, but 15° or more, plus bucket load high, plus one wheel high or low, plus motion/turning. Reducing any one of these may have made the difference .

I watched a bunch of safety videos when I first purchased and scared myself. Here is what has helped me.

My 1300 lb counter weight is always on except when using another 3pt attachment. It sure does make a big difference for stability. My tractor literally squats when I raise it! Size it to 60 or 75% of your loader capacity.
My wheels have adjustable centres and so my wheels are set wide and the tires are loaded.
I have a cheap liquid inclinometer with a ball inside. When I get nervous and look it is typically above 10°. I put my hand on the loader control (if it is not already there) and inch along or back out to safety.
I have specific turn around spots on my slopes that keep me at 10° or less.

Continue to use your tractor and get comfortable again with front and rear slopes before trying side slopes.

 

[Gord Baker]

I am glad you survived your lesson. Never mind a fancy inclinometer (easily made), if you feel uncomfortable. STOP. Lower your bucket and implement and back away. Ballast in the tires might help and have them set as wide as possible. I remember my cousin rolling over the PLOW being towed by narrow front end Super C! Either go up and down the slope or leave it. Happy Wife!

 

[Al Kramer]

I don't think you are being paranoid. Caution is a good thing on a tractor. I've had some close calls and I don’t want to wind up on the front page of the local paper “Area farmer dies in tractor roll-over.” No thanks. I wear my seatbelt in most cases even though it's mostly flat land. But I don't want to roll over a stump I forgot was there and wind up 6’ under.

 

[citytransplant]

According to my instructor, and he said this over and over again, almost all accidents happened while backing up.

Advice for driving and for life: only go as far backward as is necessary to move forward.

 

[JasperFrank]

Today I was on the Ford 1220 with FEL, and box scaper held low, and for some reason, and in areas I've run for years with little concern, felt terrified it was going to roll. Even at the slightest of angles. Checked all the tire pressures and they are good. Axles all look good as do the hard points. I use the seat belt, and it has ROPS, but this just didn't seem enough, and I kept thinking, if I do put it sideways, I'm going to break my shoulder or slam my head on the ground. I was wondering, has any one put a shoulder harness on their tractor. I have no idea why today, this paranoia set in, aside from the fact that I'm using a new prescription for my eye glasses and the angles and terrain looks weird.

 

[Locoweed]

Even when you are on a small slope, a small hole for a front wheel to drop into or a rock under a rear wheel can change things drastically. I put 4" spacers on the rear wheels & it noticeably improved the stability of the tractor in those conditions.
I fail to understand why they can make narrow tractors for people that have a need, but don't have a wide option for people with that need.

 

[JohnT3383]

I'm grateful to see this discussion about rollover: I'm with those who advocate caution since I have several of the bad markers: relative noob (of the ~150 hours total time on my 5yo LS, maybe 100 is mine); lots of sloped, irregular ground; poor-to-no cell signal; no close neighbors; fairly remote location; over the hill (don't know how that happened: seems like I was 40 last year).
There's not a time I'm on it that I don't get nervous. It has a backhoe, so plenty of fore-aft counterweight, but even though I work low & slow, rolling is always my first concern. I have no idea how much lateral slope is safe, but 10-15 degrees sounds greater than is in my comfort range. I have contemplated securing the ROPS to a tree, then jacking up one side until it tips, but I'm sure that that is less practical and more stupid than it sounds. Sure wish I knew where the line is.

 

[redman135]

John T3383 see post 13

 

[scaredychicken]

I have a healthy fear of roll-overs (and a physical diability, so I can't expect to jump clear ... ever), and I'm still quite limited in my tractor experiences. I go low, and slow, learn as I go, and get a lot more work done than I (or anyone else that watched me grow up) ever expected to be able to do. I started driving tractors when I was about 11 yrs old, at my uncle's farm, but I'm still pretty green to it.

I think that I personally have about 270 hrs on the BX23S, I love it. I have some close friends that have a lot more experience with heavy equipment, tractors etc., so when I need something more difficult done I wait for them and then watch, learn, or have supervision.

The tractor keys stay in my possession now. Estranged wife is a bit too reckless with the tractor (my opinion) and a tenant who claimed to have lots of farming / equipment experience, has far less than me. She flipped the tractor over on TWO OCCASIONS, 5 week apart. Fortunately not injured. I'm keeping the keys now.

About 5 yrs ago a friend, miraculously survived a tractor roll-over accident, when he was on his own and isolated on the property for several hours . His testimony at church was amazing. I'm as cautious as I need to be, but not paranoid about it.

Take Care everyone, tractors are great tools.

 

[Eagle1]

I have no idea why today, this paranoia set in, aside from the fact that I'm using a new prescription for my eye glasses and the angles and terrain looks weird.

I got my first set of bi focal glasses, promptly tried to kill myself and the tractor. Working on rocky slopes and having the glasses change the location of the rocks and holes depending where you look down or out was a no go for me. Threw those glasses out that day and got a set of reading glasses.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

Your problem was the pile of dirt you backed over . Sudden shift of balance . Kevin .

I agree. I don't believe an inclinometer or alarm would have helped in this case as it was too sudden.

Tractors give a totally different and foreign feeling while driving due to the lack of suspension and the operator's elevated seating in respect to what you're used to.

Your attachments also change your center of gravity. I often use my Lane Shark raised high on my FEL while trimming the paths, a sudden dip on the side could potentially cause me to fall over so I use my ROBB as low as possible as a counterweight and I try to run the paths first to see if the rain has cut any groves or channels.

 

[Mudfarmer]

My Kubota B2650 with R1 tires is definitely narrower, lighter, and less stable than my JD 3005 with R4 tires. A narrow tractor has its advantages in tight spaces, but there is a price for that. Go slow, keep the bucket low.

 

[bunchgrass]

I agree. I don't believe an inclinometer or alarm would have helped in this case as it was too sudden.

Yep --- It can happen to the most experienced too. An experienced logger friend was operating a feller/buncher (tracked not wheeled machine) on a slope going vertically up and down the slope when he clipped the edge of a stump and it rolled him over on his side.

 

[hosspuller]

I have two Deere 5 series. Essentially the same except new one has loaded tires. Tire size was the same between tractors. New tractor was very tippy compared to old machine.
Stability was massively increased by increasing the rear tire width to match the old tractor. A difference of 7 inches total.

Point of this post is how much difference in stability, rear tire spacing makes. Much more than Loaded tires.

 

[just_Dave]

honestly.... it comes down to this.... speed, reverse, cab, height of fel and rear weight.

if you didn't have a backhoe, block, wheel weights or balist in the tires these rear tires are basically lightly loaded with a loaded FEL.
cab moves weight up than no cab tractor and the rear tire lightly loaded hit a bump and pushed you over and the cab helped push you in the wrong direction. think of the tire hitting that

I was working on a small tight yard with large piles of dirt from digging trenches and moving slowly. I was able to maneuver at severe angles slowly, at angles that would freak most out but I had no cab, backhoe on
moving slowly around as any place not a ditch was covered in big piles of dirt and I couldn't back fill yet sewer and water line install. no way I could do it at any speed over those piles.

so speed and cog is epic.. yours looks high in both regards.

 

[CliffordK]

The front axle does not contribute to the tractor's stability because its on a pivot. Yes there's a stop but I think in most cases when you hit the stop you're close to rolling it if not already rolled.

I made custom stop blocks for my front axle as I've picked up one rear wheel many times with the front end loader. If the tractor is reasonably level, I'm not sure how dangerous it is to roll over onto the axle stops. But, it feels very uncomfortable. And, it may also depend on the width of the tractor. So a super-narrow tractor will be problematic. With the stop blocks, I can pick up both rear wheels and still be stable. However, it is also easy to lose traction when one goes over a slope transition. Rear weight and fluid filled tires helps a lot. Don't put calcium into tubeless tires, and I'd probably avoid it today with better alternatives.

The tires on my tractor had some adjustment, and a few years ago I also flipped them out as wide as they would go (maintaining the chevrons pointing forward from the top side).

Eventually I'll get some kind of rough terrain forklift.