Mowing Almost rolled it- dumb, stupie, smart

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Seems to me that a FEL set to a few inches off the ground should help lower your center of gravity. That's a substantial chunk of mass that certainly moves your C.O.G. down lower than it otherwise would be.

Maybe moving your gravity forward does more harm than good.

That does seem logical but I suspect the arms higher than the wheels of the tractor have more weight than the bucket which may be almost as low as the wheels. I don't know the actual geometry of it but I know that with my FEL on any of my tractors makes them feel more unstable than with the FEL off. Have FEL on, drive over a big rock with one rear tire or drop one wheel in a hole and see how stable you feel and do it with a big tractor. Now, take the FEL off and do the same thing and see if you feel more or less stable. Try it with different size tractors and see if a bigger tractor feels more stable than a smaller tractor. I'm not talking about if it actually is more or less stable, I'm talking about how it feels and to me the feeling is what's important.

 

[newbury]

That does seem logical but I suspect the arms higher than the wheels of the tractor have more weight than the bucket which may be almost as low as the wheels. I don't know the actual geometry of it but I know that with my FEL on any of my tractors makes them feel more unstable than with the FEL off. Have FEL on, drive over a big rock with one rear tire or drop one wheel in a hole and see how stable you feel and do it with a big tractor. Now, take the FEL off and do the same thing and see if you feel more or less stable. Try it with different size tractors and see if a bigger tractor feels more stable than a smaller tractor. I'm not talking about if it actually is more or less stable, I'm talking about how it feels and to me the feeling is what's important.

Sounds like a great test!
When will you buy us the tractors?

 

[TripleR]

That does seem logical but I suspect the arms higher than the wheels of the tractor have more weight than the bucket which may be almost as low as the wheels. I don't know the actual geometry of it but I know that with my FEL on any of my tractors makes them feel more unstable than with the FEL off. Have FEL on, drive over a big rock with one rear tire or drop one wheel in a hole and see how stable you feel and do it with a big tractor. Now, take the FEL off and do the same thing and see if you feel more or less stable. Try it with different size tractors and see if a bigger tractor feels more stable than a smaller tractor. I'm not talking about if it actually is more or less stable, I'm talking about how it feels and to me the feeling is what's important.

Yes, size does matter. My BX feels like it is much less stable with a FEL than my CX80 and my 5030 does also but to a lesser extent. Most "utility tractors" owned by farmers in my area are never seen without the FEL though occasionally they will not have a bucket; maybe nothing or a hay spear. We have an old IH 1486 down in our barn with dual rear wheels and I don't know if you can make that thing feel unstable. Our renters use it with a 15' batwing to mow.

You are right about "feel" as mine feel unstable before they are, but I guess that's a good thing.

 

[Granite Tractor]

T
Lessons:
Don't mow there (at least close to edges) again. Terra incognito sucks.
Don't lock hubs and move forward, when forward is what got you in trouble.
Power down and jump off and call for help when you're in over your head.
Calling for help sucks but the alternatives can be far worse.

End Result: Drove home, had 2 Johnnie Walker Blacks. Back on the horse tomorrow.

I gotta say, this thing is a riot, but there is definitely a learning curve. I think I was ignorant, dumb, and moderately smart, in about that order. YMMV.

Thanks for sharing. Just finished my second day mowing with new 3030 cab and came to the forums to check in on safe inclines after realizing that I've never mowed with anything that has a COG close to a tractor.

I hadn't thought of removing FEL but will try that before going out to mow tomorrow.

I realize that the answer is most likely it depends, but I'd greatly appreciate any advice on safe inclines for a 3030 with factor cab, FEL removed, filled rear tires, and 5' rear cutter.

I'm currently erring on the side of caution by hitting slopes head on, but I suspect there's a limit to the incline I can hit even head on.

thanks!