Getting to Know the Tractor on a Slope

[oosik]

Gee - sorry I upset you fellows - Argonne & ovrszd. If your trinkets strapped on your tractors make you feel safer - good on you. Have a great day.

 

[ovrszd]

BTW I didn't mean to knock the idea of the clinometer on the tractor; was just sharing my own thought process about it....which is often wrong. But you might also want to try the phone app if you have a smart phone. I'm not really an "app" person; I have a total of two: one to look at the stars, and the clinometer. But when I'm considering my next scary trail, it will help me to scope it out using the phone app before I go down there.

I got to see what happens if you don't do it right when my brother went down my 40% slope with a full FEL and nothing on the rear.... Nice to know my tractor did NOT actually go over, though it was close. I hope you have filled tires. Stay safe!

I use Angle Meter Pro on my Android. Great App that I use often.

 

[ovrszd]

Gee - sorry I upset you fellows - Argonne & ovrszd. If your trinkets strapped on your tractors make you feel safer - good on you. Have a great day.

Certainly didn't upset me. An Inclinomter certainly isn't a trinket. That category is held by a cupholder (pun intended).

 

[oosik]

NO - an inclinometer IS NOT a trinket. Please, accept my SINCERE APOLOGY for being such an a** in my previous posts here. It was a bad day here yesterday and I let it get to me. Unfortunately - today is even worse. Its the damnable smoke, ash, crud coming from a wildfire somewhere in our region. It has gone well beyond the danger/unhealthy level here - I'm holed up in the house like a rat in a shoe box. Thank you for your understanding.

 

[CincyFlyer]

My self imposed limit on side-hills is 20 deg, and then only if I'm in 1 low and it's dry. It took me 2 seasons to sneak up on that number. 20 degrees feels like a LOT.

What does the tractor manufacturer say? Mine says 15ｰ, and that's plenty for me, and not even doable with a load.

 

[Argonne]

What does the tractor manufacturer say? Mine says 15ｰ, and that's plenty for me, and not even doable with a load.

I never found a published number for any of my machines, and came up with 20 degrees through experience. I finally got some validation on a video I watched a month ago when an expert let slip that 23-24 degrees was the maximum side-hill slope they allowed.

I found the video, How Steep a Slope Can I Take My Tractor On? - YouTube

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

NO - an inclinometer IS NOT a trinket. Please, accept my SINCERE APOLOGY for being such an a** in my previous posts here. It was a bad day here yesterday and I let it get to me. Unfortunately - today is even worse. It the damnable smoke, ash, crud coming from a wildfire somewhere in our region. It has gone well beyond the danger/unhealthy level here - I'm holed up in the house like a rat in a shoe box. Thank you for your understanding.

Sounds awful. Hope the fire is put out or the wind shifts at least.

 

[oosik]

Well - its 11:55 pm , Monday evening and the wind has finally shifted direction and the smoke and crud are cleared out for now. Good to breathe the cool night air.........

 

[Lawrence Black]

Is your inclinometer standard equipment or aftermarket? I'd love to have something like that for my LS Compact tractor. I try to mow going straight up/down the slope, but it isn't always possible and I'd rather have some kind of objective indicator than to always have to rely on "feel". No wheel weights, both rear tires are loaded, but not being a full size unit I'm a little leery of putting it across too much of a grade.

EDIT: Nevermind, I went a little further in the thread and found the link. As it's been a few decades since I was regularly operating a tractor, my "feel" is definitely a little off. I'm pretty sure I'll be picking one of these up soon.

 

[valdez54]

Go slow and trust your butt! If in a new area beware of washouts or debris hiding in the weeds... even in an area you think you do know...that last storm that came through may have changed the landscape. I run a JD110 TLB with 2" rear wheel spacers and filled with antifreeze all the time as our land is very hilly. (in winter chains on all tires) I can mow on a 20 degree slope with a 7' brush hog if the grass is dry and use my brakes to help. With the backhoe on on severe slopes
I swing it out for more ballast if there is room... even one time with a bucket of dirt fully extended...that was a bit harry...can also creep along with the appropriate outrigger a few inches off the ground. Beware of the balance change when you go in with an empty loader bucket and want to come with a full one... even dragging on the ground it changes things a bit. Another thing is to be aware of a rear flat tire developing while on a slope... a blow-out can cause a disaster but a slow flat may not be evident for a while. Lastly, I wear my seat belt all the time for safety"officially" but I find that I am not as tired after hours of mowing if I wear it...you don't notice how you brace yourself on slopes all the time and that does wear you out...