Ballast How Many Degrees of Side Tilt is Safe?

[MtnViewRanch]

Load your tires, it will make a noticeable difference.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

Our grassy areas here are pretty tame by Catskills standards, not very steep, but the unevenness of the terrain pretty much keeps me puckered about 50% of the time I'm mowing. Also, the slightest change in position from one mowing to the next can make an area that was fine one time, scary the next. My tires are filled, and I keep the loader bucket as low as I can. In addition my RFM weights over 500 pounds which is a significant part of the whole thing, being that the tractor is so small. Then again, I wonder how much resistance is afforded to a rollover by something low on the three point hitch.

Lots of places I can go with the old WheelHorse with no problem are pretty scary with the bigger tractor. I've often wondered what kind of angles are scaring me, and I think they are well under 15 degrees - at least I hope so.

This, in turn leads me to the following conclusion: if you have property like this, you might want to bump up your mower width a little more. Normally, a six foot RFM would be pushing my TC26DA, but on this property, I have to go so slow most of the time, I could easily use that size mower. Of course, the extra foot would mean less of a smooth cut, but I could live with that.

One last thing: It's pretty darn scary when you're leaning in the open, but a lot more if there's a big rock or a tree alongside - in the open, the seatbelt might save you but not if you should roll with an obstacle next to you..

 

[beppington]

I've never come close to rolling my tractor (that I knw f!), but was mowing the consistently-sloped roadside ditch once the day after a rain & found myself all of the sudden on a slippery spot that caused the tractor to slide sideways a little ways. Never really thought I might actually roll over, but sliding when you're not expecting it & having no control over it is a lil' scary. I could only hope it would slide to a flatter location & stop upright (fort., it did) ... what if the sliding slid you to a steeper area?! :shocked:

 

[Bird]

I consider inclinometers like a good movie. They're fun to watch, but it's all make-believe. I think an inclinometer can give you a false sense of security. A wheel can drop in a hole or you can hit a small rock on the high side at speed that will cause the tractor to tip. I would say to go ahead and get the inclinometer and find out where your body's "pucker meter" is calibrated. However, don't make any assumptions. Even loose or slippery soil on an incline can allow your tractor to slide sideways. Things get goofy in a hurry. If you aren't careful, you can be discussing your spiffy new inclinometer with the ambulance crew.:confused2:

No, no, not like make-believe movie.:laughing: I consider it like a fuel gauge. It won't keep you from turning over any more than a fuel gauge can keep you from running out of fuel. But they both provide a little information that I occasionally like to have.

 

[Low Bucket]

Load your tires, it will make a noticeable difference.

+1 on loading tires.:thumbsup:

Paul

 

[brin]

It's always the unseen and unknown....the pot holes , rocks, stumps or other debris that can cause you to turn over on even a 10 deg angle...if the downhill tire sinks in a hole or the uphill tire rises up over an obstruction that could be your end and the incline meter will tell you so...but as it flashes 40 deg or more..it will be too late...So, know your ground, go slow , keep your FEL almost to the ground and if you start to tip ...turn downhill immediately...be careful.

 

[SpringHollow]

The inclinometers are nice just to know what you are dealing with in general (I have two, one for front to back and the other for side to side and do help you to calibrate your pucker factor. But I agree that you can not use them as an absolute. Pucker factor usually comes into play before the limits but pucker factor is subjective. However, repeated exposure recalibrates your pucker factor making it easier to get into trouble as you get more experience if you do not take that into account. 15 degrees on a CUT has me very nervous. But after a repeated passes in the same area, I become much more comfortable. The most I have done on my tractor is 30 degrees (instead of the 45 it is rated for) and so I have not reached its pucker factor yet. At 20 degrees, I do not even bother to lower the bucket when it has 1200 pounds in it.

Ken

 

[rayikeo2]

The inclinometers are nice just to know what you are dealing with in general (I have two, one for front to back and the other for side to side and do help you to calibrate your pucker factor. But I agree that you can not use them as an absolute. Pucker factor usually comes into play before the limits but pucker factor is subjective. However, repeated exposure recalibrates your pucker factor making it easier to get into trouble as you get more experience if you do not take that into account. 15 degrees on a CUT has me very nervous. But after a repeated passes in the same area, I become much more comfortable. The most I have done on my tractor is 30 degrees (instead of the 45 it is rated for) and so I have not reached its pucker factor yet. At 20 degrees, I do not even bother to lower the bucket when it has 1200 pounds in it.

Ken

Are you basing your max angle of 45 deg on the dually wheeled tractor shown in your avator picture or on a "normal" tractor without the duallys?
We don't want to mislead anyone into thinking a 45 degree slope is safe.

 

[rayikeo2]

Pucker-up guys and watch this Utube video of what springhollow is driving. I can see it slipping and sliding on that slope. I really expected to see it go tumbling down the slope at any time. Don't try this with your tractor at home, unless you have the tractor pictured. :confused2:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfmRuCLvg18[/ame]

This link may be broken. If it doesn't work do a google on springhollow's tractor model number posted in his equipment list. PT1850

 

[SpringHollow]

The tractor comes with the duals and is rated for 45 degrees. I need to buy a pair of brown pants before i try it even though that is all the previous owner used it for, mowing the 45 degree sides of munition depots. Sliding becomes the issue, not flipping. Chains help with that.

Ken