How Steep?

[JerryG]

I can't remember to take my good camera, so I shot the slope with my phone. Here is a picture of the slope with my tractor on it.

 

[IslandTractor]

I can't remember to take my good camera, so I shot the slope with my phone. Here is a picture of the slope with my tractor on it.

Man, I'd need one extra pair of shorts for going up, one for turning around and another for coming down again. You'd never get me going up a second time in anything short of a PowerTrac slope mower!

 

[JerryG]

Actually the last twenty feet where the tractor is, I normally back up because the turn around isn't but about 5 feet wide. It is to steep to angle the tractor and still miss the building I have made my circle and went down at that end instead of up several time. I don't like to do it that way. What I usually do is mow going up and then loop and mow going back down. I leave my loader on so that the front will stay down. It is really tight. The bucket just misses the curtains on the building by about a foot or less. I have to mow that area 3-4 times every summer.

 

[IslandTractor]

I have to mow that area 3-4 times every summer.

I think I would use Round Up!

 

[JerryG]

I think I would use Round Up!

I'm afraid that there might be an erosion problem.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm afraid that there might be an erosion problem.

Hah, nothing a little concrete couldn't fix. How about growing a ground cover plant that doesn't need cutting?

 

[scott_vt]

I can't remember to take my good camera, so I shot the slope with my phone. Here is a picture of the slope with my tractor on it.

Mornin Jerry,
Holy Cow !!! That looks like the incline on some of our mountains up here !!!

 

[JerryG]

How steep is too steep for a small tractor to climb?

I will soon replace my MF 1220 20 h.p. tractor with something bigger. Some of my property is uphill, maybe 30 degrees, for a couple hundred yards. The 20 h.p. is underpowered and can't always get up the hill.

I drove a 35 h.p. Kubota with a backhoe on it recently, and it didn't seem to have a problem getting up the hill. I need a tractor with a loader and maybe a scraper.

Any ideas?

John,
I wanted you to see what kind of hill you can work on if you are careful. I wouldn't do it with the backhoe on. A compact tractor with a backhoe on is much to top heavy to operate on that steep of a hill. I don't know if a hydro would be able to operate on that steep of a hill or not because the transmission pickup might be sucking air instead of fluid.

 

[mcnitt]

Jerry - That's an awesome photo...And I think it answers the question very well!

 

[Zoomtopz]

I suppose it's a case between your Dare factor & your Fear factor .
I had been up & down a hill at a friends farm in his JD4X4 , his 4X4 , my 4X4.
Then I took my 135 Down . OOoops , 6ft slasher on back , fair amount of
ballast on front , or so I thought . The dare factor was ok , down I went,
up other side , turned around came back , down ok , coming back up , the
fear factor kicked in a couple of times when the 135 front lifted . I only go
& check that section in my 4X4 . Safety mate , Safety.