Just about rolled it...BX22

[drcollie]

I was carrying heavy loads of compost and topsoil in the FEL of my BX22 today and came hugely close to rolling the tractor. I did have the ROPS bolted up, and my seat belt on.

My yard has a downhill slope and I was varying my path with the loads so as to not rut the yard, and on one occasion when I began to make a transitional turn to the left (up a hill) with a full load of topsoil in the bucket (at about 50% height), I felt the tractor start to go over. YIKES! I was going very slow - luckily, and glanced and saw my left rear wheel well off the ground and I was on the way to a full rollover, literally balanced on three wheels when I stopped. My R&B Tiltmeter was pegged out of the red zone......I very gingerly lowered the FEL all the way to the ground - which immediately stopped the teeter-totter effect I was in the midst of, then slowly backed out of the turn. It was white knuckle time for sure, even at 3 mph!

Be careful out there...a moments inattention.....

_Duane C

 

[Hakim]

<font color=blue>My R&B Tiltmeter was pegged out of the red zone......I very gingerly lowered the FEL all the way to the ground </font color=blue>
Probably a darned good thing you had that Tiltmeter on board. Good cautionary tale. I hope people realize that even at a snail's pace, there can be real danger. Yes, have fun and all that, but SAFETY FIRST. Can we ever say or think that too many times? Glad you got back down to earth without a problem.

 

[DK35vince]

"Full load of top soil in bucket at about 50% height "
Keep that loaded bucket closer to the ground when traveling please !!

 

[Gunfighter]

When transporting you should keep the load as close to the ground as possible.
When raised high, the load has allot of leverage.

 

[beenthere]

What good did the tiltmeter do? Sounds like the first thing noticed was a wheel off the ground. Then he looked at the tiltmeter. Did the tiltmeter convince the operator that the condition was dangerous, or did the fact that there were only three wheels on the ground become the first clue?

I don't want to sound cryptic, but I think the tiltmeter did not do anything for this situation, and can give an inexperienced operator some false sense of security. A load should not be that far in the air, and ballast should (although nothing was said about ballast) compensate for the load. More immediate response of the operator to get the load lowered to the ground when this condition presents itself is apparent to me.

I don't fault the operator for working on a hill. Glad he is safe and only the puckerer was stressed a bit.

 

[TresCrows]

I agree, what good did the tiltmeter perform? I think the first clue was the wheel of the ground, surely you did not need a tilt meter to tell you the wheels was parting company with the ground? The bucket should be carried low and a boxblade or other 3-point weight used in conjunction with the FEL.
Do any of you guys have those flashlights that have the LED on them that tells you the battery is dead?
Walk fast, zig-zag and hide in dark places. J

 

[ddl]

I agree with both of the last two. If the wheel being off the ground is not a sign of warning, the driver needs to park the trator until they realize what danger is. The problem was the height of the loader, it could have happened on level ground. Loader too high, uneven load in bucket and turning too fast.

Dan l

 

[Hakim]

As I read the sequence of events, the Tiltmeter was an instantaneous visual confirmation that the problem existed. Sometimes our eyes and minds do not quickly or correctly fully interpret events. I suppose he did or would have figured out the severity of the situation from the wheel being off the ground. But that split-second confirmation must have been of some benefit, or the operator would not have mentioned using it?

Anyway, I am just glad he is okay, and agree that the problem was improper load height.

 

[theboman]

A Tiltmeter is to be watched. If one watches the Tiltmeter you know where you're at, it don't have bells or whistles like a radar dector.
I know pucker power takes place way before anything with this ol' boy.
The golden of rule of the FEL .. LOW and SLOW.

 

[drcollie]

Just to answer a few questions or clear up some inconsistences on this incident, I had the backhoe on the rear of the BX22, so there was plenty of ballast. Also, the bucket was at 50% height as I had to cross a shallow swale ditch requiring it to be at that level.....(yes, I should have lowered it after clearing the ditch, but did not on this one trip of many). After I come off the swale the lot tilts to one side at about 17 to 18 degrees while sloping downhill. Where I got into trouble was turning UP into the hill with the load, and yes, the tiltmeter did little more than verify what I already knew when the wheel came up. Instantly stopping the tractor was the key to controlling the situation, and once stopped it was easy to remedy by lowering the bucket to the ground and backing out of it. No doubt in my mind that had I been going at a good clip I'd have rolled it....I was putt-putting at a walk speed though so everything was slow motion. I do have new found respect for fully-weighted front end loaders, however!

-Duane C.