Ballast Loaded R3's on a sidehill?

[LD48750]

Does loading Turf tires lower the CG of the tractor?

I have a sidehill I mow that is right at the edge of my comfort level now & I just loaded front & rear tires on my Ford 1510.

Am I going to be in trouble?

 

[Deere Dude]

If you can mow it w/o loaded tires, loaded will make it a lot nicer. Still be careful.

 

[motownbrowne]

It'll be more stable with loaded tires, as Deere dude said.

 

[Texasmark]

The center of gravity is your metric. If the center falls within the span of the rears you should be good to go. Anything below the CG and within the confines or the rears helps with stability. The lower the mass the less required to get the desired result. Loading tires is about as low as you can get.

Couple of other things to consider:

1. Hitting a bump transfers the CG instantaneously and can result in an unpredictable result. Speed hinders since the faster you go and the larger the bump, the more energy involved to overcome your normal CG.

2. Sliding down the hill is always a problem, especially on wet grass like is encountered when you are mowing in the mornings before it gets too hot. A loaded R1 on a suitable soil (soft enough for lugs to penetrate and hold), reasonable hill side (30 degree is getting pretty risky with no other gotchas) may hold just fine. Otherwise you are asking for trouble.

 

[RalphVa]

Better loaded, and turfs are better on slopes than industrial. They tend to slide sideways.

Ralph

 

[LD48750]

Well ..... I have been mowing it the last 10 yrs or so with my 2N and a 72" 3pt finish mower.
Last yr I got the 1510 with a MMM and it worked but is still as I said, right at my comfort level.

MMM is off for winter & I may use the 3pt to start the season but will have the MMM back on soon.

 

[Texasmark]

Well ..... I have been mowing it the last 10 yrs or so with my 2N and a 72" 3pt finish mower.
Last yr I got the 1510 with a MMM and it worked but is still as I said, right at my comfort level.

MMM is off for winter & I may use the 3pt to start the season but will have the MMM back on soon.

If your gauge wheels are off the ground that MMM is the perfect CG reducer.