Maximum Grade?

[cperky]

In an earlier thread I had asked about my tractor possibly going to bypass when I was bush hogging a steep hill. I decided to try and calculate the steepness of the hill and here is what I came up with :

I looked at a topigraphical map online and according to the scale provided I have roughly 240 feet of rise and 625 feet of run. This gives me a grade of 38.4% (I think). I know the hill is not exactly uniform in rise, part of the slope is steeper than others.

1. What is the max slope for a 35hp mfd hydro with 5' bushog going in low turtle?

2. Did I calculate my grade correctly?

3. Is the hill steep enough to cause me to hit bypass?

 

[Todd_C]

It would help if you posted pictures of the land. In my opinion, I would say you are on the edge of safety. If you did use your tractor, I would not cut across the slop. I would only go up/down. The problem with your grade is the unknown rut or rock you may go over. This could upset the balance of the tractor. This is the best I can do without seeing pictures.

 

[dynasim]

I get 21 degrees, but that is still a steep hill.

That may be enough to bypass.

Chris

edit: I did some quick calculations, and 20 hp should lift 5000 lbs vertically at 1.5 mph. That grass may have been really tough, or your HST bypass valve may be set low.

 

[jinman]

I went up and down these slopes in my pond when I was cleaning up after a dozer. The slopes aren't as long as your hill, but they are sure steep. I carried a full bucket + 1/2 of wet silt up the pond dam with a boxblade on the rear. I could almost make it up in Low-Rabbit, but never had a problem in Low-Turtle. The relief valve on your TC35D is the same as a TC45D. They are non-adjustable and relieve at 5000 psi internal HST pressure.

Your engine may bog down and/or you may be pressing a little too far on the pedal. But if not, I would wonder about the relief valve. There are actually two valves, one for forward and one for reverse, both the same. They can be changed without disassembly of the tractor.