My B3200 and this hill.....

[General Lee]

For those that often wonder how steep a hill their tractor will climb, I posted a couple pictures of hill I routinely climb with my B3200. The first 15 or so feet going up is at a minimum 40 degrees, maybe more. The rest of the hill is well over 30 degrees. Low gear and 4wd and she climbs it no problem, although that first 15 feet gives me the pucker factor every time. The last pic is looking down but where the trail looks like it ends in the pic is actually where the last 15 feet drop off to the 40 - 45 degree angle. ****, it may be steeper??
Pics aren't the greatest, used my phone

 

[funwithahoe]

That last pic tells the tale! What are you doing up on the mountain with your b3200?? Like the york too!

 

[General Lee]

That last pic tells the tale! What are you doing up on the mountain with your b3200?? Like the york too!

Lol, I live at the top of that hill. At the bottom of the hill is a small pond and other trails I use to get to my neighbor's field to mow. Today I was doing a little maintenance to the trails with the rake.

 

[davatk]

For those that often wonder how steep a hill their tractor will climb, I posted a couple pictures of hill I routinely climb with my B3200. The first 15 or so feet going up is at a minimum 40 degrees, maybe more. The rest of the hill is well over 30 degrees. Low gear and 4wd and she climbs it no problem, although that first 15 feet gives me the pucker factor every time. The last pic is looking down but where the trail looks like it ends in the pic is actually where the last 15 feet drop off to the 40 - 45 degree angle. ****, it may be steeper??
Pics aren't the greatest, used my phone

Hill ? Thats just a bump ! :laughing:

Just kidding....don't anyone turn their tractor over backwards now trying to outdo General Lee !

 

[General Lee]

Hill ? Thats just a bump ! :laughing:

Just kidding....don't anyone turn their tractor over backwards now trying to outdo General Lee !

The first couple times I went up this hill I loaded the front bucket with wood because I wasn't sure if the front would stay down. But as davatk stated just because I do it doesn't mean everyone should, lol.

 

[Danno1]

.

It would help , when people take hill pics, to take the pic from the side of the hill. It would be much more obvious as to the steepness to see a side view. And the angle could even be measured off the picture. Just walk off into the woods 10-20 ft.


.

 

[rjkobbeman]

I have steep incline on the side of my driveway that I have to back up in order to bush hog. I don't mow it often enough to get over the pucker factor. It also happens to be the same area that I almost rolled a borrowed New Holland (approximately 60 HP) 5 years ago... while prepping the land to start building my new home. That accident resulted in a broken wrist that required reconstructive surgery. Not one of my finer moments. I learned a lot of lessons that day. I did everything wrong!

I consider myself lucky to be alive.

The incline is steep enough that my riding mower will slide all the way down. The turf tires will not get any traction.

 

[Grandad4]

That's one steep, long hill you've got there, General. Reminds me of some hills I used to climb with a Jeep many years ago. Similar to the Jeep, your Kub with 4wd has the traction to climb hills you'd have trouble walking up.

Interestingly, the limit to what you should climb is not traction, it's your hydraulics and HST system (I'm assuming your tractor is HST... please correct me if not), which are driven by hyd fluid drawn by an intake sump in the transmission case. There is a design limit in how far you can pitch the tractor (aeronautics term, sorry) before the intake draws air, not fluid, and your HST stops working. That's probably not a good thing to have happen half way up or down a steep trail.

The HST has an advantage in safe operation on hills since it does not require going through clutching to stop or change directions, thus lessening the chance of a freewheeling runaway. But only up to a point... as noted above. These tractors were never intended to be ATV's

I don't know exactly what the limits are for your tractor, but if you are on a 30+ degree slope, you could be approaching those limits, so please exercise caution if you must operate the tractor there.

 

[funwithahoe]

Good we all remember to exercise caution - Just went to the safety threads - Good to keep in mind we, and the machines, are far from invinceable!

Goood idea to read the safety threads once in a while - Reminded me of a couple of "questionable" things I have been doing as my confidence grows (sideways mowing on a hill because it is faster and more convenient that stright up and down). When you realize how many people have hurt/killed themselves it wakes you up!

 

[Gordon Gould]

Really nice road General. Makes me jealous every time someone posts a picture of a woods road. Nobody seems to have any rocks or boulders. I have a couple miles of woods road and they all look like snakes so I can get around the boulders. I must live in the wrong place.

gg