New here

[SteveM70]

I've never had a problem going up hill with eh backhoe on...which I guess means my "hills" are like your hills! Though I did leave the back hoe on with just my front blower this winter. That was scary. A sneeze was just about enough to bring the front wheels off the ground. I won't repeat that next winter!

I wonder if you can add some weight to the front of the tractor. If you remove the brush guard, would there be enough room between the loader and the frame to add some weights?

I have some old weights that I believe I will experiment with to see how much weight it will take to hold it down then go from there.

 

[AxleHub]

Thanks for the deck info! I really like the sounds of a true mulching deck but on the other hand, the ability to go with thicker spacers with the 60" deck may be the deciding factor. Also I have a couple long ditch lines that the wider deck could reach out over better.

I do have issues with erosion and water in general. The majority of them have been cleared up now though. Since my original post I have put 7 more hours on the tractor hauling dirt and filling some of the ruts created by water. If I can get some grass growing in these areas before the next big rain it will stay. Otherwise all my work will literally be washed away.

Alot of times users forget how big the chute deflectors are. A 54 inch deck with chute on is almost 67 inches of total width and a 60 inch is a strong 6 feet.

Dependon where you are located . . I'd recommend you do some checking on sources of "true compost" (not barn compost). Here's why: true compost is sived and made up of select wood and aged manure and plant life. Its then stored for a period of time. It comes out jet black and fine screened and it is lighter than black dirt.

The power of true compost is not growing things . . although it does that well. But the power is how it acts as a soil amendment. In sandybsoil ut helps hold moisture . . And in clay soil it helps wick water away. Used on hills along with dirt mixed . . It helps slow or delay erosion significantly . . My slopes greatly benefitted from adding it to the dirt prior to being prepared for lawn making. It also makes a very high quality runoff control.

As far as spacers go . . I've as yet not irdered my spacers but the nature of the mulcher deck may allow me to go to 2 inch spacer on each side. But bro tek can give you a better answer or measure it at a dealer. 1.5 or 1.75 or 2 inches on each side should help alot.

 

[SteveM70]

I'm not sure when I would get the deck or even positive I will. I have a riding mower but the GC is starting to make more sense to me to use as my next mower. It is rugged and 4x4, that is what I need to tackle my mowing chores. When I purchased it I didn't think it would have enough side hill stability to use as a mower here but with the hoe off it is surprisingly more stable side hill than I thought it would be. I think, with the hoe and bucket off, added spacers and the added low weight of the deck it would work much better than I originally thought.

Thanks for the tip on the compost, I had know clue there was that much difference.

 

[AxleHub]

I'm not sure when I would get the deck or even positive I will. I have a riding mower but the GC is starting to make more sense to me to use as my next mower. It is rugged and 4x4, that is what I need to tackle my mowing chores. When I purchased it I didn't think it would have enough side hill stability to use as a mower here but with the hoe off it is surprisingly more stable side hill than I thought it would be. I think, with the hoe and bucket off, added spacers and the added low weight of the deck it would work much better than I originally thought.

Thanks for the tip on the compost, I had know clue there was that much difference.

1. Regarding the proper type of compost. Our lot has substatial sidehill and downhill angles. I was very surprised after I test the use of different compost products. Imagine it this way . . .water comes running at it and the proper type "transfers" water thru it rather than over it or getting cut out. Dirt or clay "resist" water like a dam while compost transfers it like a sponge transfers moisture. Then in sand water wants to go "down and gone" while compost wants to transfer and keep in the surface


2. Sidehills and gc1700 series. I had tested kubota bx product and yanmar sc2400 product etc. etc. for mowing sidehills and hills. I found I felt more comfortable on hills with the gc. Then I had tires loaded and it was really good. But I definitely would not like a hoe or bucket on for sidehill cutting. I have a quick attach fir my bucket so I tested with fel on but not bucjet and mowing was mucg better than with bucket on. Another advanrage to the gc vs a lawn mower is having 4 wd plus if needed in ditch /culvert areas you also have the dif lock if needed.. My GC1715 has a great seat for rough lawn ir washboard lawn too.

 

[JWR]

Similar observations from a lot of folks who've purchased GCs; they're great little machines, quite a bit heavier & stronger, IMO, than the Kubota BX- series SCUTs (especially the BH).

Mine's an older one, the last of the 2300 series, just before the 2400 series came out. One thing I've done, as you're 100% correct on going upslope with the backhoe on: When I really prefer to go up in FORWARD as opposed to backing up, some heavy objects in the FEL can make a huge difference, but I see you've tried that; I use three heavy 16" long 25" dia. log sections. My tires are not filled, but some people feel that also helps a lot. I know I eventually removed my BH when snowblowing (front-mount, obviously), as I had pretty much zero steering control going uphill.

But you're right, going uphill with the BH on can be interesting.

Welcome to the forum!

Weights or loading of rear tires has no bearing on the "tipping over backwards" tendency. The pivot in that axis is the rear axle so it makes no difference what the rear tires weigh. Of course something heavy in the bucket helps a lot. I'm sure the backhoe is a nuisance to take on and off, but the best solution to going up and down steep hills is son't do it with the backhoe on the tractor.

 

[SteveM70]

I just went out and checked some of my trouble spots. It seems (according to a cheap RV type level) that my troubles start at about 15 degrees. At this point loader work up hill becomes sketchy with the backhoe on. At about 20 degrees I start to lose steering when tramming up hill.

JWR, you are absolutely correct IMO, the best thing to do is take the backhoe off to travel up hills. With just a little over 100 hours on my tractor I have done it many times. The work I am doing now requires the backhoe and loader bucket both and on a hill so it is a little aggravating to back up the hill to do the backhoe work, come down the hill, take the hoe off, go forward up hill to do the loader work, back off the hill, put backhoe on, repeat.

That being said, it still beats the heck out of a pick n shovel combo! And the majority of this type work is about done so it's not as bad as it may sound like I'm making it out to be. My old tractor would carry the backhoe just fine, I realize that's an apples to oranges comparison but I guess I'm saying it may have spoiled me a little.

 

[JWR]

I embedded a chart of slope degrees overlaying slope in %. Your 20 degrees is getting fairly steep (around a 37% slope.) I routinely mow 40% slopes on a WV farm but a 50% slope (around 26 degrees) is about my limit under the best of conditions. And I'm not having a backhoe on for the ride. A bush hog (my normal mode) does hang out a ways and provides a lot of rearward tilting unless the hog is riding on the ground.

 

[SteveM70]

JWR, I hadn't caught your location in you sig. I assume your farming in the northern part of WV? If you've ever made it down to this part of the state you probably already know that if its level, it's likely man made.

 

[JWR]

JWR, I hadn't caught your location in you sig. I assume your farming in the northern part of WV? If you've ever made it down to this part of the state you probably already know that if its level, it's likely man made.

For sure. Yes, my farm is a few miles south of Clarksburg. When we were growing up, teenagers bragged about finding a straight stretch of road -- a "straightaway" -- that was 1/4 mile long. All hills and, except for the occasional flat spot in a valley, Beckley environs look the same way to me.