Operating on hilly ground. You level land guys are wimps!!

[RoyJackson]

It really is hard to tell how steep a hill really is by a picture, I have taken pictures of hills that scared the snot out of me and upon looking at the picture, it didn't seem so steep.

Yeah it is...and until I got my tiltmeter (10 years ago), seat of the pants judgements were (in my case) normally more severe then the actual measured slope. Using tree trunks to judge a slope was a trick my Father (forest ranger in MD) taught me when I was a kid.

Sweep, the slopes you attached are just about the same as what we have in south central PA. Heck, there isn't a level area on my property (wish my lot was level though!).

 

[LD1]

Sweep: I do believe the camera is level. Judging by the weeds and the way the grass lays that is right in front of you in the first pic, I'd say you arent too far off level.

But thats why I hate posting 2-D pics of things like this, there are always people who dont believe, or think you are tricking us by tilting the camera.


But what you can do, if you have time, is hold a level in front of you and snap the picture then:thumbsup:

And to get even more creative, if you have a protaractor/angle finder you could use as well, we can determin the actual percent grade.

I am going to throw out my guess of 30% grade. Cause it looks like about 100' on a horizontal plane to the fence with a rise of about 30'. 30% is about 17 degrees also, cause if you have an angle finder, you can sight it and get pretty close also.

 

[brin]

I have a hill about that steep that I bush hog on one side of our lake...I go up and down in semi circles and it is safe to do. Everyone should keep in mind that to mow any incline like that sideways is just asking to walk and talk with Jesus....any hole, rut or crevice on your downhill side your tire hits can turn you over or any rock or rise on your uphill side your tire runs over can turn you over and that does not count sliding...so mow up and down or in semi circles up and down and if you ever start to tip turn to the downhill side always or you will certainly roll over. Remember always ....Shinny side up...Greasy side down..

 

[TripleR]

Yeah it is...and until I got my tiltmeter (10 years ago), seat of the pants judgements were (in my case) normally more severe then the actual measured slope. Using tree trunks to judge a slope was a trick my Father (forest ranger in MD) taught me when I was a kid.

Sweep, the slopes you attached are just about the same as what we have in south central PA. Heck, there isn't a level area on my property (wish my lot was level though!).

I really need to get tilt meters for my tractors as I am sure you are right. When I am mowing I usually have to hold on the uphill cab railing to stay in my seat and I sometimes slide sideways and lean over, just so it doesn't "look" so steep.:laughing:

We have one farm that is almost pool table flat and the other two are hill farms though one of the hill farms has 75 acres of very gently sloped land and 75 of flat land.

I mow our levies sideways with the M8540, but up and down with the L5030. I "know" the L5030 won't tip over, but my nerves just can't quite handle it.

I am constantly amazed at how good the native hill farmers are with their tractors. Not long ago, I was working on a washout on one of our pond levies and the pucker factor was way up there. One day while I was doing something else, I had had some 6" and 2" rock delivered and two of the men who rent our land came up with several dump truck loads of dirt and their JD 4610 eHydro and 7210 or 7220 and filled the washout with dirt and then topped it with the rock.

They later asked if I minded.:laughing:

 

[Chef Pa]

I have family in WV. Last time we visited their neighbor had a son returning from overseas, and bush hogged 'Welcome Home Jimmy' on a large, steep hillside across the road. Every angle imaginable had to be hit in the process. I was amazed at how good a job they did. Made me pucker just to look. I love the hills but don't envy that kind of hill time. Glad to be a wimp if that's what a wimp is

 

[dex3361]

Since the trees in the background (upper right of the pic) are on a bit of an angle (5 degrees or a bit more), I'd say the camera was held on an angle too. This would make that slope look worse then it actually is.

Anyway, guys whose land is flat and level aren't wimps...just a bit more fortunate then those who live on sloped land.

I don't know Roy look at the fence post close to the edge of the pic it is tilted a little but not a lot. That hill is steep and there is a lot like that around here but in the pictures they don't look so bad.

 

[RoyJackson]

I don't know Roy look at the fence post close to the edge of the pic it is tilted a little but not a lot. That hill is steep and there is a lot like that around here but in the pictures they don't look so bad.

Yeah, I've been through VW quite a bit and walked a few miles of the Appalachian Trail. I know about steep!!

My comments weren't to discredit Sweep...but taking pictures of slopes and truly representing them is difficult. To me, that slope didn't look too bad and I do think he was on a bit of an angle himself (not purposely...but you all know how difficult it is when standing on (and leaning into) a slope).

 

[Piston]

I really need to get tilt meters for my tractors

I was thinking the same thing, however how do you know what angle your tractor is safe at? Does it say in the owners manual what the max recommended side angle is?
I know it always feels a whole lot steeper than it looks, but I don't like to push it :thumbsup:

 

[RoyJackson]

I was thinking the same thing, however how do you know what angle your tractor is safe at? Does it say in the owners manual what the max recommended side angle is?
I know it always feels a whole lot steeper than it looks, but I don't like to push it :thumbsup:

You're not going to see a "Maximum Side Tilt" in any manual due to the multitude of slope conditions and many, many other variables no manufacturer can control or envision.
And even the tiltmeter isn't the miracle cure. These instruments will help you to gage slopes and warn you of a slope that is gradually increasing in steepness. But they won't warn you of a sudden transition (hole downslope, rock upslope for examples).
Best thing mine did for me is help me to develop more confidence when traversing slopes. Just don't get over confident!

 

[TripleR]

I was thinking the same thing, however how do you know what angle your tractor is safe at? Does it say in the owners manual what the max recommended side angle is?
I know it always feels a whole lot steeper than it looks, but I don't like to push it :thumbsup:

I would like to get a tilt meter more out of curiosity than anything else as no, I don't know what is safe per manual; don't think it's in there. I honestly wouldn't trust the Operator Manual as due to product liability, I believe it would have to be way on the conservative side.

We have owned our hill farms since 1986 and I have mowed them along with my father in law and then sons since that time and we have never turned a tractor over though my father in law turned his lawn mowers over a few times. We have since bought a more stable lawn mower, but I still won't mow that area cross ways. My grandson does, but not me.

We have areas that we rotate wildlife cover every few years and in those, due to the unknown. primarily washouts, we always keep the FEL on and go up and down as I have had to use the FEL to get me out more than a few times.

It may not sound like it, but I am honestly too scared to "push the envelope" on hills. My son mows stuff I won't touch.