Mowing Roll over question....

[Gale Hawkins]

They do not help in those cases.

 

[techwrtr2]

They do not help when you are in the process of going over. At that point all you can do is hold on and say "Oh s...!".

 

[JD4320]

To the OP:

As has been said, all tractors will tip at different angles, and no one is going to tell you "the 4320 is safe up to xx degrees of tip" due to liability and also that situational dynamics (ie speed, ground conditions, attachments, turning etc.) will change the tip angle.

My 4320 came with the wheels in the narrowest stance (it has the 8-way adjustable rims) and seemed very unstable. It didn't help that I was working near the top of a 20 foot retaining wall, a tip to the wrong side would mean a 20' drop before the roll bar was tested/crushed. I flipped the rims to the 3rd of 4th setting (outside of tires now 90"), the tractor now seems WAY more stable. I am also easily able to put rear chains on and it still fits on my 93" between-the-wheels trailer.

I have heard that the newer 4320s are coming with non-adjustable rims, which is a real negative in my opinion.

 

[RoyJackson]

I'm kind of curious how the tiltmeters work without driving on the slope? Seems to me that a gadget you could hold in your hand, or mount on a stick might be easier. I guess when things do go bad, the last thing you look at is the tiltmeter so you know where that point is the next time? I still don't understand how they help if you hit soft soil. a rock you didn't see, etc. I have very few slopes that are constant from one end to the other anyway, and others that the town snow plows "modify" every year.

I mounted my tiltmeter (R&B unit I bought close to 10 years ago). The angle (incline) degrees are color coded 0-15 degrees is green, 16-20 is yellow, above 20 is red. I'm writing this from memory so those degrees may not be exact. Also, it has been 10 years, so the tiltmeter color coding may have changed. It was mounted on my first tractor...I still have it, but it's not mounted on the 790.
The intent is not to worry about the exact reading, but to see where the bubble is on the scale as a reference. You can stop and look at the exact reading if you want to though.
What ever you use should been something you can glance at and determine if you're in a caution or danger zone. Then you can react accordingly (which might mean stop and back up or slow down and keep moving forward).
Tiltmeters aren't going to help when you have an abrupt change (hole or rut) and you'll probably be reacting to that abrupt change rather then looking at a tiltmeter anyway.
Personally, I'd rather have a mounted unit then one on a cell phone. I don't want to occupy my hands holding a phone. If I'm on a slope, I keep one or both hands on the steering wheel or one hand on a grab handle. Anyway, if I was carrying a phone or handheld unit, I'd probably drop it.

If you do want to measure a slope before operating on it, make sure you know how to calibrate it on level ground. I don't have an app on my phone (Blackberry) but if I had a handheld unit, I think I'd use a level for the initial calibration (which is what I did when install the R&B unit on my 670 years ago).

Like I wote in another post...tiltmeters are a great reference, but no substitute for good judgement.

This thread should be in the Safety forum since it applies to all tractor brands.