ROLLING OVER A TRACTOR

[pitt_md]

If you could mount a wheel on the downhill support arm and use a training wheels.

 

[pitt_md]

What are the pros and cons of crossing a slope with a stabilizer extended?

When I bought my backhoe, the salesman told me that extending a stabilizer in a dicey situation was standard practice among experienced operators.

I will frequently turn the hoe to the uphill side of the tractor, and will sometimes extend it to increase stability on a sidehill.

OTOH, I am a real weenie about the possibility of being crushed in a rollover, so I may be over cautious.

Avoiding death has never made anyone a weenie.
working in ditch banks and on side hills just freaks me out. If I can't go up and down then I don't need to be there.

 

[Oliver Wendell Douglas]

It seems to me that a backhoe reaching out far and low to the uphill side is going to give the most side hill stability... personally, I don't like the idea of carrying the backhoe on the downhill side to try and "catch" the tipping tractor...that seems like a formula for tipping in the first place.

It also seems like having both stabilizers in their down position lowers the center of gravity and creates some possibility of catching a tipping tractor.

Also, I expect that a properly manipulated backhoe will make the tractor more stable than no backhoe at all. Of course this all assumes there is room to properly position the backhoe.

If anyone disagrees with this, please let me know, because I'd rather learn here than the hard way.

 

[Page2]

OK it's a little early in the season to get this whack...

1. Sub-CUTS roll over all the time. If you do it, "possible injury" makes tractor damage irrelevant (at least for a minute or two).

2. Don't mow with your backhoe on. Makes everything worse.

That is all.

That is the best answer yet--- get that backhoe off when mowing --especially on a hill. That junk about extending the hoe one way or the other is BS. And it wouldn't be a bad idea to remove the FEL also. You want as low a center of gravity as possible.

 

[Oliver Wendell Douglas]

That junk about extending the hoe one way or the other is BS.

Do you think that positioning the backhoe to the uphill side, extended fully out and as low the the ground as possible could not improve the center of gravity (move the center of gravity down and toward the uphill side)?

 

[ChuckinNH]

If you searched TBN for all the BX rollovers, you would
A: Find far too many
B: Find that most had the backhoee installed, or
C: had a load too high in the loader bucket on rough ground, or
D: were moving too quickly, and turning with a load in the air

You would also find that there were very few instances of rollovers with bare tractors, and none with bare tractors, mmm installed, and loaded tires.

Most rollovers, especially with BX tractors that I have read about have involved an element of surprise like softer ground on one side than expected, backing, and turning while raising the loader, load shifting in bucket, a rock, bump, or hole not seen, or improperly judged..... I wouldn't count on swining the backhoe to counter any of the situations I have read about. My BX22 was a mountain goat bare, and with loaded rear bar tires, with the loader, and backhoe mounted I gave it a lot of respect on uneven ground, or in the leaf covered woods. Most sloped ground that I have worked on ( NH has it's share) is not graded, and can vary from perfectly safe to unsafe with a high center of gravity in a matter of feet, and sometims inches. One small depression, or bump is all it takes with narrow tractors. Don't speculate, respect!

 

[offcamber]

Do you think that positioning the backhoe to the uphill side, extended fully out and as low the the ground as possible could not improve the center of gravity (move the center of gravity down and toward the uphill side)?

I would do that only as a last resort...if I was already stuck in a situation and needed to get out of it on my own. If I need that much counter weight I would secure the tractor in place and go get my Jeep or some other vehicle to get the tractor out. If you need that much counter weight to get in and do a job find another way or get a bigger/more stable rig.

I like keeping the BH on when I can...it comes in handy all the time escpecailly when stuck on flat ground....with the FEL and BH I can get the tractor unstuck in just about any situation. If I mowed with my BX I would defiantly take it off however.

 

[BXRICK]

I don't have a backhoe on my BX.
But I can't see how swinging the BH to the downhill side would ever work. All it will do is make it so the tractor will tip downhill more easily - using the same logic that says that swinging it uphill will make it tip less easily. Yes, with the BH downhill, it might catch you (I wouldn't count on it, but it could work), but you don't want it catching you all the time. Unless you're trying to dig a trench across the hill.

 

[Oliver Wendell Douglas]

I understand the more turnovers happen when a loader and hoe are attached, which is understandable since those implements, and the loads they contain, are heavy and can shift the CoG around, but I'm not sure that means the hoe can not be used in a way that improves the CoG over a tractor without a hoe.

Would it be fair to say that many of you would rather go across a side slope with no backhoe rather than with the backhoe fully extended, lowered and turned to the uphill side?


I'm not trying to be argumentative, just trying to benefit from the collective experience here.

 

[offcamber]

I understand the more turnovers happen when a loader and hoe are attached, which is understandable since those implements, and the loads they contain, are heavy and can shift the CoG around, but I'm not sure that means the hoe can not be used in a way that improves the CoG over a tractor without a hoe.

Would it be fair to say that many of you would rather go across a side slope with no backhoe rather than with the backhoe fully extended, lowered and turned to the uphill side?


I'm not trying to be argumentative, just trying to benefit from the collective experience here.

I understand what your saying, and if I didn't need the BH and knew I had to cross a hill I would probably just take it off. with it extended like that every little bump would cause it to bounce and may create more of an unstable situation than help.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Thanks for the post on alternatives! Some of us tend to take those things for granted, but many don't have the benefit of that experience. All things mentioned are good to know, and remember!

 

[Treemonkey1000]

You can always opt for one of the various types of 4 legged mowers....