ROLLING OVER A TRACTOR

[CRAFTBENDER]

I have a BX24 and have some fairly steep areas to mow. Has anyone had the experience of rolling one over? Other than possible injury, what would be the most likely damage to the tractor?

I try to go straight up or down while mowing but have had a couple of scary moments.

I guess if I had my backhoe on, I could drop down low the support leg on the down hill side as a safety measure.

 

[Ductape]

I've never rolled one over, but there a few members here who have.

Two bits of advice :

Buckle up !

If your tractor goes over, shut the ignition off as quickly as possible.

 

[638]

Two trains of thought when mowing with the backhoe on.

1. Extend the BH and swing the bucket to the up hill side to act as a counter weight.

2. Extend the BH and swing the bucket to the down hill side to catch the ground and swing the front of the tractor down hill if it starts to go over.

I haven't tried either idea, so don't know what might work out best.

ron

 

[simonmeridew]

When I used to mow sidehills with a sickle-bar mower on my Ford 8N if I mowed with the mower uphill( bar always sticks out to the right) it always felt very secure, no matter how steep the sidehill(within reason). If I mowed the other way, with the sickle bar pointing downhill, a very slight hill felt unstable. Point here is, if you have a backhoe point it uphill if you're mowing a sidehill.
simonmeridew

 

[rdsaustintx]

Other than possible injury, what would be the most likely damage to the tractor?

Two trains of thought when mowing with the backhoe on.

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.

 

[ancientlake]

I must say, as much as I love my tractor, how it might be damaged in a rollover doesn't even register in comparison about concern for serious personal injury. Having said that, tractors that do roll over can often be righted and have little or no damage...

 

[Hedgy]

I could drop down low the support leg [stabilizer] on the down hill side as a safety measure.

I'm glad someone asked this as the idea occurred to me recently too. I've not found mention of it in other 'stability' threads. What are the pros and cons of crossing a slope with a stabilizer extended?

Obviously the increased width would be a problem if you have obstacles. But otherwise it would seem that the stabilizer extended and a couple of inches above the ground would prevent some flips. (Less so if the C.O.G. is far forward, like a raised full bucket.)

On the flip-side (pardon the pun) if you did roll with an extended stabilizer you'd roll further and recovery could take more effort depending on what position you came to rest in.

The OP asked about mowing (and the advice was mow without a hoe), but this question is also relevant if you need to cross slopes to reach a work area where you need the backhoe.

 

[CurlyDave]

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.

 

[nbennett]

My next door neighbor bought her BX2200 from the widow of the original owner whom had turned it over on himself. I think about that every time I see her using the tractor and it makes me very careful using mine on a slope.

 

[offcamber]

I got myself into a tight situation the other day and heres how I got out of it...(sorry no pics..my butt was firmly clutching the seat so no time for photos)

I have been collecting large rocks to build a fire pit. I spyed a nice one down the back side of my leach field right at the tree line to the woods..there was just enough room to squeeze the BX in there but it was on part of the grade of the field. The grade is steep I'd say 30 degrees give or take 5 degrees. I had to move a fallen tree to get in close enough to get the rock. Using the thumb I easily grabbed the tree and drove out. Dumped it near the wood pile and backed back in for the rock...I got ahold of the rock with the thumb and thats when evrything went to heck. The ground that was firm not 2 minutes ago became a swampy muddy mess. After seveal attempts to get myself out I realized I needed to abandon the rock. (I was like one of those monkees you see on National Geographic...you know wont open its fist and drop the food to get its hand out of the whole....lol) It was too late by this point the BX was up to its frame is gooey mud...I had to try and work my way farther up the hill where the ground was firmer to get enough traction to move. Using the BH I was able to walk the back end over enough to get the rear wheels on firmer ground but I was inching up the grade also the front wheels where still stuck. I dropped the low side stabilizer to steady my self when the rear was only supported by the BH bucket. I had to use the dipper to push me forward while driving forward to break myself free. It worked after about three pushes with the dipper I was able to drive out. Once I had forward motion I swung the BH up hill and even added some body language for added security. It was scary and I am sure there were safer ways to extricate myself. With many years of off-road expereince in Jeeps I have a good sense of when something is about to tip over...I was pretty close a few times. So the moral of this story...wear your seat belt..check the ground before you start in a new area and have a clean set of underwear handy.

 

[riptides]

Let me see, (what a play on words that turned out too be)

Busted fan and a dented gas tank. It went turtle.

My rollover

-Mike Z.

 

[CRAFTBENDER]

Let me see, (what a play on words that turned out too be)

Busted fan and a dented gas tank. It went turtle.

My rollover

-Mike Z.

My heart goes out to you. I guess the roll bars and seat belts on the small tractors sold today are there for a purpose. I don't always use mine on flat ground but your story had determined it's use 100% from now on. Thank you.

 

[rebb]

Mike,

you dang sure made a believer outta me. when i was using an old farmall, it was along way to the ground off that thing...i was a teenager then, but it was still a long way up and down....glad you're alive.

rebb

 

[crashz]

Mike Z,

I will forever wear a seatbelt (no matter the vehicle) and will be beefing up my cab to a full roll cage after hearing your story. Its amazing that your alive and well. Thank you for sharing.

 

[BotaBigot]

Haven't rolled my BX, but did roll my little B6000 way back when my Teflon coating was still intact. Back when "real men" didn't wear seat belts, safety glasses, masks, etc. We've learned a lot since those days...I know I have.

ROPS are the best thing that's happened to tractors. Of course that means wearing the seat belt and keeping arms/legs "inside" during roll.

In my experience, a rolled tractor suffers little. Turn engine off ASAP. Right it. Let it sit awhile so fluids drain back. Flush/neutralize any spilled battery acid. Check all fluid levels, and start it up.

I've heard/read about successful use of BH to counterbalance tractor in tricky situations...but frankly, I would try to avoid those situations. As for mowing steep slopes, if they make me uncomfortable or cause "close calls," I re-landscape or plant ground cover...

 

[rmg]

Funny this came up because today I mowed and came across a small ravine (maybe a foot deep) that I have to cross diagonally due to woods on both sides of path. From one direction I made it a little precariously but going back my ahole sucked up and I lost my breath. That's when I decided it wasn't worth it to cross that ravine. I then decided to back out and go the long way around. We've had alot of rain this year and apparently the dirt had washed out at the south end of this ravine. Even though I wear my seatbelt (God forbid I fall off tractor and get eat up by mower) and have a ROPS, I don't want to experience the trauma that rolling my tractor would entail. I fear being impaled on a tree, breaking/crushing a limb of my own between the ROPS & ground, and/or the tractor catching fire and exploding. Not to mention the pain that righting the tractor would entail.

 

[David_G]

Fell over in my BX23.
Nothing damaged except my pride.
Seat belt held me at the wheel, hands still on the wheel and bucket control, the view changed to sideways.
Not a scratch on the BX. Sat with bucket, stabalizer and front wheel on ground.

 

[MarkV]

I have a BX24 and have some fairly steep areas to mow. Has anyone had the experience of rolling one over? Other than possible injury, what would be the most likely damage to the tractor?

I try to go straight up or down while mowing but have had a couple of scary moments.

I guess if I had my backhoe on, I could drop down low the support leg on the down hill side as a safety measure.

Have you loaded the rear tire to help with stability on your hills? There was a day and night difference when I did mine.

MarkV

 

[CRAFTBENDER]

Do you mean filling the tires with liquid? It does seem to be a reasonable thing to do. Thanks.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I found that the center of gravity was much higher on my BX with the backhoe, and loader on. It wasn't quite as bad with the backhoe off, and the loader on if the bucket was kept low. Still, I would much rather use a BX on tippy ground with both off than plan on swinging the backhoe to offset the higher center of gravity. I had loaded tires on mine, and it was very stable bare. I do think that the tire sidewall flex with some tire combinations adds to the feeling of instability with the backhoe, and loader on.