Rollover angle of a JD 3720

[roamerr]

The State Workers are not a good comparison. In 1990 my dad purchased a MF 245 that was used by the state of Va. That tractor will hold a hill very good -- the State of Va purchased it with wider wheels and full fenders and I'm comfortable mowing banks on it that my little Kubota BX feels awful on. Set-up and options on a tractor make a huge difference...

 

[Gary Fowler]

I got my tractor into a very compromising position a month or so back while trying to mow a ditchbank and suddenly the ditch got deeper and the right side got higher really quick. Before I could stop, the tractor was on at least 30 degrees but it didnt seem to want to flip. I could step off the platform and the ditch was higher than I was on the side. Maybe it was the tires wedged into the narrow ditch that kept it upright. After evaluating it, I saw that with the ditch bank on the low side as high as it was and the FEL up, there was not way for it to go over, so I shifted to LOW/LOW range and eased it back up the ditch till I was back on level ground. Pucker factor was at 100% on that one. That ditch will forever stay either grown up with grasss and vines as it is now or I will use a weedeater from now own. It was so overgrown that I couldnt tell that it was washed out pretty deep as it went further down the hill. MY error for not walking it down prior to bailing off in it with my tractor on new property that I was not familiar with at all.

 

[Gary Fowler]

One other issue I should relate on how much does it take to flip you over. A few years back, as I was driving past the school yard close to my house, I saw a car in the school bus drop off driveway setting on its roof. I stopped to see if I could lend assistance. The engine was still running and the lady was standing by her car. The doors locked back after she got out, so we couldnt do anything but wait till the engine died on its own. Anyway, she said she was only going about 10 MPH making a slow 180 that the school buses made everyday. She hit the curb with her front tire which jerk the wheel and she then procedeed to climb up a concrete stanchion that a street light was mounted on. It was just right to roll her upside down on perfectly flat ground and not much above walking speed. That is how fast a rollover can happen and nothing that you see coming at you to show you the danger.
Funny thing about this one, the woman said that this car was a rental as she had her car in for repairs from another wreck. Bet her insurance company was not a happy camper.

 

[DanD78]

The county guys mow this ditch all the time but we couldn't. No damage just fell over.

Dan

 

[LBrown59]

Hi folks, I'm a new tractor owner (JD 3720/300CX FEL/Frontier RC2060 cutter) and have been curious about one thing in particular. Does anyone know the maximum slope allowed before the JD3720 will roll over? I see TractorByNet sells a tiltmeter, but without knowing the critical angle that the tractor will start to roll, it doesn't do me much good.

I figure you folks have a library of knowledge, so I am asking the experts.

Thanks,
Scott

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But you can turn any tractor over on any surface if the lower wheel drops into a low spot or an upper wheel goes over a high spot.

 

[roamerr]

DanD78 -- Good Pic. I always thought that one of those wide bush hogs added stability but I guess not. That ditch does not look that bad but pics never do justice. That Tractor does look tall...

 

[Lyrch75]

If you have your ROPS up and are going slow; putting a tractor on its side tends not to do much damage if you get engine shut off PDQ. I broke a couple lights and ripped a couple OH **** handles off but never damaged the tractor.

Yes, I have parked tractors on their sides enough to use plurals. Do not want to repeat with my new one, so my driving has gotten MUCH more conservative.

 

[JoeL4330]

DanD78 -- Good Pic. I always thought that one of those wide bush hogs added stability but I guess not. That ditch does not look that bad but pics never do justice. That Tractor does look tall...

Looks to me as if the batwing is towed rather than 3ph, which means it provides little if any rollover restraint ...in roll it is decoupled from the tractor.

If the weight were roll-coupled (via 3ph) then lots of weight low down helps lots ...if wide enough then there might be a bit of "outrigger" help, but remember that the 3ph "floats".

Note that we are discussing side-hill stability here ...if you were going down (the "fall line") with the mower down then the mower doesn't keep the rears from "unweighting" (at least until you have reached the bottom of the 3ph float, which really too low to be of help, here) ...this problem is not so noticeable/serious in 4wd as you still have engine braking on the fronts, but in 2wd if the rears begin to unweight you have no braking ...and, while it seems counter-intuitive in the heat of the moment, raising the 3ph is the right move ...that is, taking the weight off the ground and coupling it to the tractor. (of course, coming up the hill, if the tractor wants to nose up, then lowering the 3 ph to set its load on the ground is the right move ...always pays to plan ahead, cause it's hard to work out physics problems under pucker)

 

[JoelD]

This post brings to mind a questioin.

Can a roll over meter provide a false sense of security and one maybe better off without it?

Kinda like the old argument regarding helmets in hockey and high sticking?

Joel

For me, when in doubt, slow down and drop bucket.

 

[RobertN]

Please quote your sources.

Is this a fact for my Kubota, my old Farmall, and my Dad's Ford 9N?

Like others have said, it "depends". How wide are the tires set, is the bucket full, is the bucket high or low, is the ground soft, hard, wet... ect ect...

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