Snow,Hill, OUT OF CONTROL!

hunterridgefarm · Mar 2, 2009

We received our first decent snow fall in about 5 years, around 6" of the wet stuff last night. We used to get several good 6-12" snow falls every year up until about 15 years ago now it just goes east or west of us.

I have alwasy enjoyed plowing snow I guess because we never really get that much anymore. Always plowed the snow on flat ground. I had read about plowing down hill and free wheeling. Got my first experience today

,
don't like it!!

Went down the drive twice with no issue. Third time slid some but tires grabbed...got my attention...thought maybe I was going a little to fast. Went to the top turned the blade around and was going to back down the drive, about a quarter of the way down had second thoughts and went back to the top turned the blade back around and headed down going forward. A little slower this time 3rd gear low range. A little over half way down and tractor just takes off

, pucker meter pegged out!

. I have NEVER experenced this before and fortunately kept the tractor from going sideways. I ran off the right side of the drive missing the deepest part of the ditch on that side. I did what I thought was quick thinking and curled the bucket and droped it so to ride across the ditch at a slight angle.

Once my heart got back to normal I drove to the top and parked the tractor and finished with the shovel!

I have attached a couple of old pics of the driveway to show how steep it is but it really does not do justice.

So all you snow pushers, what did I do wrong? Should I have used the bucket and floated?

Would chains help?

I don't plan on running out and buying any chains since it will be 70* here Saturday. However I the furture if the snows become more frequent I will need to buy some.

David

JDGREEN4ME · Mar 2, 2009

Glad to hear you are O.K., we also actually got some snow out of this storm...it is drifting pretty bad in some spots near where we live.

EMS503 · Mar 2, 2009

Glad you didnt get hurt. We got 5" over here in Harmony. First time I used the tractor to move snow, The R-4s did well with no chains. I did my two driveways and my neighbors driveway his is steep but not as bad as yours.

hunterridgefarm · Mar 2, 2009

Thanks guys...you know I never really was scared for me I was worried about my tractor

. But it is true what they say about jumping off, did not have time.

I have R1's but a thin sheet of ice was all it took to go sledding!

greenmule · Mar 2, 2009

If you woulda had a big rub of copenhagen in there,this wouldn't have happened you know.

Lunk · Mar 2, 2009

I've plowed a lot of snow over the years, and can thankfully say I've never had the tractor get away from me.

I've had wet sow, dry snow, deep snow, and mere dustings to deal with.

I've always preferred going downhill in forward fashion. It always felt to me like the steering was way touchier going in reverse, and I prefer to face imminent destruction (if it comes to that) face-first. Use of the diff-lock, and the steering brakes seems more natural too when moving forward...If I were you I'd try the next storm with your loader in float, moving forward at a slow pace (at least on the hilly part...).

Glad you weren't hurt, and that your tractor is OK.

escavader · Mar 2, 2009

Idid the exact same thing ,after my base layerpacked, down with my blower on this year.Ended up in the ditch...scarey aint it.
Picked up some rear chains ,problem solved ,never slid again.Ican even drive up or down that steep grade on glare ice.
ALAN

hunterridgefarm · Mar 2, 2009

greenmule said:
If you woulda had a big rub of copenhagen in there,this wouldn't have happened you know.

Ain't it the truth

!

hunterridgefarm · Mar 2, 2009

escavader said:
Idid the exact same thing ,after my base layerpacked, down with my blower on this year.Ended up in the ditch...scarey aint it.
Picked up some rear chains ,problem solved ,never slid again.Ican even drive up or down that steep grade on glare ice.
ALAN

Never used chains but like I said if we start having several snows a year I will need to buy some chains.

The chains will make that much difference?

Chains for rear and front or just rear?

jimmer2880 · Mar 2, 2009

Yes, chains make that much of a difference.

Rears are probably enough for what you need to do

escavader · Mar 2, 2009

jimmer2880 said:
Yes, chains make that much of a difference.

Rears are probably enough for what you need to do

Ditto..Rear chains aided my traction ,and kept me from loosing control
hunter ridge, Its too bad to buy a set for as little as you need them,one set will solve your sliding beyond control issue.Mine are rears.You might get away with just a setof fronts[smaller ones,also cheaper]],but i dont know.Mabey someone else who has tried just fronts could chime in.
ALAN

irwin · Mar 2, 2009

Had a similar incident happen last winter with my 770. This year, with a different machine (Kubota L35), I did what I do to my trucks..chains on front only. I know this runs counter to most of the advice given here, but it has worked fine for me so far. I feel much more in control going up or down my fairly steep driveway..If 4WD is not needed so much the better.....also I got 2 link chains for a smoother ride.
A free opinion is sometimes worth the cost. Your experience may vary.

JoeL4330 · Mar 2, 2009

chains on the front and in 2wd ?? what am I missing? is your tractor front wheel drive? If you are in 2wd, no engine braking on front, no brakes on front, no traction on front ...why chains on front?

gerard · Mar 2, 2009

Chains make huge difference. Rear chains help. Chains all the way around help more (assuming 4 wd). I plow up and down hills, have always had chains on the rear and just put them on the front. Big difference. In your case you could probably get by fine with rears only. (We get 160 inches of snow on average where I am)

pat32rf · Mar 2, 2009

My JD very SELDOM comes out of 4wd from Nov to Apr. If I have to use the brakes I want all 4 wheels helping. There are many hills I travel that I won't descend in 2wd during the SUMMER!!! There is NOTHING worse than watching one rear wheel turning forwards and the other backwards when you lift your foot off the GO pedal when travelling down a greasy hill ;-)

LBrown59 · Mar 2, 2009

JoeL4330 said:
chains on the front and in 2wd ?? what am I missing? is your tractor front wheel drive? *If you are in 2wd, no engine braking on front, no brakes on front, no traction on front ...why chains on front?

* Same thing I was wondering.

RadarTech · Mar 2, 2009

Hunterridge,
I know how ya feel-- had a few little slips, but nothing more than 3 or 4 feet...

This is the first year I have ever had a tractor and scraped.. Well I don't count dad's old sears garden tractor down in Georgia. 14 hp and a 36 inch blade.. funny how you remember the little blades in inches, and now mine is in feet.

..anyway-----

We had over 12 inches in Saluda. Got a 1/2 mile driveway, 1/4 mile is asphault, 1/4 gravel.. and about 1.5 miles of state road that is hard packed gravel.. I posted a few pics on another thread.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/138481-snow-coming-4.html

I have to admit it was alot of fun.. Scraped my driveway, and 2 relatives.
got the tractor stuck at the relatives house... and had to use a shovel to clean snow out from under it so keep from flipping her over when backing her up.
not sure if I would want to do this weekly or not, like the folks up north though!

stay warm!

Later,
J

BigE_ · Mar 3, 2009

JoeL4330 said:
chains on the front and in 2wd ?? what am I missing? is your tractor front wheel drive? If you are in 2wd, no engine braking on front, no brakes on front, no traction on front ...why chains on front?

When I was on the snow, I was in 4wd. Actually, my tractor is rarely out of 4wd. I've got a steep driveway, and even in the summer I'll slide down the drive in some places if not in 4wd.

We got about 24" at my house this winter, which is very rare. We normally get 2-3" max, and then it is gone by the next day. I was out trying to move it around with the FEL. I actually made some good progress. I put the boxblade on the back for added traction there.

I don't have any chains, but I did have some cables left over from when I had an old Toyota Corolla. I put those on the front wheels and they made a world of difference. Went from not being able to steer and sliding the front end around to actually being able to use the front end to move the tractor.

If the snow keeps up like that, I may buy some chains, but next year if it happens, I'm thinking about putting a couple of pairs of cables together for the back wheels...

smfcpacfp · Mar 3, 2009

Best advice that anyone is going to give someone in your situation -

stay in your home and wait it out, or go out and build a snowman. The snow will mostly be gone in a day or two.

Thomas · Mar 3, 2009

Events as such sure does get the blood flowing...yikes...glad your okay and no damage.

When I hit ice start sliding I keep the bucket just of the ground...I figure least of flat surface for more slide.