Tilt Meter?

[glagen]

I am a new owner of a 4310 and my property has lots of slopes to traverse. With the FEL and BH mounted, I am worried about roll over. Are these tilt meters I hear about worth having and are there different models to choose from?
Steve Z

 

[SPaulsen]

I am a gadget guy, so I wanted something to add to my tractor. When I first started using my tractor, I was pretty nervous when moving around slopes etc. I just take is slow and steady and keep my weight as close to the ground as possible. With time, you become more comfortable what is appropriate. I have found that my rear-end is the best tilt meter. When that tightens up, I use extreme caution. I never did buy the tilt meter.

 

[Golfgar4]

Here's a thread Anybody Ever Use A Tiltmeter? from earlier this year that may help answer some of your questions.

Hope it helps. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[RoyJackson]

I have one I bought for my first tractor. It's a very handy device...not only to let you know when you're getting into areas to exersize caution...but also gives you a better idea what kind of slope you're on.

When I first got my 670...a much smaller tractor then your 4310...it was very difficult for me to determine what angle I was traversing. Heck.. any slope gave me a pucker factor!

After installing the tiltmeter, I found many on the sloped areas I was on were less then 10°. It's really hard to judge that, initially.

They're not a cure for lack of common sense! Even if a slope is mild, you can still roll if you hit a sudden drop (on the down hill side) or a rise (on the upslope side).

I know my property, so I've not installed it on my 790. Just can't bring myself to drill holes in that shiny hood... However, I still go slow on the slopes.

There are been a multitude of threads on this subject...do a search using "tiltmeter" or "tilt meter" as a keyword.

I do reccomend them. They're less then 40 bucks.

 

[EastTexFrank]

There's lots of good stuff on tilt meters on this board.

To answer your question, yes they are useful, especially with a new tractor on new property but as others have said they are no substitute for common sense. You can still get into trouble but it does give you a reference point. When I first installed mine, I was surprised how closely calibrated the tilt meter and my sphincter were. Between 10 and 15 degrees I was starting to get uncomfortable. Between 15 and 20 degrees I was looking for a way out. I'm pretty conservative. I try not to run at over 15 degrees because of the danger of dropping a wheel into a hole but I'm on a small B2400 which is fairly narrow. Your comfort factor will be different on your tractor.

 

[RoyJackson]

"I'm on a small B2400 which is fairly narrow"

My 670 was fairly narrow too. Had bar-turfs which are pretty wide for a tractor tire.
Even after a couple years, I always felt the tractor was lacking stability on even a mild side slopes. I even parked it one day on a slope the was slightly in excess of 15°. Got off the tractor and gave the ROPS a pretty good shake. Didn't budge at all (now, what would I have done if the tractor had rolled?? Obviously, once my embarassment subsided, I'd use the pick up to right it.). The rear tires were loaded and I got another good lesson in inertia that day). Ol' Bird did this too...guess that's where I got the idea!

Even though my 790 is quite a bit taller then the 670 was (6 to 8" at the seat, I'd guess), with those bigger loaded tires (R-4's) carry considerably more weight.

When the 790 was delivered, the salesman drove it across the same slope I was just discussing...he went a lot faster then I've ever driven that slope! And, it was raining hard at that time (not hard enough to keep me off the seat for a test of all the hydraulics and how it pulled though...sure did get soaked right through though!). However, he had no qualms abouyt that slope. One of two things...he either has enough experience to know the capabilities of his tractors..or, complacentcy reared it's ughly head and we were just lucky that day.

Anyway, just an anecdote...our tractors are probably more stable then we are...but it's sures feels spooky on a side slope!

 

[BB_TX]

I put one on my tractor after using it several years. It basically validated the calibration of my pucker factor. I still pucker the same amount on the same slopes, but now I know what the number is. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I begin puckering at about 15 and really start tightening up about 20 and try to avoid anything above that.

 

[Inspector507]

If you decide to order one, think about the one that is in the TBN Store. It may be a few bucks cheaper here and it helps keep this site free for everyone to use /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[glagen]

Thanks everyone. I order the tilt meter today from this site.
SteveZ

 

[Bird]

I had two; one for side to side and one for front to rear.