tipping

[SPYDERLK]

I agree. Just as aircraft and automobile safety has evolved, so has tractor safety. The tricycle front end may be entirely a thing of the past, although it used to be common. I guess ROPS are now standard equipment when they were virtually unheard of just a few years ago. So it's gotten better, and I'm confident that someone will come up with additional improvements to safety, but just as you said, I do not know what it will be. Discussing the matter on forums such as TBN, though, may help lead someone to better ideas.

Load sensing at each wheel oughta do it. The easiest and cheapest would be real time comparative pressure measurements at all wheels. Perhaps not quite sensitive enuf but a big inexpensive step the right direction.
Larry

 

[Bird]

That sounds good, Larry, but I don't know enough about that kind of technology so I'd have two questions: (1) how expensive would it be, and (2) if the weight dropped on one wheel, or one side, would you have a warning soon enough to react and prevent a rollover? Those things happen very quickly.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Bird, at the level where the operator takes responsibility to observe iffy situations and exercise prudence, this could be quite effective as a warning, and cheap to institute. A hobbiest with substantive knowledge could do it with transducers and a laptop. The computer would be necessary because a fast processor would be needed to debounce the wildly fluctuating signals and weight their relative importance properly. Done professionaly and spread over mass production it could be just a few hundred $ per tractor.
The problem is pressure changes are not a big signal and it is possible in certain threatening situations to have them prevented or their meaning camouflaged. After all we are sensing force be internal pressure - we have left out Area. This can be dealt with on a flat surface, whether level or tilted, but incorporating the real effects of irregularities is tuf to impossible. - - Consider the case where the downhill tire goes down into a trough that cups it nicely, while the uphill tire rides up on a pointy rock.
What we need is a direct measurement of ground force applied by each wheel. Load sensing bearings exist. Im not sure of their suitability in high and extreme variable load conditions. Would be nice. Think about knowing the magnitude and direction of load on each axle all the time. More than a few hundred dollars worth!
Larry

 

[johnk]

What ever happened to common sense and and a little brainstorming. Everyone relies too much on technology now a days. If I had to worry about every little iota of info just operating my tractor I wouldn't have bought on. Common sense is better than anything learned in a book. I'd hate to live in a state of Paranoia before I attempted anything. Thats what Lawyers are for..

 

[gone2dawgs]

What ever happened to common sense and and a little brainstorming. Everyone relies too much on technology now a days. If I had to worry about every little iota of info just operating my tractor I wouldn't have bought on. Common sense is better than anything learned in a book. I'd hate to live in a state of Paranoia before I attempted anything. Thats what Lawyers are for..

I am a newby to tractors, but I quickly realized common sense is not working well. I live in a relatively rural area of central VA (lots of hills). I was amazed to find out that 10 people have died in my county during the last 16 years, or was it 16 people during the last 10 years. Whatever, they were all very experienced farmers driving old tractors (no ROPS, seatbelt). Since there are not many people where I live that type of statistic makes me conclude that common sense is not sufficient.

 

[Volfandt]

Whats the word?
Thunderbird.
Whats the price?
60 twice.
Who drinks the most?
Them wino folks.
Or something like that

Ripple was also the drink of choice for the wino's whilst MD 20/20 was for the younger crowd.

Tried all 3 whilst serving this fine country back in the day and they all 3 were nasty nasty nasty

 

[johnk]

gone2dawgs,

1 thing is very clear and certain. Use your BOTH your ROPS and Seatbelt at all times just in case...........Tread SLOWLY and use your head.. Happy tractoring..

 

[KennyV]

Common sense is still better than engineering and litigating… There should be a culling of the herd, natural selection will always prevail. If you think you are not capable to make rational choices, don’t do it… if you loose the ability to make rational choices, no amount of technical engineered interference will keep you from the fatal mistake you are looking to make…
Volfandt, I must be a bit older than you, or prices were lower in KS, as I remember it as 40 twice… Although it is bad stuff at any price. KennyV.

 

[N80]

I may be deluding myself, but I feel that after a year and a half I have a pretty good idea of what my L4400 is doing. I have lots of hills. Lots of uneven ground. I'm pretty cautious. Sphincter works properly and I think I bring some common sense to the matter. I don't have a tilt meter and I don't want one. I'm not knocking them, they just don't suit my personality and I think that is a big part of it. I would either trust it too implicitly or not trust it at all, so for me it just wouldn't be useful. But that's just me.

I think the important thing is to slowly find out where your comfort level is. The less 'feel' you have for your tractor, the slower and more cautious you need to be. And every implement and accessory you add changes that feel. The FEL is a major variable. Weight in the bucket gives even more variables.

I've only really puckered once. I now know what that feels like. I didn't roll, but now that I know what my pucker limit is, I don't push it that far.

I think you've heard great advice and some of this will be redundant but:

Always keep ROPS up and seatbelt on. (In the end,this will save you from most of the other stupid things you or I might do).

Fill your rear tires.

Consider additional weight on the 3 pt hitch if you have a loader on.

Always keep the bucket as low as possible.

Avoid crossing slopes at all costs.

Go down steep hills in THE LOWEST GEAR. Do not go down hill with the clutch pedal in and using brakes only. Let compression keep your speed down and add braking as necessary.

Keep it in 4wd to give braking to front wheels.

If you are moving and begin to roll, steer into the roll, not away from it. I am quite certain I do not have the reflexes for this to be useful for me.

Have a cell phone with you.

Oh, and widen the rears if you have R1's. This is described in the L4400 manual.

 

[johnk]

Nicely put. All things you metioned should be in the memory banks as the tractor is put into gear and slowly nudged forward....