Tractor tipping point

[FTG-05]

Several ways:
- Take one off and try to lift it.
- With valve stem near bottom of tire, push in valve and liquid instead of air will squirt out.
Then you next question will be, "Well how full are they?"
Usually, I think they're filled about 1/2 way between the axle and top of the tire (~75%)?

- You can tap on the sidewall of the tire and you will hear the difference when there is air behind it versus liquid. The air will "ping" more.
- Look on a damp morning when dew will form only on the part of the tire that is liquid filled, there will be a distinct line.

There's one more way: Put the tire/wheel valve at the 12:00 position, attach hose fill mechanism, attempt to fill, when water comes out, the tire is 75% full.

 

[dieselcrawler]

I think the mods you have made to the ROPS won't help you very much with rollover protection. Pitchover, yes. Without cross bracing, your square frame will matchbox and fold over. In the last thread (not shown here) the rolled tractor's ROPS has been cross braced. It stood up well to the dynamic load. A simple match stick model will show you this.

Actually there are not a lot of VARIABLES to any vehicle rollover. Just a wide range of variable VALUES for these variables (parameters). Side hill angle, total CG height, front and rear track, tire sideforce capability, roll angle and roll velocity pretty much make the call. A few other minor ones, but optimize these and you'll be safe.

You can roll over ANY vehicle, it just takes skill, practise and opportunity.

I agree, my "rollcage" isn't quite up to NASCAR standards, but for the light weight of my tractor, the typical slow speed operation at the extreme sidehill operation situations, it should add protection.

I did put the effort into gussets in every corner, at the edges of the square tube, not in the middle where it would just deform or punch thru the flat wall of the tube.

 

[kneedeep]

Go to the TBN store and buy a tilt meter. I put one on the 3510 to keep the Backhoe level and it also has saved my rear a couple of times as well. Best $40 I have spent since buying a Lock-n-Lube!

 

[kthompson]

dieselcrawer: not an engineer but know the size of the tubing used, it's thickness and the grade it is all comes into play into how strong it it.Then the welding in all aspects come into how strong the joint is. If you look around you can easy find top companies known for very well built equipment who's design are not lot different than yours. Can not think of any company who's rops have gussets but use either bent roll bars are joints much like you have.

I live in hurricane area and we have their influence in our building codes for years. We just had walls, trusses and roof install this week on an open shelter. Shelter is 18 feet wide and 32 long at 9 feet high. There is no need for cross bracing per all code and engineering specs. Have good friend with a 20 by 30 foot shelter of roof on post as ours is and again no cross bracing but his does have best metal brackets to reinforce the post to header joint. But nothing like true gussets. kt

 

[PatrickS2222]

Ok, just a side note here. The front axle actually DOES have influence on roll over geometrics. It's a common misconception that because the axle has no springs or stoppers on either side of the pivot, that there is no influence on roll over. The axle's pivot location in relation to the rear wheel ground contact and in relation tot he cog play a roll, and a large enough roll that it can be measured, in preventing or causing a roll over to occur. Some axles are pivoted quite high in relation to the wheelbase length and rear track width, others are pivoted lower.

This is true ... to a small extent. A low pivot point can make the rear axle begin a roll-over a little more easily, conversely a higher pivot point can actually reduce this a bit.

As far as the front axle following the rest of the tractor into a roll-over, the opposite may be true - the lower-pivoted front axle may be a little less likely to roll.

Either way, wheel weights and at least water-filled tyres F & R will be a real help. Increasing track width will further assist.