Turn wheel when tipping over?

[gwstang]

OK, all this talk about tipping over makes me wonder. If on a steep hill crossing horizontally lets say for arguments sake that the top of the hill is to the left of the tractor. If the tractor were to start tipping over to the right, which way would you turn the steering wheel to possibly avoid the almost tipping over problem. This is assuming that the tractor is just feeling tipsy, not already turning over. Just wondering in case I ever get that deep into this situation. My spidey senses usually warn me and my cheeks start pinching the seat wayyyyy before I ever get to that point.

 

[Sodo]

Hard to say because no actual hillside will be perfectly uniform slope. A minor bump on either rear wheel changes everything. You need to get your center of gravity further within the triangle created by the two rear wheels and the front axle pivot. If the CofG gets out of this triangle a rear wheel lifts and when its up against the axle stops - your triangle moves downhill a little (in your favor) and and the tipping stops. Once. This was your warning. Kinda cool how that works, but you only get one warning.

Clear as mud?

Or push the FEL onto the ground and make a larger triangle, maybe even a rectangle.

 

[Yamaha2112]

Generally, my intuition (when seated) states if you feel you are about to tip right, turn right. Teetering left, turn left.
Seems counterintuitive, but the physics appear to make sense. I've definitely felt more stability in hairy off camber situations by doing so.

DISCLAIMER: This may not be technically correct information. Just my experience.
Avoid these types of situations at all costs.

 

[gwstang]

"Or push the FEL onto the ground and make a larger triangle, maybe even a rectangle. "


Interesting...but the tractor will still be stuck tipping on the hill as soon as the bucket is raised again. What to do then? Turn downhill and pray my guardian angel is working overtime?

 

[Yamaha2112]

Just noticed you have another tractor. Float the bucket (on ground like Sodo suggested) and tow her out with the other one. I've actually done this, and it worked fine.

 

[gwstang]

Generally, my intuition (when seated) states if you feel you are about to tip right, turn right. Teetering left, turn left.
Seems counterintuitive, but the physics appear to make sense. I've definitely felt more stability in hairy off camber situations by doing so.

I would agree with this, right or wrong I don't know, as I still have an old Ford 8N and have been in this situation or close to it several times. The strange thing is the new L2501 Kubota doesn't feel as stable to me on a slight hill side as the old Ford does. Maybe because I only have 35 hours on the Kubota so it doesn't feel as comfortable as the Ford does that I have hundreds and hundreds of hours on? I realize the new Kubota is 1000X safer with the ROPS/Seatbelt than the old 8N. Could be I am just too chicken to get the "new" machine dirty on the wrong end up. :laughing:

 

[Yamaha2112]

Being chicken is definitely a good thing from what you're saying. :thumbsup:

 

[ultrarunner]

Don't forget to swing the hoe to the high side and put down a stabilizer on the low side... works if you have time... at least it saved me once...

Another time I was on a not so steep area and the grass covered a deep chuckhole... turned the wheel quick down hill and stayed upright... it was quite a ride though... kind of like Mr. Toad's wild ride to the bottom.

 

[gwstang]

Just noticed you have another tractor. Float the bucket (on ground like Sodo suggested) and tow her out with the other one. I've actually done this, and it worked fine.

Thanks, I was considering such (if it ever were to happen). But, what do people do that only have one tractor? Leave it on the hill and get a cable wench to jack it out with or at least get it straightened to go up or down vertically on the hill? Of course in this scenario, I am thinking of being down in the woods in a rough environment where only a tractor could go (I have such an area because the EF4 tornado tore up much of my poor 71 acres four years ago and it is a big mess way back on the backside and it is quite hilly back there. Some steep down below the pond where two creeks come together. It is pretty wild down in there. I would like to open up some trails down in there like it use to be. Probably a bad idea anyway. **** deer know just where to go and hide when the season opens. I use to be able to get a couple of 8 points every year or two (have seen bigger, just not where I could shoot). Just scalds my arse that I can't hunt like I use too. There is another mile or so of woods behind my property so we had lots of deer for many years. I am slowly reclaiming much of it but there are those hills to navigate and I could easily get into a bad situation down in there. Last year (before I got the Kubota), I was bush hogging the main trail that I had opened up using the old 8N and at the end of the trail I would stop about 60' or so and turn around. Well, the brakes on the N didn't do so good a job that time and I just about went over a rather high embankment into the creek. Scared the *%^* out of me. Nothing like standing up on the brake and it ain't braking too good. I had forgotten to adjust the brakes a little tighter from the last time I used it. I did finally get 'er stopped with plenty of room to spare. I then drug a large log to the end of the trail to be sure I had a stop way back from the bank. I sure as heck didn't tell SWMBO about it.

 

[Sodo]

"Or push the FEL onto the ground and make a larger triangle, maybe even a rectangle. "


Interesting...but the tractor will still be stuck tipping on the hill as soon as the bucket is raised again. What to do then? Turn downhill and pray my guardian angel is working overtime?

Lots of things can be done (before asking the SWMBO to be the counterweight).

Stop and think about how you can get some counterweight. Go get some heavy weight, sandbags and put them in the uphill end of the FEL. Ratchet-strap a heavy log to the bucket that's hanging WAY off on the uphill side. Lift the bucket a little and see how stable it is.

Get a plank to drive up on (on the lowside) & back out. Attach a cable & chain & a come-along to the top of the ROPS from a nearby tree so if it starts to tip it can only go a little bit.