Up on 2 wheels, need new underwear

[PaulB]

Had a most unpleasant experience last night whilst using my rear mounted rotary mower. I went down a very short (30 foot) but steepish hill (maybe 15 - 18 degrees with a slight camber), and as the tractor went down and the mower was still on the level, the linkage that attatches to the top link "jacknifed", so that when I went to lower the implement it would not lower. This resulted in the mower being much higher than the centerpoint of the axles of tractor (which is now in the process of going down the hill), and before I knew it the weight of the mower tipped my tractor and me onto the 2 right side wheels. Clearly, the mower was driving the tractor, which is exactly the situation I wanted to avoid by going with a 4 foot mower rather than a heavier 5 footer. I was now a passenger not a driver, and simply rode the mess down the hill to a stop (I dared not hit my brakes with only the 2 wheels on the ground, and releasing the hst pedal did not stop me completely), and undid my belt, jumped off the high side, and unstuck the mower linkage. As soon as the mower lowered, the tractor settled on 4 tires. I have mowed hills steeper than this by backing up them, so I believe it was the transition from flat ground to hill that got me in trouble. Also, I had the front loader on (but bucket low to the ground), whereas I usually mow without the loader on. Any ideas on how this happened, and how to avoid a wild ride like this in the future (other than the given - no going down that hill again)?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Common sense I guess (or fear) has usually kept me off of some of my slopes, but I've often wished for something like two 6 inch long pieces of pipe attached mid point to the bottom of the tractor. I could slid a slightly smaller 12 foot long pipe into it, put a bolt through a hole or something and have an instant safety outrigger!

I've never needed new underwear,(knock on wood) whenever I get into trouble everything tenses up and freezes!

 

[MChalkley]

PaulB - Thanks for the post. Had you not been wearing your seatbelt, your wife may have needed a new you. Yet another example of its importance.

I don't have that kind of equipment, but I'm going to drop by my dealer's to see if I can tell why that might happen. That's the kind of thing you'd like to be able to prevent in the future, isn't it?

If the loader was low to the ground (no more than a foot), it would've helped, not hurt, because it would lower the center of gravity somewhat. However, if the problem was compounded by the tractor tipping forward somewhat, then it could've made it worse, but it doesn't sound like that's what happened.

Mark
"If I had too much traction, how would I know?"

 

[Bird]

PaulB, I've been trying to get a picture in my mind of just what happened. When you first started down the hill, was the mower raised up on the 3-point? Was the hill steep enough that the entire mower tipped foward toward the back of the tractor, so that the back end of the mower was pointing up in the sky?

Bird

 

[JimBinMI]

PaulB,

I'm with Bird, I can't get the picture either! I was sure you needed weights on the front until you said your loader was up there!

I'm really interested in understanding since you have a similar sized tractor and the size rotary that I plan on getting!

JimBinMI

We boys and our toys!

 

[JonE]

Mark, You'll stall your darn tractor!!!
I know, I know, it's a rhetorical question but how could I resist?/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MChalkley]

JonE - Not if you have an HST and you know how to let your foot off the pedal a little! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Mark
"What are the symptoms of having too much traction?"

 

[W5FL]

Lets see....

30 ft long hill at 15 degrees = height of hill approximately 8 ft. Appoximately 25% grade. My gravel driveway is 16% grade. I assume you were in 4WD. Sounds like you really got in a run-away condition - happens too fast. I am surprised that the HST in lowest range and pedal barely depressed would not provide sufficient braking - I know a gear tractor will. The turnbuckles or link stabilizers were tight or did they break? How much does tractor weigh and how much does mower weigh.

I can go down a 25% slope with my mower (1000#) with ballast in tires my tractor is approximately 7500#. Reminds me of my paved driveway in California where it climbed 200 feet in 700 feet. Snowed once and you could not even walk up it.

It is imperative that the link stabilizers be tight so the mower does not crab. Glad you were not hurt, suspect that the tractor was at least hurt slightly since it is not designed to take that much load on the 3 point sideways and the top link on the mower probably does not have that much play in it.

 

[Thomas]

Paul,
Glad to read that you were okay.
I re read your post over and over and I'm still confuse of really what happen,but your event shall be kept fresh with in my mind when I'm out mowing a slope.

Take care and stay safe.

Thomas..NH

 

[MChalkley]

Wen - He didn't say he was in low range, did he? I don't think so, anyway. I know my HST will provide plenty of braking in low range even as heavy as my tractor is. So I would think the B-series would be similar.

Mark