Who's better at estimating slope angles?

[TripleR]

Maybe I'll just stay in bed, seems from the study I am a danger to myself and others.

 

[Rob-D]

Those figures are based on human perception. Most would not drive once you get to about 20%. I agree, I have a monitor on my tractor and when it gets to 20% I really slow down! I use a ROPS and belt too. Did you see where it is 99% effective?
A MEMS might be a neat idea, maybe I'll build a little circuit.

Rob

 

[nebraskasparks]

I think the data is a wake up call to the "experienced" operators who have farm backgrounds and have become comfortable in the seat. As I have been examining various rollover accident reports it becomes very obvious that it's the very young AND the very experienced operators that are having the fatal accidents and very few rops have been retrofitted to the "classic" tractors. Obviously many factors involved...I think the biggest response from various TBN members is the ability to "slow" down and error to the conservative versus getting it done just because the machine has the power and hydraulics to do it. There are lots of old farmers in my family that never rolled a machine but they all had close calls and never got close again.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I may be just old. But I'm estimating that there study is crazy wrong.

My estimate as well. Comparing novice status to experience on slopes invites significant chance for interpretive error in results. While the experienced may approach the "edge" a little too quickly sometimes, the novice will tend to stay so far away from it it can be ridiculous. Also, in a quick read, I didnt see anything about proper weight biasing, ballast, width of rear stance - all having significant influence on stability. ...
larry

 

[TripleR]

While such studies may be interesting to some, no amount of such research can evaluate any one operator. I personally dislike being lumped into any group for predictive purposes, just too many variables.

 

[Egon]

I personally dislike being lumped into any group for predictive purposes, just too many variables.

It is indeed a slippery slope we are on but not all slide quite as far yet all end at the bottom??:laughing::thumbsup:

 

[jbooth]

Back when I was still bullet proof (Approximately 50 years ago), I would mow along a slope until the uphill wheel started slipping. At that point I would turn downhill. An unseen hole on the downslope or a bump on the uphill side would have ruined that method.

Now when I run my skid steer I won't go near some of the slopes I am sure are completely safe. No longer bullet proof. A low seat position also will give a false sense of security.

 

[dmccarty]

The experience operators could be "wrong" because they have pushed the limits and gotten away with it.....

Or they were pushing the limits because they were being tested and doing something they would not normally do.

Between 5 and 10 degrees I get nervous. I don't guesstimate since I have a Tiltmeter. I might push to 15 degrees but that is it and I go very slowly and watch for holes and rocks. The one spot this happens in is a ditch along our road. The ditch gets slowly deeper as the road bed gets higher while I mow with the left side wheels in the ditch. Somewhere before 15 degrees I get out of the ditch and let the grass grow.

Later,
Dan

 

[F1520]

...Between 5 and 10 degrees I get nervous. I don't guesstimate since I have a Tiltmeter. I might push to 15 degrees but that is it and I go very slowly and watch for holes and rocks...

Wow. Couple of interesting things here. I have a Tiltmeter, too. For those of us that didn't grow up on a tractor or don't run one all day at work, they are very useful.

I found that I didn't get uncomfortable until 15 degrees. Of course, if you know the terrain and there are no holes or rocks, and the FEL is low and/or empty, the tractor just isn't going to spontaneously fall over at 15 degrees!

I did an interesting experiment. My uncle, an experienced tractor operator, put my Tiltmeter on his tractor. I walked behind him while he drove across several slopes on his farm, and he made note of the degrees of tilt.

I had previously driven-- or tried to! -- these same slopes, but chickened out on some.

We learned two things. Some slopes looked like they were steeper inclines than they actually were. Others looked less steep than they actually were! So our senses of balance and sight are not 100% reliable for degrees of slope.

Also, when I followed behind the tractor on foot as he drove some of the slopes that I wasn't comfortable on, I could see that the tractor was not anywhere remotely near the tipping point. (Again, this assumes flat terrain, no holes or rocks, of course.)

So I've now become more comfortable at 15-20 degrees. One thing I learned that has helped is to put my hand on the fender on the low side and lock my elbow. This extra bit of bracing makes me feel more stable and is useful on slopes where there is little to no danger but I wasn't 100% comfortable.

 

[doall]

While such studies may be interesting to some, no amount of such research can evaluate any one operator. I personally dislike being lumped into any group for predictive purposes, just too many variables.

Kind of like saying all Baby boomers, x generation, y gen, and so on act in a certain way just because they were born between a certain span of years.
Each man is his own.(or woman) You define yourself and you educate yourself. Just because you are over x years old doesn't mean you will take more chances or react in a certain way.