whistlepig
Elite Member
I still use my "Puckerometer". It's old and wrinkly but still puckers up at just the right time. Requires no service or maintenance. Just an occasional cleaning.
Who's better at estimating slope angles?
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doall
Platinum Member
I just hate the ones that are so bad that you leave little swirls pulled up in the seat vinyl.
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!
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.
I do the same thing! I have the tiltmeter but I lock my elbo on thelow side too. I would say I'm good to about 20 degrees but don't push it much after that.
Rob
Yes and no, the middle ear, responsible for balance, is filled with tubes and bones and as we get older our balance, like our hearing, diminishes. So youngsters have the edge over us old timers.
Rob
TripleR
Super Star Member
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While I outright reject broad generalizations, I accept the effect age has had on me personally. There are areas on one of our farms, I have to leave to my sons. I mow the areas with which I am comfortable and then swap tractors with one of them ages 31 and 41 as I simply no longer trust my ability on those areas.
SARG
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dmccarty
Super Star Member
Given that 20 degrees is in the roll over zone I will not knowingly get to 20 degrees. 15 is pushing it for me. In my case the difference in the amount of grass cut at 10 degree and 15 is minimal. As is from 15 to 20 degrees. The ground I mow were I really pay attention could very well have a hole, hunk of wood, or rock that was not there the last time I mowed. If I am mowing at 15 degrees a rock, hunk of wood, or hole could be just enough to cause a roll over. Not likely though.
But rolling the tractor is not worth cutting an extra bit of grass. It is just grass.
Making myself more comfortable on a slope is not my goal. Not rolling the tractor is my goal. :laughing:
Later,
Dan
Egon
Epic Contributor
A question; when your mowing do you watch for irregularities in the slope or do you watch the slope meter. How much time is spent on each as the tractor is moving?
F1520
Silver Member
I think 20 degrees is a good limit. It's less than halfway to the 45 degree mark, but it's enough that you won't have to stay off of 40% of your property for fear of some spontaneous, physics-defying rollover!
My goal is not to make myself comfortable on dangerous slopes, but to make myself comfortable on non-dangerous slopes, (or should I say less dangerous slopes), and to know the difference.
This is complicated by too many factors to cover here (FEL position and load, wet vs. dry grass, woodchuck holes, tire type and wheel spacing, etc., etc.) but these must all be taken into account by each operator, too.
The degrees of tilt we're discussing here are arbitrary. My first time on a tractor, I was uncomfortable at what was probably 5 degrees. So should I never go on a slope that exceeds that? That's silly. I want to understand the limits of the machine, and myself, and operate safely within those limits.
I also searched for and bought a used ROPS bar for my tractor because it did not come with one. All these things together add up to safe(r) operation... in my humble opinion, anyway.
Also, for Egon... I don't keep the Tiltmeter on my tractor. I used it to learn the degrees of slope on the parts of my property that aren't flat, and then I operate with that knowledge from then on. My uncle did the same.
Staring a tiltmeter rather than paying attention to what you're doing will only help you verify for the EMTs the exact degrees of tilt you were at just before you rolled! :laughing:
