Wonder what his tilt meter was reading?

[karmakanic]

Take a look at the angle of this overpass embankment.
Then take a look at the tractor tracks in the second pic.
I've seen tracks like this pretty often. I guess those highway
mowers know what they're doing, but you wouldn't catch me up there for all the tea in china.

 

[karmakanic]

Re: Wonder what his tilt meter was reading

Second pic showing a close up of the marks left from the tires.
Those guys were all over this slope. Has to be at least 30 deg.
Does wide tire spacing make this much difference, or is it the weight of those 15' batwing mowers that keep them safe? Better not make a mistake and raise one of those wings at the wrong time.

 

[njrqs]

Re: Wonder what his tilt meter was reading

Probably some clown in his Jeep !!!

 

[Thomas]

Re: Wonder what his tilt meter was reading

Around these parts the highway mowers run turf tires..jumbo turf tires on the rear when mowing steep banks.

Those threads don't look like turf tire..more like a off the road tire for a 4wd w/ a lift kit.

 

[Hoeman00]

Might be some NEW kind of spray paint
for graffiti.

 

[gmason]

Re: Wonder what his tilt meter was reading

The tread patter does look more like a 4-wheeler, hard to tell on the spacing. I would think the tires on the downward side would leave more of a scuff than the uphill tires.
4-wheelers would do it for fun, why would a mower choose to go up the slope??

gary

 

[pennwalk]

Re: Wonder what his tilt meter was reading

On the other hand I wouldn't put it past PennDOT to mow cement. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Seems like road crews are much the same all over./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Chris

 

[karmakanic]

I apologize for the quality of the pics, we were on our way home from the farm and it was just twilight when I shot them. The location was an I30 overpass in Greenville, about 30 miles east of Dallas.

I can assure everyone they're tractor tire tracks. Usually 60-75 hp Fords, JD, or MF. with ag tires, pulling 15 ft. batwing mowers. That's the favorite set-up for the highway contract crews. They're independent contractors, responsible for a certain stretch of road.

I've seen them up there leaving the tracks. They use the concrete as a shortcut from one side of the embankment to the other. (Don't have to cross traffic.)

I just wonder how long you have to do it before you get comfortable. Kinda like highrise window washers, or others who work in dangerous situtations . I guess you get used to it after a while.

I know I never get used to it. I've been working on the back side of this dam (see attachment). It's maybe 15-20 deg. and it gives me the willies everytime I'm up there.

 

[frank_f15]

i have been wonder the same thing? i travel a short distance on nys thruway every day and i have watched them mow, can not understand what the darn things don't roll over. then u got the dozer guys that build those banks, have watched them also, they just cruise along , seems like the grade is at least 40 deg. my pucker factor just puckers as i watch/w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

 

[Taylortractornut]

Here the roade mowers do the saame to save time they use the standard tractor tires on ag tractors and on there industrial they use grader tires. Dad and i run 170 acre inert landfill for a trailer plant taht includs drerring slopes and bushoggin slopes its always funn when the lowside tires fund the occasional coyote den or wash. our tractor is an agricultural 4000 Ford. I usually prefer Industrial tractors on slopes because theyre lower. The scariest thin to have on a slope is a scraper. When we have to lay a road in a hill we ad dirt in a diagonal down it its cool when its loaded but gets hairy when the bowl empties just keep grabbin gears and throttle and youll be fine. afet a good layer is laid dad takes takes the D5 and makes the flat road then we rock and roll.