Working On A Slope

[DanielVT]

Hi,

New member here, so have mercy on me.

I have a couple of acres to mow with my new toy, an L4400 with a 6' bush hog. Slopes from 10 to 30 degrees. The book says I should back up these slopes, because if I go up frontways I might end up with the front of the tractor coming up over my head.

Fine, I says. Backing up will do me for 95% of the field, but I'd like to back down the hill in a couple of spots. These are pretty steep, so maybe I shouldn't mess with them. But I was thinking last night - I have a 6' mower attached to the 3-point hitch - there's no way I'm going to tip over backwards! If the front wheels come up, the mower will hit the ground behind me. Right?

Sorry for asking such a basic question, but I'm gonna feel real dumb if I squash myself.

Daniel

 

[teg]

From your little photo, looks like you have a FEL... that will help you keep the front down. As for the three point hitch and the mower keeping that from happening... it will fold up just like a pretzel.

You can also add some weight in the bucket (scoop up some gravel or dirt). And you never have to worry about asking basic questions here... Welcome to TBN.

 

[TripleR]

As stated, your mower will not act as a stop to keep you from flipping over. By dropping it to the ground however, you will take the weight off of your three-point and help avoid a flip.

Backward roll overs usually occur under power and in essence, according to my VoAg teacher, the tractor is rotating on the axle, so by backing down you are not exerting rotational forces like you would going up the hill.

Definitely keep the bucket on.

I certainly don't want to offend anyone, but from personal experience, if you are really concerned about something like this maybe you shouldn't be doing it until you get a little more seat time.

I am in the learning process myself with a new tractor and until I get much more time in use I will not attempt some things I am very comfortable with on one of my other tractors. And in the end you have to ask if something questionable really needs to be done.

 

[Inky05]

...Backward roll overs usually occur under power and in essence, according to my VoAg teacher, the tractor is rotating on the axle, so by backing down you are not exerting rotational forces like you would going up the hill......

What goes down must come back up...

 

[TripleR]

What goes down must come back up...

Yes, but not necessarily via the same route.

 

[DanielVT]

I certainly don't want to offend anyone, but from personal experience, if you are really concerned about something like this maybe you shouldn't be doing it until you get a little more seat time.

I'm not at all offended by someone giving me advice that a) I asked for an b) might keep me from killing myself. Thanks.

And in the end you have to ask if something questionable really needs to be done.

Yes, it's occurred to me that the part of the field that I was talking about is in an area that I can't see from the house...

 

[Youare]

I work in southeastern Vermont and live in southwestern New Hampshire.

The problem with backing down a slope that is steep with a brush hog is before the rear wheels on the tractor go over the edge the brush hog will be suspended out in the air off the ground. This changes the center of gravity a little because of the weight on the rear of the tractor and the front end gets a little lighter with the rear wheels going over the edge. Besides you probably will nt do any cutting on the edge if the brush hog is off the ground.

Backing uphill keeps the brush hog on the ground untill you reach the top. If your tractors rear wheel rims are made so the width came be changed make sure they are positioned for the widest stance. This will make the tractor muvh more stable, even a 6" difference in width makes a huge difference.

It will take a while but you will get accustomed to the slopes your tractor can safety handle. Remember to keep your FEL close to the ground when mowing, especially on any side slopes. Wear you seat belt and becareful, but enjoy.

Randy

 

[DanielVT]

Now I'm really confused...the manual that came with the loader says "To reduce the possibility of a rollover, it is not recommended that the loader be attached when operating another implement on a hillside".

Now I understand that backing up a hillside with a loader full of rocks lifted as high as possible would be a Very Bad Idea...but if the loader is empty and kept low, and I'm backing straight up the hill and not across it, what the heck are they talking about? Doesn't it add stability to have the extra weight in the front?

I did take it up to the top of the upper hill yesterday afternoon, backing up with both the mower and the loader on it. It wasn't terrifying, but I was pretty wide awake by the time I got down again. The mower is fun! Backed into some scrubby crap that I've been wanting to get rid of for a couple of years...whapwhapwhapwhapwhap problem solved.

 

[TripleR]

If you really went by what manuals on some equipment, you wouldn't be able to use it.

Yes, a FEL "can" make a tractor less stable on hills especially going across them, but depending on the size of the tractor the difference is very small. Once you get use to you tractor you will become comfortable with how it works and in some instances a FEL can actually help stability.

I have a steep pond levy that I mow with my CX80 and a 10' mower and I am constantly raising and lowering the FEL for better weight transfer. The FEL on it hasn't been off in years.

 

[dex3361]

Is your L4400 an HST? Do you have the rear tires loaded? Like stated before are the rear wheels set to widest position? I have the L4400HST and use it a lot on hills and I am pleased with the way it performs. I would get a tilt meter so you know how steep the areas are. I have some places that are 27 degrees and this is pretty steep. It is difficult to stay in the seat on the 27 degree area.

 

[rekees4300]

"The book says I should back up these slopes"

Do what the book says. An alternative would be to drive up a less steep route to the top then mow downhill going forward. If you don't have a less steep route then I would just mow as much as possible using the backup method and leave the rest unmowed. Is your life worth a few friggin' weeds?!

Also based on 10 years of experience: FEL + slopes = RIP Remove your FEL before mowing! Gravity does not reward stupidity!

 

[dex3361]

Let me add this as a new tractor user you should go slow until you learn the machine. Don't try to do everything that the tractor is capable of, because it takes time to learn where the limits are. Go slow, always keep the FEL low to the ground if it is on the tractor. keep all of the implements as low to the ground as possible. Watch for pot holes dips sales rocks or anything else that could change the angle rapidly. Have an experienced operator walk you through the operation and what may be acceptable or unacceptable areas. Stay off of the slopes when it is wet, A tractor is not a fun sled ride. I agree with backing up the slopes first to see how the machine does. Here is a pic of a 27 degree hill tractor path that I made with my L4400 HST

 

[crazyal]

Being from Vermont myself I'm sure you can find a large rock that you can do like I do and put it in your front bucket. As you get some seat time you'll feel the front becoming light while driving up some of the steeper hills. But for now I would take it easy and safe.

 

[Youare]

The FEL can be your best friend and a pain in the neck. When using a 3PH mower or anything for that matter you tend to be looking backwards a lot. The FEL does add length to the tractor's front and it is easy to swing it into something when backing up or looking backwards.

Keeping the FEL low, a foot or so off the ground, while you mow helps keep the center of gravity lower. I have used the FEL once or twice to get me out of a tippy situation. I was driving down a moderate sloped woods road and encountered a soft spot on one side. When the front wheel sank a little I felt the tractor tip more than what I was comfortable with. I stopped lowered the FEL until it just started to lift the front end and then backed up out of that spot. The width of the bucket really helped to stablize the tractor and got me out of an uncomfortable spot.

Unless you have a good counterweight on the rear of the tractor if you load one side of the bucket more than the other that can make for a tippy situation. Digging into a bank and catching a root or rock with one corner of the bucket can make the opposite rear wheel leave the ground pretty quick.

Go slow and learn how your tractor handles and responds to different situations.

Randy

 

[cuoffroad]

"The book says I should back up these slopes"

Do what the book says. An alternative would be to drive up a less steep route to the top then mow downhill going forward. If you don't have a less steep route then I would just mow as much as possible using the backup method and leave the rest unmowed. Is your life worth a few friggin' weeds?!

Also based on 10 years of experience: FEL + slopes = RIP Remove your FEL before mowing! Gravity does not reward stupidity!

:welcome: and x2 for the above. Attachments and hills / slopes are nothing to mess around with. If something happens, it's gonna happen quick and it's just not worth the chance.

 

[DanielVT]

Also based on 10 years of experience: FEL + slopes = RIP Remove your FEL before mowing! Gravity does not reward stupidity!

Good enough for me. The guy who I used to pay to do the mowing here before I got my new toy used a 35 HP Kubota, no FEL. He's gotta be close to 80 now. Probably didn't get that far by taking chances on his tractor.

Maybe I should put some weights on the front though? Mr. Kubotadealer would be happy to sell me some nice-looking orange ones I'm sure. I'll look at the mower manual to see if they say anything about front-end ballast while using it.

Thanks everybody for your advice.

 

[rekees4300]

Daniel front ballast is a good idea. It will help with steering control but don't let the ballast lull you into a false sense of security that it's okay to mow going forward uphill.

 

[Ken45101]

You have less traction if you have to back uphill than if you back down the hill and drive forward back up it. Ag tires are designed for max traction forward.

I have pastures here that I've had to mow by backing down. Enough so that I've gotten a stiff neck watching backward!

Also, if it's really overgrown, you can see if the mower drops off over an edge.

If you take the loader off, you will need to add front weights to compensate. Otherwise, the tractor will be frontend light and more susceptible to doing a wheelie.

I've done the hillsides with and without the loader, but always backing downhill. Never had a problem. YMMV.

 

[Redneck in training]

Stay in four-wheel drive. Tractors have brakes in rear axle only but going downhill you need also brakes in the front especially with the FEL attached. By using FWD all four wheel will brake.
One time I just entered the top of a hill while the grass was wet. When I realized what was happening I was already on the bottom doing a doughnut on two wheels. Now I leave the tractor in FWD all the time.

 

[Ken45101]

Stay in four-wheel drive. Tractors have brakes in rear axle only but going downhill you need also brakes in the front especially with the FEL attached. By using FWD all four wheel will brake.
One time I just entered the top of a hill while the grass was wet. When I realized what was happening I was already on the bottom doing a doughnut on two wheels. Now I leave the tractor in FWD all the time.

Excellent and important advice. Twice I've had the lawn tractor (B2710) accidently in 2wd and slid down one of the hills in the yard. I was stopped by the fence! Don't even have a loader on it, just a MMM.