Traction Would you operate on this hill?

[jesseb3@att.net]

Mowing? Without any attachments, I would likely feel comfortable, in 4WD of course - forget once, and you'd be in trouble. With any attachments mounted, I'm going straight up, or straight down, NO turns whatsoever. Even then, it's at slow speeds.

I'd take the suggestion of renting a tracked unit, or hiring the excavation out. When I first got my BX, I scared myself several times on relatively flat ground.

 

[GolfAddict]

As others have already said, it seems that pictures somehow just can not capture how steep a slope really is. IMO, these pictures look too steep for BX excavation work and I'm sure it's worse in person.

 

[meos1]

Its too steep. HIRE THAT OUT....use a push mower or move. Not a chance....nope.

 

[Raw Dodge]

I have a ventrac with a 72 inch deck and duals. .i believe it's one of the few machines that would be suited to mow that hill. .i could do alot of work on that hill with my ventrac, the slip scoop, trencher, stump grinder, dirt plow would all be usable on that hill with the duals...my future FIL has a bx1850 with 54"mower..I'd never take it on that hill in any direction, it's just too tall and narrow.

 

[wotalota]

I couldn't push my BX24 to a hill like that, it would have a nervous breakdown.

 

[flusher]

B and BX series Kubotas are fairly tippy. I nearly rolled my 2005 B7510HST (hydrostatic tranny, 4WD) while scooping dirt with the FEL. The right front wheel dropped into a wheel rut and I had to lower the bucket in a hurry to keep from rolling.

For work on your hills you need a tractor with a low center of gravity and wide wheel track. Something like my 1964 MF135 diesel would work OK on your hills.



That 135 is what's called a straddle tractor. You sit on it like you'd sit on a horse with your legs straddling the transmission. This helps to lower the CG. The wide rear tires on 16" dia rims gives a 7-ft wide wheel track.
A tractor like the BX is a platform tractor where your feet are above the top of the transmission. This tends to raise the CG.

So when you go tractor shopping, see if you can find a straddle tractor like my 135. Many old tractors like the Ford 8N are straddle tractors. Trick it out with wide rears on 16" dia rims, add a ROPS and mow your hillside in safety. Your cost would be less than $5K.

As far a backhoe work, rent the equipment or hire the work done. Unless you're installing long runs of irrigation ditches or other types of trenches, IMHO a backhoe on a SCUT or CUT is not worth the expense of ownership.

Good luck.

 

[KYDan]

We have slopes the equivalent of yours and some even stepper. The steeper ones are left for trees and nature. The ones like you have I mow with zero turn mowers, we have 2, a JD 757 a good and faithful old mower, and a new Exmark. We also use 2 walk behind mowers, both are self-propelled, a Toro and an Exmark. One really steep hill that we mow is on a lagoon for our septic system. It is so steep we only use the walk behinds and I wear on old pair of baseball shoes with steel cleats when I mow it. The thing to remember when mowing on steep banks is always turn downhill if the machine begins to slip or lift. Always have ROPs and use the seat belt. I would rent or lease a small trackhoe if I was going to do the project. I had a backhoe on my Kubota L2900 and it was not very effective on hillsides. It was a great tractor and the backhoe worked fine, but was a chore to take it off and put it on and replacing the hoses in the boom was a nightmare. Now, I just rent specialized equipment for needs like you are facing. Good luck with your project. If you do decide to go with the BX and a backhoe check into tandem wheels for the rear.

 

[ultrarunner]

Sometime ago a member posted about adding tandem rear wheels on his BX... said he could not have been more pleased until he snapped a rear axle... could have been a fluke but snapped rear BX axles is something we don't hear about.

 

[sandyc]

Wouldn't run my 2620 on that slope.

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[buickanddeere]

It's a modest knoll. No problem unless speed is excessive , a quick sharp turn or driving with the loader raised above front wheel level.