safety on a hill going straight up and down

[Spicytub]

Hi all,

This is my first post here and wanted to get some thoughts on operating my tractor on this slope at my house. Main part of my property is flat but I have 2 acres back by the creek Id like to start maintaining trails on so we can access it. There is a dirt slope behind my house that goes down to the lower wooded area. I currently have a 97 kubota L2900 with a front loader and a 5' brush hog I want to take back there to maintain the trail. The slope on the hill is around 20 degrees.
Is the general concensus if I stay slow and leave the bucket low I should be able to go up and down the slope to get back there? My tractor has ag tires and is 4x4.

Thanks!

 

[hodge]

Welcome to the forum, Spicytub.
I mow a bank steeper than 20 degrees with my tractor, but I have some differences- no loader, using a finish mower, and I don't know how compacted or loose your soil is. I also mow it with a Steiner, which is like being on Velcro. It tows with the grade.
I would try climbing and descending on a controllable section, first, making sure that I had room to get it under control at the bottom. I would see how it descends with the weight of the mower pushing, and how it climbs pulling it. I would do this without mowing, so that I could focus on how the tractor would handle. Once I determined that the tractor can safely do it, I'd try it with the mower going.
In my case, I prefer to back up the bank mowing, then mow coming down. Move over, back up, move over and drive down. I did that for years, before I switched to the Steiner.

 

[JasonW]

Keep the bucket low. Keep it in 4wd and use a low gear. Don’t try to shift gears or push the clutch in while on the hill.
Brakes working and adjusting properly? Wouldn’t be a bad time to check the clutch pedal free play also.

If you have ROPS wear your seat belt. Does your model have a seat safety switch? See if it’s operational and hasn’t been bypassed. Especially with a gear drive, if you somehow fall off nothing with stop the tractor.

 

[Russell King]

Another thing to worry with is the exit angle at the bottom of the slope. You don’t want the mower to be so high it traps the mower and try’s to fold it towards the tractor. I am assuming you have a three point hitch mower that you can lift off the ground. On flat ground you could lift it as high as possible and compare that to how much it will be lifted as the tractor is on the exit of the hill. Worse angle would be if the tractor front wheels are rising out of a dip.

I think having the rear wheels as high as possible on the mo would be best. You can also leave the upper link off so it doesn’t get shoved into the tractor rear case by the mower.

It doesn’t sound like you will have problems but just be careful. Leave the mower on the ground as you go down the hill of course.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

If your blazing a trail, I would take off the loader as the center of gravity is much lower and maneuverability is much better without the loader.

 

[Spicytub]

Wow all thanks for the fast response and info. To answer some questions from some of you, the ground is very compacted. I do have ROPS and a working seat belt, no safety switch though or if it had it its disabled. It is a 3 point hitch. So the consensus is low gear slow and try it without the mower at first and focus on the decent and ascent first then add the brush hog later. My main concern was if the tractor could handle that angle ok and not want to go out of control on the way down or flip back on itself in the way back up. I will be just going straight up and down the hill and no side to side.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Good day.

I mow several steep areas, not sure it would be as steep as yours, but i can tell you this, if you forget to use 4WD, best case is you might wrinkle the vinyl seat . When I have forgotten 4WD it is immediately obvious and at that point it is too late.

that being said I still do it regularly. I’d recommend if worried, walk it first and if you slip walking, that’s a data point point. I will not go down my back hill if it’s wet. I have R4s, but slippery is slippery.

not sure your machine has split brakes or not, but that could be a problem. Might think about flipping the lever to join the peddles before heading down hill. In my experience the brakes make the descent worse and it’s best to just plan to stay under power, slow, and drive it out. Not sure that is the right thing to do, but consider what you will do should you break traction.

I would think of driving up your hill may want front weights or a your loader on, but you need to consider that for yourself about how to ballast the machine for what doing.

if you have any holes or branches laying around, or stumps, just remember the COG is going to be very different t on a slope like that. Plan accordingly, especially if you are not able to stop and trust your brake to stop and get off mid slope to move something. If you have any obstacles or holes I’d think about that before find out how the center pivot will react. JMHO.

if you have traction I don’t see why it should not work though

I’d be thinking as slow as possible and as fast as necessary and never if it’s wet.

keep the rubber side down.

 

[Spicytub]

Thanks GrumpyFarmer, I will have 4 wheel engaged and make sure the split brakes are locked. I can walk it just fine so I'm feeling better about this the more responses I get. I'm thinking low range probably 1st or 2nd gear in 4x4. I already cleared the section i want to go down of branches and hit it hard with the weed eater to get the grass down low so I could check for holes and its pretty even.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Thanks GrumpyFarmer, I will have 4 wheel engaged and make sure the split brakes are locked. I can walk it just fine so I'm feeling better about this the more responses I get. I'm thinking low range probably 1st or 2nd gear in 4x4. I already cleared the section i want to go down of branches and hit it hard with the weed eater to get the grass down low so I could check for holes and its pretty even.

I have HST, but I believe a gear machine would be better on a hill. Also when I have broke traction it’s because of 2WD or wet…both operator error IMO. Braking makes a slide worse in my case, so my best way out is drive it out.

hydraulics top is is extremely useful for departure / approach angle. I just recently added on the MX and what a big improvement.

 

[JimmyJazz]

Take the loader off.

 

[Russell King]

Use first gear low and idle engine speed as you go down.

Keep your foot OFF the clutch pedal and don’t even consider pushing it down while the tractor is on the hill! Just let the tractor control the speed to be whatever it wants to be and it will stay slow. The tires will have good traction since they are rolling so should be able to maintain the same speed down hill.

If you push the clutch in you will be free wheeling and pick up speed quickly and your brakes won’t be able to stop you. The rear wheels will probably skid all the way down.

 

[TheOldHokie]

[

Hi all,

This is my first post here and wanted to get some thoughts on operating my tractor on this slope at my house. Main part of my property is flat but I have 2 acres back by the creek Id like to start maintaining trails on so we can access it. There is a dirt slope behind my house that goes down to the lower wooded area. I currently have a 97 kubota L2900 with a front loader and a 5' brush hog I want to take back there to maintain the trail. The slope on the hill is around 20 degrees.
Is the general concensus if I stay slow and leave the bucket low I should be able to go up and down the slope to get back there? My tractor has ag tires and is 4x4.

Thanks!

I operate on slopes like that on a regular basis. Sooner or later you will have an "event" so i have four basic rules:

1. Akways stay in 4wd and keep plenty of ballast on the 3pt.
2. Always have an escape route on the downhill side should you suddenly break traction.
3. Stay off if the ground is even damp. Dew kills.
4. Keep the loader low and ready to drop. Its way more effective than the tractor brakes and has saved my bacon more than once.

Dan

 

[jimh406]

Are you planning to back down the hill or up the hill?

 

[Shawn T. W]

I don't know how to measure the steepness of this hill, but I have no problem going up or down, forward or reverse, or even sideways ... All in 2 wheel drive.

I do the same with my SCUT.

@Spicytub did you make it back up?

If not how about a picture or three of the hill?

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I don't know how to measure the steepness of this hill, but I have no problem going up or down, forward or reverse, or even sideways ... All in 2 wheel drive.

View attachment 159257

I do the same with my SCUT.

@Spicytub did you make it back up?

If not how about a picture or three of the hill?

Maybe I'm just a "chicken sh1t", but going sideways on that hill looks terrifying to me......

I get a little "puckered" just running over a piece of firewood though....hahahhah

 

[GreensvilleJay]

We've have lost 3-4 farmers from 'running sideways on 'little' hills' around here.

 

[BBFarmer]

Definitely up and down for me. Our pond dam is steeper than I really care to fool with but its gotta get cut. 4wd engaged, trans in low, loader down low....never sideways

 

[TheOldHokie]

Lose it at the top of that climb and its going to be a long backwards out of control slide to the bottom. I would not like your chances of walking away....

Dan

 

[Shawn T. W]

One of the advantages of a HST, no real shifting, unless you have something like a glideshift ...

 

[BBFarmer]

View attachment 159299
Lose it at the top of that climb and its going to be a long backwards out of control slide to the bottom. I would not like your chances of walking away....

Dan

No doubt.

It took a long time for me to get comfortable navigating around this area on our property. This tractor as well as my 3301 had no issues climbing the dam.

I did learn a couple years ago to stay out of there early morning when the dew is still down. Slid her sideways about the last three feet or so of the damn. Realized how bad it could've actually been had I been up at the top.

I usually make circular passes and end up climbing down. In low while cutting, the tractor just barely walks itself down the dam. Nice and slow so i can comprehend everything thats going on.

My pond does run off at the bottom of all this when the gully washers come.

So sometimes as I get towards the middle of the dam, I'll have to reverse up it, then cut coming back down.

I have NOWHERE near the experience most y'all have on here. Only been country livin since '19. No skills or training here, I rely on my butt to tell me if the situation is bad or not. It's all about that pucker factor LOL.