That was really bad

[TheOldHokie]

Glad you're okay, Dan! Did the back wheels come off the ground to make you break away, or was it just so slick that you actually slid down the hill. When I read that you forgot to have it in 4x4, it instantly made me think the back wheels musta came up allowing it to run away,..

I did not forget 4WD - somehow I did not get it engaged like I thought. It wont be out of 4WD again.

Loaded tires and 750# mower on the back. Nothing came off the ground until the final spinout.

Dan

 

[Yotekiller]

I did not forget 4WD - somehow I did not get it engaged like I thought. It wont be out of 4WD again.

Loaded tires and 750# mower on the back. Nothing came off the ground until the final spinout.

Dan

Oh gotcha! Thanks for sharing this. I have a very steep part in my front yard going down to the road and had never even considered about sliding, so this will definitely be on my mind going forward.

 

[chim]

First of all, glad you and the tractor came out of it unscathed. Must admit to having a couple quick descents over the years due to the range selector as well.

I have always removed the entire FEL and frame for finish mowing with the last three tractors. All had filled tires and RFM's. My reason for this approach is to make the tractor shorter and to keep the front tires from creating tracks on turns.

I'm not too sure that the FEL cantilevered out front doesn't decrease the rear tire traction. The RFM doesn't add ballast weight to the tractor, but I believe it does at least marginally help prevent one of the rears from lifting too high vis the twisting force it applies to the 3PH when one side gets "light"..

 

[TheOldHokie]

First of all, glad you and the tractor came out of it unscathed. Must admit to having a couple quick descents over the years due to the range selector as well.

I have always removed the entire FEL and frame for finish mowing with the last three tractors. All had filled tires and RFM's. My reason for this approach is to make the tractor shorter and to keep the front tires from creating tracks on turns.

I'm not too sure that the FEL cantilevered out front doesn't decrease the rear tire traction. The RFM doesn't add ballast weight to the tractor, but I believe it does at least marginally help prevent one of the rears from lifting too high vis the twisting force it applies to the 3PH when one side gets "light"..

I started mowing that area 40 years ago using a 2WD AG tractor that had unloaded R1 tires and no loader. That was a suicide mission that I quickly abandoned.

Over the years there have been a variety of different machines. The current configuration is by far the most effective and IMO safest I have found. But mistakes are easy to make and I just made one.

Dan

 

[NCL4701]

Thinking a bit about your experience and several similar I’ve had, I kind of think there are a two take aways.

The most obvious is: be careful, it can happen to anyone.

The possibly less obvious is, particularly if doing something a little dicey, have a backup plan well rehearsed in your head in case your primary plan fails, regardless whether that failure is due to the plan being faulty or execution being faulty. Kind of like keeping a fire extinguisher handy when welding.

Plan B may be keeping ROPs up and wearing a seatbelt, or being poised to bail if no ROPs/cab. May be unlocking the brakes so you can brake steer if it won’t turn. May be leaving the loader on to serve as an emergency brake while your mowing steep grades. In this case, your primary plan (engage 4WD) failed, but you had a backup plan (use the loader to save yourself and your machine) which worked well. Without a good backup plan, things might have turned out much differently.

 

[ajschnitzelbank]

It was a beatiful day today and I decided it was time to give the "front yard" its first mowing of tje year. Set out with the L3901 and within seconds of leaving the pavement found myself in a full tilt downhill runaway.. WTF!!! I figured it was rollover time for sure but managed to ride it out before dropping the bucket and doing a three wheel donut just before running out of real estate. Turns out I did not get it back in 4WD before leaving the shop like I thought.

Heres a picture of the bobsled run I took once my nerves settled down.

Be careful out there!!!!

Dan

View attachment 126501

What tires do you have? This scenario, locking brakes but tires just sliding on the grass going down hill, isn’t one I’ve really considered yet . Thanks for sharing the story/warning!

 

[TheOldHokie]

What tires do you have? This scenario, locking brakes but tires just sliding on the grass going down hill, isn’t one I’ve really considered yet . Thanks for sharing the story/warning!

R4 in excellent shape. Consider it - my first lesson on tractor tires and grass came at about the age of 17 while mowing a drainage ditch bank with a Ford 881. I am now 73 and apparently a slow learner....

Dan

 

[Grandad4]

I started mowing that area 40 years ago using a 2WD AG tractor that had unloaded R1 tires and no loader. That was a suicide mission that I quickly abandoned.

Over the years there have been a variety of different machines. The current configuration is by far the most effective and IMO safest I have found. But mistakes are easy to make and I just made one.

Dan

Glad you avoided disaster and are Ok. Such a simple thing - engage the front axle - but do it often enough and the odds of eventually forgetting/mis-engaging begin to stack up. The value of a parking brake indicator comes up from time to time in various threads... a 4wd indicator might be just as useful for safety reasons if old crocks like me (and younger ones!) would pay attention to it.

 

[bbxlr8]

Glad you were ok! I haven't had that issue yet and am in 4WD FT with my sloped property. Will keep an eye out.

I HAVE taken a similar ride before on my 2WD 1210, even with fat turfs. Definitely was along for the ride and steering in vain.

 

[RCW]

Dan -- - glad you and the tractor are fine.

Whether it be a tractor, vehicle, chainsaw, motorcycle, table saw, wood chipper, etc.; we've all had our "moments."

I've had a lot of them and some scars to prove it.

If we didn't, we'd be spending all our time sitting on our butts in front of a television or computer.

Not for me.

It's called living our life for our own enjoyment and hope we don't shorten it due to our own oversights.

Happy to hear you made out okay.

 

[Pjridge]

Glad you’re ok. I have accidentally knocked my l3302 hst into neutral twice in 3 months. The last time on my very steep gravel drive. Luckily I caught the brake just in time before the momentum down.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Like @RCW said, most of use have had "pucker" moments, so we can appreciate what it was like; Just glad you're OK!

I would be working on that lock device asap.

 

[Pjridge]

Like @RCW said, most of use have had "pucker" moments, so we can appreciate what it was like; Just glad you're OK!

I would be working on that lock device asap.

lm looking into that also and will share.

 

[TheOldHokie]

lm looking into that also and will share.

I just did the same yesterday. I dont have cruise control and it looks like it should be just about trivial to install a locking tab/bar and bolt using that slot.

Dan

 

[Pjridge]

My gravel drive.

 

[TheOldHokie]

View attachment 126616
My gravel drive.

I hope you don't get a lot of snow....

Dan

 

[Pjridge]

I hope you don't get a lot of snow....

Dan

lol no it’s a rare event in my location.

 

[Donystoy]

Dan, I am sure glad you survived the ride down the hill. I am acutely aware of the dangers of tractors having operated them since I was 7 years old. My new LX is not near as stable as the B7200 that I previously had and agree that you have to try to wait until everything is dry and use 4wd. I have tons of steep hills to contend with as well. I had a bit of a ride a few years ago with my new zero turn mower. Thankfully a tree stopped me from ending up in the Grand River. A real awakening. I kept the dent in the front end as a reminder.