Tipping over sideways?

[KauaiJohn]

How much of a side hill can my B3030 travel over without tipping over sideways. I can backup nearly everywhere and that works really well, but
there are some places where I'm maneuvering between trees and it gets pretty hairy.

If I were to get an inclinometer how may degrees is too many. I have no idea how close I've been to tipping over.

thanks.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

MY personal rule of thumb : If my asshole starts to pucker up then its time to get off the hill! I wouldent go much over 25 to 30 degress with it. Too many bad things can go wrong quick and its not worth taking the chance! Best advise is to go up and down the hill rather then sideways.

 

[bikerdib]

Remember, weight on the 3pt or a FEL will drastically change things also.

Sorry, I can't answer your original question; I don't think anyone can give a definitive answer, too many variables.

 

[gktilton]

I agree with the guys, you might be ok at the 25 - 30, until you put a tire in a dip and then your world can change.

On my little property I have mostly hills, straight up and straight down, the ones that are on the landscaped area that I don't like to drive on are covered with bark mulch.

Stick with Eric's advice, if it starts to pucker it's time to stop.

 

[Theekillerbee]

I agree with the the others, however, if you are feeling confident in your manufacturing abilities, you could fab up a stabilizer bar with a large pad, like ones on backhoes, that sits 6 inches off the ground to catch you when it starts to go. Then you can see on your inclometer the degrees she will tolerate! You can lessen the risk of roll over also by putting ballast in your tires. Lots of weight down low is your friend!

 

[Bulldog]

I have no idea how close I've been to tipping over.

thanks.

Have you been on 3 wheels yet?

When you are on the slope are you running in 4wd or 2wd? In 2wd you will see real fast how close to 3 wheeling you are because you will loose traction even with all the wheels on the ground.

I have a spot that I mowe that is close to being to steep. I can do it in 2wd but have to chooce my lines carefully. On the steepest part I run in 4wd and slightly pick up on the mower. Makes things much more stable and never had much trouble with my L 3000. On the other hand though I laid my B 7100 over on this same bank. You never know when ground conditions will change and then your in trouble.

 

[Eddie Jr.]

I have a few spots near the road at my place that I feel I need to build up a little with some new material. Have made a few test passes with out the mower on and the "pucker meter" went off. I assume the mower will add to the stability of the tractor as I plan to remove the FEL and rear blade when mowing season gets into full swing. Am I correct to think that having the weight of the mower under the tractor with the other implements off will help?
Thanks!
Max

 

[Bulldog]

Depending on the mower to fix the stability problem is about the same as leaning on a broke crutch. Sooner or later your going to hit the floor.

Yes the mower is certain situations will help you with stability but I wouldn't want to think it will fix the entire problem. I would look at getting the tires loader, maybe wheel weights or both. You can probably get the tires loader for $100 or so. Do whatever it takes to make it safe for you.

Here is a good safety meter for you and works every time.

1: your tractor

2: trouble spot in yard

3: Your teenage son or daughter though it would get them some browny point by mowing the yard for you. Would you feel safe turning your kids loose on the tractor.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Eddie

I'd say leave the FEL on but keep it low to the ground for a front end counter balance on the hillside. Just make sure what ever you do turn to the uphill side to get off the hill.

 

[Bulldog]

Eddie

Just make sure what ever you do turn to the uphill side to get off the hill.

I don't know if I'm understanding that right or not. In the split second before a roll over if starting to happen you never want to turn up the hill. That will guarantee you a roll just about every time. The uphill tires are already loosing traction and turning up will make it worse. Always turn down the hill to prevent a roll.

 

[Eddie Jr.]

Thanks fellas ... I would think the down hill turn would be better? Most of my property is flat with some gentle rolls but I have 400ft of road out front with a fairly steep ditch angle in places. I have already started adding material to the ditch to make the angle safer for me and the tractor.
Eric, with the MMM would you still keep the FEL on?
Thanks,
M.

 

[Bulldog]

Max, I leave my loader on mine but remove the bucket. A couple of reasons for this. One, it's hard to get in tight spots with the bucket on and the second it remove some of the weight from the front tires. This helps to prevent damage to the yard, steers easier yet still allows you to carry a little extra weight on the front end for stability.

 

[Eddie Jr.]

Bulldog, thanks, that makes sense to me. I was going to remove it all together as it is the quick attach version but I did opt out of the quick disconnect for the bucket. Maybe I should have thought that one out a little better eh? The lawn is fairly square not many trees or obstacles to dodge yet, I may try it both ways to see how it performs on or off. Lord knows I will have several attempts this year if the 2 acres of lawn keeps growing like it has been, I may have to mow next weekend!
Max.

 

[Bulldog]

I leave my bucket off all the time. I only put it on when I'm using it and for everything else I don't see the need to carry the weight. Before I put the QA on I removed the entire loader for mowing and then had to put it back on for other stuff. It wasn't a real bad job to remove it but it could easily tie up 15 minutes for each step. It takes about a minute to take the bucket off and I can set it down anywhere. That was money well spent for this option in my book. If you have never had your loader off it will amaze you how much difference it will make on the steering. Even though it's power steering you can still a huge change in it. Let us know how it does either way.

 

[Eddie Jr.]

Will do! I may look into the QA when it goes for it's 50hr service. It will add a few inches to the overall length of the loader right?

Thanks again bud!
M.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

If your on a hillside and gravity is always going down hill, so why would you want to steer into the direction of the fall and go into it and not away from it? I've never heard of anybody rolling their tractor over on the uphill slope.

If your driving sideways along the hill you want to exit and get off the hill going upwards. Turning to do gown hill is where things go bad because gravity takes over and will send the tractor flying downhill until you get to the bottom and can be hard to control at times.

 

[Bulldog]

The QA will add maybe 2 inches to the loader. I have seen no affect in performance in mine. It's nice to be able to drop the bucket anytime you want and no tools required.


I'm not going to get in a back and forth battle about which way to turn to prevent a roll over. I will say that from my experience as a life long farmer and a professional heavy equipment operator for 20 yrs I have been to the point that a decision had to be made to keep from rolling over more times than I would really have wanted to be in. I have always turned down the hill to stabilize the machine and then you worry about regaining control. I would much rather go down a hill like a bullet than slide down slowly on my side.

Simple test to see which way works. Get a riding mower on a slope. When you get to the point you can't stay up on the bank try turning up the hill. 9 times out of 10 the uphill tire will loose traction and then you have no control. Turn down the hill and you may be going faster than you would like to be but at least all the tires are touching the ground.

 

[hodge]

I don't know if I'm understanding that right or not. In the split second before a roll over if starting to happen you never want to turn up the hill. That will guarantee you a roll just about every time. The uphill tires are already loosing traction and turning up will make it worse. Always turn down the hill to prevent a roll.

Ditto on that. And keep the loader off- even with the bucket down, you still have the arms and supports that are past the point of center when you are sideways on a hill.
Read your owners manual- it will tell you to never sidehill. There is a reason for that- it is difficult to judge when you have gone a little too far past the center of gravity for that situation. Too many folks have learned the hard way. Just read a post on MTF about a guy who messed the engine up in his new JD when it rolled and kept running. That is the least of your worries.
Mow up and down if you can, only sidehill when you are very confident that you are stable, and pushmow the rest. Some sweat and heavy breathing are better than losing your tractor and/or life.

 

[Eddie Jr.]

I like the idea of the quick on and off with the QA, I am going to look into that for sure. Thanks!
Not touching this up/down hill thing.

M.

 

[Playbook]

New here, and I'm no physicist, but apparently nobody else is either, so here's my two cents: imagine driving fast in a tight circle and increasing the speed and sharpness of the turn until you're on the verge of tipping. Centrifugal forces tip you to the outward side of the turn, which is the equivalent of gravity force pulling you to the downhill side of a tip. If you want to avoid tipping, you would not increase the centrifugal force by speeding up or turning sharper (ie uphill), rather you'd release the forces by easing off the gas and the sharpness of the turn. ( think what happens if you let go of the wheel in the too-sharp turn above). I dont think its as black and white as it's been made out here; you don't have to overreact and go balls-out down a slope and risk losing control, but at least relieve the pressure by easing off the uphill until you stabilize.