3x20 Cab max side slope with spacers..

[dkhntr04]

A cabbed 3520 is one of the machines I am considering for my next tractor purchase. The thought of a cab and heat for snow removal at -20F is very enticing. However, I live in a flood-prone area and have a raised driveway and a ring dike around my property that I mow and maintain with my tractor. I am concerned that the more top-heavy cabbed machines will not be stable enough to handle the slopes. The steepest side slope I have to operate on is about 27 degrees, and the majority run in the 20-25 degree range. The worst slope on the property is a touch over 30, but I hope to add some fill to that area this fall to level things out a bit.

My current tractor sits at 66" wide in the rear and handles the slopes like a champ, even the 30 degree one. If I was to go with a 3520 cab I would go with the 15-19.5 R4's and Unverferth 6" spacers to punch the tires out to around the 70-72" wide range for stability. My gut says that the tractor will still be too unstable even with the spacers. Is anyone running R4's with 4-6" spacers on slopes similar to this, and how does the machine handle it? Thanks.

 

[DP Property]

No spacers just the rear tires flipped and I am getting used to feeling of the tractor to know when I am really in trouble or my body is sensing I am in trouble when I am not at first I thought the tractor was really tippy but now that I am more used to it seems fairly stable however I think you will cut those slopes very slowly and only straight up or straight down any kind of an angle and you wont like the feeling!

 

[jenkinsph]

I think you may be better off with a cabbed 4x20 machine, wider to start with at about 72" with R4 tires. Might want to add spacers to that too. The 17.5 24 R4 tires will hold more ballast too. Think the cabs are the same for the 3520 and 4x20 so proportionally more weight on the larger frame tractor is less tippy. I live in the mountains in a ski resort town and would also point out the R4 tires are lousy for traction in the snow without chains. So if using these tires spacers would be a plus to provide you with clearance anyway.

Be careful that is some steep slopes to operate on.

 

[greg_g]

I agree with Steve. If you can swing it, move up to the 4x20 series. I wanted to, but the cab height made it impossible to fit in my shed and through my barn doors. So I got a 3720, and it's tippy as ****. I've filled the R4s with RimGuard and added 4" MotoSport aluminum spacers (a lot cheaper and lighter than Unverferth). That added nearly half a ton of tire ballast and extended the rear track out to 68". Whereas that $750 aftermarket investment helped quite a bit, I still felt safer on the two open station tractors I had previously.

//greg//

 

[Dan Hunter]

I have a set of unused motorsport tech spacers. I've cleaned 'em up (had a lot of milling material on them when delivered) but they're in a box with the hardware and would fit a 3X20. They're getting $505 plus shipping on ebay. I'll sell them for $350 including shipping.

 

[Lebneh]

You're definitely going to want the spacers if you go with a cab on a 3x20!

 

[Martian]

I think with ballasting and spacers you should be OKAY if you go very slow. I find that I can take stuff slow and not feel any tippyness and take that same thing quick and feel like you just escaped death.

I do agree the ideal set-up would be the 4x20 sized machine or similar.

 

[DP Property]

HI Greg are you just using spacers on the rear wheels or on all four also I was not aware there were motosport spacers?

 

[dkhntr04]

Thanks for the input so far. I appreciate it.. I'd love to move up to the 4x20 series, but the tractor I buy will be my primary lawn mower and I think a 4 series would be too heavy and large for that application, plus the 3x20 cab is already stretching what I can justify spending.

 

[greg_g]

HI Greg are you just using spacers on the rear wheels or on all four also I was not aware there were motosport spacers?

Rears only. The extra weight of my 4-in-1 bucket and the fact that I use it to pick up whole trees has me a little hesitant to spread the fronts wider than simply reversing the rims. MotoSport spacers (for Kubota) here.

//greg//

 

[RoyJackson]

27 degrees is pretty steep, IMHO.
You might want to consider some type of upslope counterweight.

 

[tomd999]

Hiya,

For what it's worth, I operate a 3320 cab with the tall R3's (loaded) on a mountain that is a former ski resort so I can give some feedback. Yes, when you first get the 3x20 series, it feels "tippy" on level ground if you run over a rock. After a few months use, you will find that goes away as the tractor is pretty stable as long as you respect it and the conditions you are working in.

First, the taller the tires, the higher the center of gravity, (CG). I think the low wide R3 special golf turf wheels and tires are the shortest/widest they offer, you may want to go with those, load them, mount them wide and put at least one wheel weight on each side. By making it low and wide you lowered the CG and given the cab far less leverage to tip the tractor on the slope.

Second, take the loader off, the 300x/cx loaders weight about 900 Lbs and the majority of that is above the center line of the tractor, get it off.

Third, go slow and make sure the area you are mowing is DRY and clear of large objects and holes. One thing that will get you in trouble is running over a large rock on the upside or putting a wheel in a hole on the down side. Another thing that will get you in trouble is slipping on wet grass then stopping, the momentum of the slide may carry the tractor over.

My tractor has the tall R3's loaded and set to the narrow position. I find the narrow setting better for me however I go very slow and have had no pucker moments. I don't mow with mine as my septic is in the mow area and I use a Deere 318 for the grass.

My 2 cents,

Tom

 

[dkhntr04]

Thanks for the first hand account Tom, I appreciate it.

Has anyone run both cab and open-station 3x20's? Are the cab versions really that less stable or it is more perception? Thanks

 

[dschuffert]

Thanks for the first hand account Tom, I appreciate it.

Has anyone run both cab and open-station 3x20's? Are the cab versions really that less stable or it is more perception? Thanks

I bought a 3520 open station in March of this year and traded it in for a 3720 Cab about a month ago. On both machines I flipped the back tires around to the wide position. I wanted to do so on the front but couldn't because of the 72" MMM. I mow six acres of rolling hills around my house with some very steep angles up in the front by the road in the drainage area. I was nervous on my zero turn cutting this area and was very nervous let alone when I tried it with my 3520 the first couple of times. I took it very very slow, I already knew there were no rocks or holes to worry about, and was prepared to take evasive action. Absolutely no issues with either the 3520 open station or the 3720 Cab machine. I do take the 300CX loader and the ballast box off before I cut. I was concerned about the center of gravity on the cab unit but I saw no difference between the two on steep slopes. I think the extra 600 pounds helps as long as it stays on the right side of the gravity equation. If anything the cab can give a false sense of security which I am still getting used to.

 

[shortthrow50]

Thanks for the first hand account Tom, I appreciate it.

Has anyone run both cab and open-station 3x20's? Are the cab versions really that less stable or it is more perception? Thanks

The cab gives the perception that your gonna tip cause you sit higher. I think a lot of the freight on this site is due to lack of experience in cab machines. I read all the hype of cab being more tippy on slopes before I got mine. I operate sideways on steep slopes weekly here without loaded tires or spacers. I even hit holes and bumps without rolling over. I used to be a heavy equipment operator for a large mass excavation company and I operated large dozers and hang on slopes very steep so I'm used to sitting high and not being scared. Now I work for a builder doing much smaller jobs. I think that's what's going on here. People just feel like they are gonna tip from lack of not being in the situtation

 

[greg_g]

The cab gives the perception that your gonna tip cause you sit higher. I think a lot of the freight on this site is due to lack of experience in cab machines. I read all the hype of cab being more tippy on slopes before I got mine. I operate sideways on steep slopes weekly here without loaded tires or spacers. I even hit holes and bumps without rolling over. I used to be a heavy equipment operator for a large mass excavation company and I operated large dozers and hang on slopes very steep so I'm used to sitting high and not being scared. Now I work for a builder doing much smaller jobs. I think that's what's going on here. People just feel like they are gonna tip from lack of not being in the situtation

The tractor is a constant. The degree to which owners use them is variable. Plus, what you consider "steep" is purely subjective. And to compare heavy excavation equipment operation with using an aluminum and plastic CUT is simply absurd. And a little insulting when you get right down to it.

As-built from the factory, my 3720 cab was simply unsafe to work on my property. I spent way more time up on 3 wheels than anybody should on a $36k machine. Loading the tires with half a ton of RimGuard helped, I could subsequently go some of the places that previously put me up on 3 wheels. But not all. Pushing the rears out to 68" with MotoSport spacers fixed most of that. There are still some areas of my property that I won't take the 3720. But RimGuard and spacers allow me to work the most important sections.

More importantly, this is not my first rodeo on a CUT. Prior to this JD, I've owned four CUTs and a UT - all open station - all working the very same piece of ground. Every single one of them has been places this 3720 still can't go. To be fair, it wasn't my first choice. I actually wanted a 4x20 series, which - by the way - nobody complains about being "tippy". Unfortunately the cab is too tall to fit into both my shed and my barn. I had to take second best, and I've regretted doing so ever since.

//greg//

 

[shortthrow50]

The tractor is a constant. The degree to which owners use them is variable. Plus, what you consider "steep" is purely subjective. And to compare heavy excavation equipment operation with using an aluminum and plastic CUT is simply absurd. And a little insulting when you get right down to it.

As-built from the factory, my 3720 cab was simply unsafe to work on my property. I spent way more time up on 3 wheels than anybody should on a $36k machine. Loading the tires with half a ton of RimGuard helped, I could subsequently go some of the places that previously put me up on 3 wheels. But not all. Pushing the rears out to 68" with MotoSport spacers fixed most of that. There are still some areas of my property that I won't take the 3720. But RimGuard and spacers allow me to work the most important sections.

More importantly, this is not my first rodeo on a CUT. Prior to this JD, I've owned four CUTs and a UT - all open station - all working the very same piece of ground. Every single one of them has been places this 3720 still can't go. To be fair, it wasn't my first choice. I actually wanted a 4x20 series, which - by the way - nobody complains about being "tippy". Unfortunately the cab is too tall to fit into both my shed and my barn. I had to take second best, and I've regretted doing so ever since.

//greg//

Insulting only in the way you read it because you sir have very thin skin my friend.

 

[Lebneh]

My land is basically the side of a mountain. Lots of hills and slopes. I have the 3720w/ cab. Without the wheel spacers I was afraid all the time. Now that I have them on, I still need to be careful and take it slow but it's a world of difference. I don't have loaded tires or wheel weights but I always have some kind of ballast on the back.

 

[RoyJackson]

My land is basically the side of a mountain. Lots of hills and slopes. I have the 3720w/ cab. Without the wheel spacers I was afraid all the time. Now that I have them on, I still need to be careful and take it slow but it's a world of difference. I don't have loaded tires or wheel weights but I always have some kind of ballast on the back.

If at all possible, you should fill those tires. The weight of the filled tires really stabilizes the tractor. You cannot put ballast any lower then the tires.

 

[greg_g]

Insulting only in the way you read it because you sir have very thin skin my friend.

Thin skinned indeed. You have now shifted from insultingly condescending to purely presumptuous. Only I decide who I consider a "friend".

Your stated background is on heavy equipment. Mine is on CUTs, which I hope is demonstrated by over 10 years and 5000+ posts here. So given that this is a tractor forum, I don't think the depth of one's skin is as important as is the depth of one's experience in the topic under discussion. Or perhaps you're unfamiliar with the term "subjective".

FWIW, you'll not find me in heavy equipment forums belittling long-standing members just cuz I bought my first CAT

//greg//