driving down steep incline in gear

[ugabulldog]

It is bad for a tractors clutch or tranny to drive down a steep incline while in gear, clutch not engaged (clutch pedal not pushed in) so the only thing that slows down tractor is speed of gear. I always thought that was the correct way to go down hill....Alternative would be in neutral with brakes applied.

 

[Industrial Toys]

No, that's the way to do it. No issue for the clutch if you are in low gear. Generally speaking, if you find you have picked a gear too low, better to stick with it rather then changing.

Of course 4wd engaged is best if you have it. It give you 4 wheel brakes. The lousy 2 wheel brakes on tractors have killed many people.

 

[SPYDERLK]

It is bad for a tractors clutch or tranny to drive down a steep incline while in gear, clutch not engaged (clutch pedal not pushed in) so the only thing that slows down tractor is speed of gear. I always thought that was the correct way to go down hill....Alternative would be in neutral with brakes applied.

No, that's the way to do it. No issue for the clutch if you are in low gear. Generally speaking, if you find you have picked a gear too low, better to stick with it rather then changing.

Of course 4wd engaged is best if you have it. It give you 4 wheel brakes. The lousy 2 wheel brakes on tractors have killed many people.

Just FYI ... The clutch is engaged until you push the pedal in. It is disengaged when you push it in. Going down a hill with the clutch disengaged is likely to explode the clutch plate due to overspeed. Be careful of any coasting [disengaged] situation faster than the transmission gear will go. This is deceptively easy in a low gear.

 

[ugabulldog]

Just FYI ... The clutch is engaged until you push the pedal in. It is disengaged when you push it in. Going down a hill with the clutch disengaged is likely to explode the clutch plate due to overspeed. Be careful of any coasting [disengaged] situation faster than the transmission gear will go. This is deceptively easy in a low gear.

Yes, that is what I meant and you are correct, clutch would be engaged going downhill.... That's what I thought, just wanted to make sure.

 

[N80]

Clutch engaged. 4wd engaged. Brakes as needed. In low gear with a 4wd tractor you should be able to manage even steep grades with good control. The impulse when you start to go too fast is to disengage the clutch and push on the brakes which is pretty much what you do in a car. This will usually result in the tractor speeding up and less control. When you do this you find out how much better engine braking works than the brakes themselves!

 

[roadhunter]

Some of the stuff I see on here never ceases to amaze me.

 

[N80]

Some of the stuff I see on here never ceases to amaze me.

Such as?

 

[CobyRupert]

Some of the stuff I see on here never ceases to amaze me.

I hear you, but...
A person don't know what they don't know. Give credit for asking. We all come from different backgrounds (most Americans drive automatics), so things that seem obvious to you and me, to another person....well, a person don't know what they don't know.


....but should they be able to figure it out on their own? That's a more complicated question.

 

[N80]

The thing is that for the most part TBN is inhabited by people who have and use their tractors as hobbies or peripheral to their actual day jobs. Not true for every member but there are a lot of us here for whom this is true, including me. I have close friends who are farmers. They are either driving or working on a tractor all day every day. They have never heard of TBN.

I came to TBN, 10+ years ago, to learn about tractors. What to buy, what implements, how to use it, how to fix it, etc. And what made TBN so attractive was the friendly, helpful and accurate advice I got. That's what makes it so great now too. I've now got ten years of experience on my tractor using it for many jobs with many implements. I've also spent a good bit of time on my B-I-L's farm machinery. And I still ask some stupid questions here on TBN. And I get good answers. Always.

 

[rgr33]

So wierd to see this question today. Yesterday I was driving my hst equipped tractor across the sloped hill. As I started to turn around at one end, my leg must have knocked the shift lever into neutral, I did not have the 4wd engaged.
Brakes locked up immediately leaving an 80 foot skid mark in the mud. Blew through a brand new steel gate and picked up speed heading for a 15 foot drop off with a pond at the bottom. Was able to maneuver tractor head on into a large fir tree. Luckily, I had the fel on, and it absorbed most of the impact.
No damage other than frayed nerves. Never again will I operate on that hill without being in 4wd, also looking for a way to lock shift lever in place so it can't be nudged out of gear.
Hills are always a factor here, muddy hills are 10 times worse. Lesson learned, won't be forgotten any time soon.

 

[rgr33]

So wierd to see this question today. Yesterday I was driving my hst equipped tractor across the sloped hill. As I started to turn around at one end, my leg must have knocked the shift lever into neutral, I did not have the 4wd engaged.
Brakes locked up immediately leaving an 80 foot skid mark in the mud. Blew through a brand new steel gate and picked up speed heading for a 15 foot drop off with a pond at the bottom. Was able to maneuver tractor head on into a large fir tree. Luckily, I had the fel on, and it absorbed most of the impact.
No damage other than frayed nerves. Never again will I operate on that hill without being in 4wd, also looking for a way to lock shift lever in place so it can't be nudged out of gear.
Hills are always a factor here, muddy hills are 10 times worse. Lesson learned, won't be forgotten any time soon.

 

[Citydude]

So wierd to see this question today. Yesterday I was driving my hst equipped tractor across the sloped hill. As I started to turn around at one end, my leg must have knocked the shift lever into neutral, I did not have the 4wd engaged.
Brakes locked up immediately leaving an 80 foot skid mark in the mud. Blew through a brand new steel gate and picked up speed heading for a 15 foot drop off with a pond at the bottom. Was able to maneuver tractor head on into a large fir tree. Luckily, I had the fel on, and it absorbed most of the impact.
No damage other than frayed nerves. Never again will I operate on that hill without being in 4wd, also looking for a way to lock shift lever in place so it can't be nudged out of gear.
Hills are always a factor here, muddy hills are 10 times worse. Lesson learned, won't be forgotten any time soon.

Wow, that slide downhill had to be nuts! Thanks for posting. That's a good example of how things can go bad in a split second.

 

[CobyRupert]

"Drop the bucket! Drop the bucket!"

-It will put some weight back on those skidding back tires in addition to providing some braking itself.

 

[N80]

My B-I-L was going down a wet hill with two full hay wagons behind him. Large 2wd late 70's JD (one of his newer tractors). Rear end stepped out and both hay wagons came around and one of them smashed into the side of the tractor. He said he thought he was done for. Not long after that he bought a late model JD.........with 4wd.

 

[roadhunter]

Such as?

This thread.

 

[roadhunter]

I hear you, but...
A person don't know what they don't know. Give credit for asking. We all come from different backgrounds (most Americans drive automatics), so things that seem obvious to you and me, to another person....well, a person don't know what they don't know.


....but should they be able to figure it out on their own? That's a more complicated question.

Absolutely. No such thing as a dumb question.

 

[roadhunter]

So wierd to see this question today. Yesterday I was driving my hst equipped tractor across the sloped hill. As I started to turn around at one end, my leg must have knocked the shift lever into neutral, I did not have the 4wd engaged.
Brakes locked up immediately leaving an 80 foot skid mark in the mud. Blew through a brand new steel gate and picked up speed heading for a 15 foot drop off with a pond at the bottom. Was able to maneuver tractor head on into a large fir tree. Luckily, I had the fel on, and it absorbed most of the impact.
No damage other than frayed nerves. Never again will I operate on that hill without being in 4wd, also looking for a way to lock shift lever in place so it can't be nudged out of gear.
Hills are always a factor here, muddy hills are 10 times worse. Lesson learned, won't be forgotten any time soon.

Holy crap!! That sounds like a scary situation. Glad it worked out alright in the end.

 

[kthompson]

Glad you did not get hurt. We have no real hills here but do have some slopes on branches and such. As suggested lowering the FEL may have worked great but if you were already running with speed down the hill probably need to lower it carefully so you do not flip. Would suggest if you know you will be going down such a hill if possible a blade or disk can be a good anchor to drop on the rear end.

 

[Egon]

As mentioned keep the bucket low when starting. Even better is having it full of dirt. Start digging it in before the downhill speed increases.

Set the bucket down in float. Keep the blade at a slight upward tilt. To slow down tilt blade down.

Now the best way may be to back off and find a better route.

 

[N80]

I don't want to start the debate again, but I'd also keep it in 4wd. My place is hilly. I rarely take it out of 4wd.

Another story (we are full of them aren't we): My place has a large watershed dam on a 12 or so acre pond. The county sends someone out to mow it from time-to-time. It is so steep it is a pain to walk up. I tried driving up it on my tractor and even in 4wd it immediately began to lose traction (grass), so I backed off.

I heard them mowing it one day and ran down to the lake to see what special equipment they were using. I was shocked to see a basic 2wd JD. Single set of rear tires set wide but not real wide. Rotary mower sitting on its skid shoes,no tail wheel. Young man driving it sitting crossway in the seat with legs braced to keep him from sliding out of the seat. Using hand throttle flying back and forth _across_ the dam. At one point he got to one end, whipped it around to make another pass and the rears came loose and slid downhill. I heard him "whoop" from 200 yards away but he kept at it without ever slowing down. He either had a great deal of experience, no sense or a great deal of intestinal fortitude. I'm guessing a little of all three.

I watched him mowing the whole thing expecting to witness a tragedy. He didn't have another problem even when he bounced over an old log that had washed up.

I mow the road on top of the dam. If I get too close to the edge it gives me a huge pucker but apparently a normal tractor can stand a LOT more side incline than I'm willing to drive on.