How much lateral tilt before tipping over ?

[jlyrintzis]

I'm a fairly new owner and operator of a Kubota B2620 tractor. I have a 5 acre property, of which I have to mow about 3 acres, some of it with a belly finish mower and some (most) of it with a rotary cutter. On one side of the house, there is a slope that is about 15 feet long from top to bottom, and about 100 yards wide. I'm guessing the angle of the slope is about 25 degrees. My question to more experienced tractor operators is, would I be able to mow it by riding a few long passes across the slope while the tractor is tilted laterally from side-to-side ? Without tipping over? I'm guessing the center of gravity of the tractor is pretty low, especially when dragging a rotary cutter behind. I'm tempted to try it (when wife is not home...), but I would hate if I tipped over sideways. I'm curious to hear any thoughts from more experienced operators.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Baby Grand]

<snip>
I'm tempted to try it (when wife is not home...), but I would hate if I tipped over sideways.
<snip>

Thanks in advance!

Make sure your cell phone is charged & in your pocket before you try it.
But seriously - your question is a very reasonable one, but very hard to answer with any certainty, since your safety depends on what you do with the answer. You'll get lots of answers, some will be relevant to you; some won't. "It depends ..." would be the most accurate.
What kind of tires?
PSI inflation?
Crosswinds?
What width are the wheels set at?
Any ballast?
FEL on or off?
How smooth (constant, sloping surface) is the area?
Any weight up high? (your weight, ROPS up or down, canopy, etc ...)
Is the soil soft, wet, hard, dry?
Any woodchuck holes or rotted stumps just under the surface.
25 degrees is one h*** of a steep slope to take sideways - I wouldn't try it.
I recommend you start out going directly up + down the slope, then take it at gradually increasing angles and trust your "pucker" meter.
-Jim

 

[k0ua]

25 degrees is quite a bit. But I have seen the State Highway tractors mow worse. But they are set up for it. Wide low wheels and tires.. a so called "squat" tractor. Some tractors and the way they are set up will slip sideways before they will tip, but don't count on it. As mentioned, holes and rocks or stumps can mean the difference between shiny side up or shiny side down. As for doing this while the wife is gone, yes I understand not having a hysterical loved one worrying about your actions, BUT, you just might need someone to call 911 to drag your crushed butt out from under the tractor too... Think about it.

So long story short, I don't know if your tractor could mow it or not, but my guess is you will chicken out before the tractor gives up and rolls over. But peoples "terror meter" varies quite a bit, and I don't know for sure what your threshold is.

 

[SPYDERLK]

You have a couple things going for you -- HST drive and belly mower. 25 degrees is the general area where the tip over "margin" gets pretty critical on stock B and BXs. The smoothness of operation with HST is highly valuable in preserving "safe" operation near the margin and a slightly suspended belly mower loads all 4 wheels at the very lowest point possible on the tractor.

,,,When I got my BX 1500 I took it out to the steepest place I had in mind [28 degrees] and crept it out onto the slope. I carefully got off and tentatively pushed on the ROPs. It felt solid. ... Then I pushed successively harder. - it was solid. I got the impression that, even with the added leverage on the rops it would take a LOT for me to upset the tractor.

You could try something like this to get an idea of the static margin you have. If its good, you should be able to use it dynamically with care. ... I find that repetitive sideslope will slowly rut corresponding to the heavy footprint of the downhill rear tire so I vary between sideslope and up/dwn.
larry

 

[TripleR]

There are several old threads on this and no one really knows, here is just one: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/279095-mowing-slopes-tractor.html

I mow slopes regularly and like James mentioned, my "pucker factor" goes too high way before my tractor tips.

 

[GManBart]

Do you have the FEL on or off when you mow? Since weight above the axles hurts in this case, I'd remove the FEL before trying it.

If you try it....make sure your seatbelt is on, and the ROPS is up!

 

[oosik]

I wouldn't try 25 degree slope. Turn your unit around and mow up/down the slope. Its could be a very dangerous & costly lesson to learn if the tractor tips over.

Since you indicate you are new to tractors - do it the safe way and give yourself time to learn and get the feel of your unit.

 

[jlyrintzis]

Thank you all, great comments. I don't have a possibility of going up/down direction, my wife's fenced garden is where the slope ends, so I could really only go sideways across.

 

[s219]

I'm guessing the angle of the slope is about 25 degrees.

Don't guess at that part, measure it! Five degrees in either direction would make a difference to me, and people are notoriously bad at estimating angles. I have been on ski trails and roofs that seem darn steep, and it turns out they are "only" 35 degrees. You can get a theodolite app for iPhone/iPad to measure angles through the camera lens, which would work great for a hill.

 

[Walkin Horse]

There is a level on an iPhone with the compass(slide the dot over) that shows degrees. I set mine on the dash sometimes to check the degree and 12 or 13 degrees puckers me with a round bale on the front.

 

[k0ua]

There is a level on an iPhone with the compass(slide the dot over) that shows degrees. I set mine on the dash sometimes to check the degree and 12 or 13 degrees puckers me with a round bale on the front.

yeah, 15 degrees is enough for me..

 

[BoylermanCT]

I believe this is why they invented push mowers!

 

[SPYDERLK]

I believe this is why they invented push mowers!

They become obsolete on slopes as owners age.

 

[Sodo]

When I got my BX 1500 I took it out to the steepest place I had in mind [28 degrees] and crept it out onto the slope. I carefully got off and tentatively pushed on the ROPs. It felt solid. ... Then I pushed successively harder. - it was solid. I got the impression that, even with the added leverage on the rops it would take a LOT for me to upset the tractor.

I'd do it like SYDERLK - sort of - except maybe NOT on the steepest part first. I'd start near the top, going across, and keep moving farther down the hill. Stop on each pass as it gets successively steeper, and check it by getting off the tractor on the uphill side and try to tip it over by lifting on the uphill wheel, you will get a good idea how far you can go.

Don't worry about it actually tipping over (in this careful, methodical) test. When you get even close to the limit, it will tip up against the front axle stops, lifting one wheel, and will stop tipping. You kinda don't want to get that far because then you have to wait 'til your wife gets home so she can hang off the uphill side while you back off the hill.

My tractor (B2710) I think is very similar to your 2620 in size/weigh/tipping. I have a vey hilly property, have a constant battle with lifting a rear wheel, it happens all day long sometimes. For a consistent slope you could rig up some (secure!!) counterweights that you put on the topside for that hillside cut. To add a safety factor.

Maybe sandbags in the FEL topside but make ---certain<--- they can't ever slide down to the lowside. And this would be with loader just skimming the grass.

 

[chim]

Here's a picture of a part of my MIL's back yard I used to mow. I don't know what the slope is, but it's right at the limit of what the tractor could do. She had about 5 acres of grass. There was no need to have both tractors here, so I kept the Ford in one of her barns and drove the B7500 that I had at the time to her place. With #3 Son on the Kubota on the nicer parts while I used the Ford on rougher terrain it took us about 1-1/2 hours to get it all done.

I drew lines for reference trying to use the neighbor's barn and the front axle for reference. The camera wasn't quite plumb and the utility pole the eye is drawn to certainly isn't. The land behind me drops off into the neighboring yard. The first section I'd mow is the bottom and always in that direction. The remnants of an old fence were sticking up out of a short retaining wall.

1. I always went the same direction, starting at the bottom. The RFM was a side discharge and that got the clippings out of the way better.

2. The tractor always "crabbed" on the steeper part of the slope. This made #1 above important. Mowing in the other direction put the right front wheel in clippings and that affected traction. There were a few times slippage began and the remedy was to cut the wheels uphill and let the deck swing downhill.

3. Even when bone dry, it was always a 4WD section to mow. Don't have to forget that very often to have it burned into memory. It wasn't an area that could be done when the grass was wet.

4. With no FEL or anything to raise the COG, sliding was a reality but there was never any hint of tipping. A contributing factor to that was the 5' RFM always being on the ground. It added some stability.

5. Not that it may have made a big difference, but it always felt a little better to sit with one cheek on the seat and the other on the uphill fender.

 

[oosik]

I've had the uphill tire start to lift on a slope with my current tractor. I would guess the slope is somewhere around 25 degrees. It is not a good feeling. My tractor as now outfitted weighs right at 9700# and the rear wheels are spread as far as the rims will allow - 82" - center to center.

I feel its just not worth the risk to life or equipment. When you are on a steep slope - it only takes a small change of conditions to put you in harms way. This change can be as minor as movement of the steering wheel, a slight depression in the ground, a shift of any load or equipment you have on board. The sad thing is a person seldom practices what to do in case of an eminent roll over and chances are great that the wrong thing will be done at the wrong time. You will find that the simple use of a tractor and its implements can place you in a compromising situation just with normal use. I don't think its wise to "take it to the edge" - -- let Tom do that.

 

[gladehound]

First, I have not experience doing what you are trying to do. However, I would think that any of use could make any machine substantially more stable on slopes by doing two things.

1. Set your wheels as wide as possible.
2. Weight the up hill side of the tractor and remember not to turn around and run the hill the other way!

 

[SPYDERLK]

I'd do it like SYDERLK - sort of - except maybe NOT on the steepest part first. I'd start near the top, going across, and keep moving farther down the hill. Stop on each pass as it gets successively steeper, and check it by getting off the tractor on the uphill side and try to tip it over by lifting on the uphill wheel, you will get a good idea how far you can go.

Don't worry about it actually tipping over (in this careful, methodical) test. When you get even close to the limit, it will tip up against the front axle stops, lifting one wheel, and will stop tipping. You kinda don't want to get that far because then you have to wait 'til your wife gets home so she can hang off the uphill side while you back off the hill.

My tractor (B2710) I think is very similar to your 2620 in size/weigh/tipping. I have a vey hilly property, have a constant battle with lifting a rear wheel, it happens all day long sometimes. For a consistent slope you could rig up some (secure!!) counterweights that you put on the topside for that hillside cut. To add a safety factor.

Maybe sandbags in the FEL topside but make ---certain<--- they can't ever slide down to the lowside. And this would be with loader just skimming the grass.

Lift CAREFULLY and stop it yourself if it moves. The front axle may stop it if the FEL is on and low, but on a bare tractor its different. It will take a steeper incline to tip, but when it starts its much less likely to stop at the front pivot limits.

 

[flusher]

Stay off that slope unless your tractor is set up for low center of gravity and wide wheel track. Otherwise you'll roll that tractor for sure. It's not worth the risk. You can do a lot of damage to your tractor, especially the engine if you can't get it shut down immediately, and to yourself. You'll be surprised how quickly a rollover can happen when mowing slopes, especially if the surface is rough with ruts, potholes, etc.

My 1964 MF135 diesel tractor is set up to squat low for mowing work in orchards. The normal large diameter rear wheels have been replaced by 18.4x16 tires and 16" diameter rims. The front axle spindles were shortened to keep the tractor level. The rear tires are 2/3 filled with water. Something like this would work safely on slopes like you have.



Good luck and be careful out there.

 

[bdog]

As said tire width makes a big difference. If they are narrow like they come from the factory better look out. If they are wide as they can go it will be better. Loaded tires will help. Rollovers happen fast. I have rolled atvs on side slopes going really slow and it happens quick. The littlest hole can set it in motion. If it is really smooth you will have a much better chance.