How much tilt is too much?

[rooftrussman]

Back with another question. I've been reading about tilt meters. I've thought about getting one but don't do much that tilts too much too often but sometimes it crosses my mind seeing as how my Ford 1210 doesn't have a ROPS. Is there a standard limit for tractors? I have an FEL and 754 backhoe attached. I expect they make a difference. Do the tilt meters cover both side to side and front to back. The FEL and hoe probably help front to back but not much side to side. I'd hate to find out the hard way. I read about 45 degree hills but can't imagine I would ever even get close to that.

 

[RoyJackson]

Back with another question. I've been reading about tilt meters. I've thought about getting one but don't do much that tilts too much too often but sometimes it crosses my mind seeing as how my Ford 1210 doesn't have a ROPS. Is there a standard limit for tractors? I have an FEL and 754 backhoe attached. I expect they make a difference. Do the tilt meters cover both side to side and front to back. The FEL and hoe probably help front to back but not much side to side. I'd hate to find out the hard way. I read about 45 degree hills but can't imagine I would ever even get close to that.

There is no definite angle of slope you can operate on. The CUTs are tested to an ANSI spec at 20 degrees static (no movement). A FEL and Backhoe would raise your center of gravity so that 20 degrees would be decreased.
The tiltmeters are undirectional, so you'd need two. One for side to side and fore/aft. They're really good as an indicator is the slope is gradually increasing

 

[jbrumberg]

I start to "pucker" around 15 degrees . You can purchase a standard Lev-O-Gage clinometer from West Marine for ~$14.00. Their website is West Marine: Home Page. I mounted one on my FEL upright post. In reality I will probably roll before the gauge reacts, but they do a good job at indicating increasing slope. Jay

 

[daTeacha]

The big problems tend to occur when you are not square or parallel to the slope and hit either a lump or a hole. Quartering across a slope, either up or down, with a load in the bucket can get real interesting. Somehow it always seems the lumps are on the high side and the holes are on the low side on my place.

 

[madpogue]

The guys who sell the tilt-meters here on TBN feature one with an incline meter stuck on the side of the tilt meter. Front-to-back is incline, side-to-side is tilt. I've done 20-ish degrees of incline, but like Jay, pucker at about 15 degrees of tilt.

A second tilt meter mounted front-to-back wouldn't be of much use, 'cuz you wouldn't be able to see the indicator from the seat.

 

[jbrumberg]

I only have one tilt meter to measure tilt. I do not have one to measure incline although there are other locations that I can see from the seat of my tractor where I could attach one for that purpose, but I am too easily distracted to have to deal with another tilt meter. I really do not need to measure incline as I do not have problems going up and down my slopes when rotary cutting. I pucker real quick doing FEL work . Why is it the lumps are always on the high side and the holes are on the low side of slopes and ? Jay

 

[jsborn]

I start to "pucker" around 15 degrees . You can purchase a standard Lev-O-Gage clinometer from West Marine for ~$14.00. Their website is West Marine: Home Page. I mounted one on my FEL upright post. In reality I will probably roll before the gauge reacts, but they do a good job at indicating increasing slope. Jay

But just think you can look at it when the wrecker pulls you back over on your wheels and have proof of the angle when you tell the story of how i turned over my tractor. (hope that never happens)
I have found that my seat is the best meter I have enough to do and look at just driving and not hitting something to be looking at another meter. JMHO

 

[Rara Avis]

Back with another question. I've been reading about tilt meters. I've thought about getting one but don't do much that tilts too much too often but sometimes it crosses my mind seeing as how my Ford 1210 doesn't have a ROPS. Is there a standard limit for tractors? I have an FEL and 754 backhoe attached. I expect they make a difference. Do the tilt meters cover both side to side and front to back. The FEL and hoe probably help front to back but not much side to side. I'd hate to find out the hard way. I read about 45 degree hills but can't imagine I would ever even get close to that.

Just remember to swing your backhoe uphill when crossing a a slope...

jbrumberg has it right...15 degrees and you should be sweating...

Just as a rehash...here is one of the better operating manuals...
https://www.equiptrain.com/backhoes.htm

 

[AndyMA]

I agree. 15 degrees is about all for me. Even thena small bumpor hole with a little speed with take you over. Those on here who say they operate on 30 to 45 degree slopes I believe just can't calculate. Simple physics explains that.

Andy

 

[jbrumberg]

Some guys over estimate a lot of things Jay

 

[rpoage]

I think these things are bad business. If you are in a situtation that has the tractor and you in danger, you need to pay attention to the tasks at hand(keeping the dirty side down) and not looking at some silly meter. I agree with jbrumberg that the "pucker" factor is the best test of how much is too much. Kind of reminds me of the old joke. What's the last thing a redneck says? Hey you all, watch this.

P.S. I are a redneck

 

[jbrumberg]

When you have to change your "undies" you have exceeded the pucker factor Jay

 

[Rara Avis]

Some guys over estimate a lot of things Jay

Well...its pretty difficult on the internet to say....right about there is too much...

And if you get to where its scary...I'm definitely not stopping to take a picture...


Which is why I refered him to the manual...they refer to percentages....

 

[tessiers]

I've been too far but I forgot to check the reading on the tilt meter.

I have a weight I fabricated on the side of the loader frame (uphill when I mow because I can't go up and down the slope, river at bottom and road at top) that gives me a feel good factor now but 20 deg is too far for me.

Maybee I am a little gun shy

 

[john_bud]

I use the post truamatic tilt recorder. Actually, it's just a ruler to measure the size of the pucker mark left in the seat.

jb

 

[Kendrick]

I think these things are bad business. If you are in a situtation that has the tractor and you in danger, you need to pay attention to the tasks at hand(keeping the dirty side down) and not looking at some silly meter.

Meh the part I have it is hard to say. I have to kinda cut across stuff just to get from one end to the other..

This pic im leaning to about verticle. thats past the worst of the area to :/

 

[mjncad]

The guys who sell the tilt-meters here on TBN feature one with an incline meter stuck on the side of the tilt meter. Front-to-back is incline, side-to-side is tilt. I've done 20-ish degrees of incline, but like Jay, pucker at about 15 degrees of tilt.

A second tilt meter mounted front-to-back wouldn't be of much use, 'cuz you wouldn't be able to see the indicator from the seat.

I just installed a combo incline/tilt meter for sale by the company who advertises on TBN. Since mowing season is essentially over for me, I'll have to wait until next season to see how nasty the scary ditch is by the road; unless I hook up the Bush Hog for giggles and drive through it to see the tilt. I just wish the inclinometer portion of the tilt meter was liquid dampened like the tilt meter as it bounces around just from engine vibration. However, I'll be more concerned with tilt and inclination will be for my amusement for lack of a better description.

 

[Farmer Ken]

Based on the entries it seems that the tilt angle (pucker angle?) is around 15% for side to side tilt. How about the pucker angle for front to back (incline) when going straight up a hill? Here in the mountains, 15 degrees would be considered a very gentle rise, in fact almost flat . I have seen tractor tire marks on hills here that look to be 30 to 40 degrees, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a sane person would use that as an example. If I did this right, a picture of an example is attached. What do you think; how steep is safe ?

Ken

 

[jbrumberg]

Ken:

Nice picture ! It does appear that there are tire tracks going across slope in your picture. I would like to see the tractor in action and its tire setup and possibly do a mental status evaluation of the operator . A guy down the road from me mows stuff like that, it looks like he has an old MF with the wheels set way out. I would not do that with my CUT. Jay

 

[rooftrussman]

I stumbled across something that looks like it could be used as a tilt meter. I found it at a Home Depot when I was buying a tape measure. It's used when bending conduit to measure angles. It has a magnetic base. It's only $9.I do tend to agree with the idea that you know by feel when it's going to be too much but it would be nice to relate it to a number and for $9, this seems to work.