Just got my first tractor. Tips for mowing steep slopes?

[Cstock]

So I finally took delivery of my Kubota B2301 with underbelly mower. I've had a go at mowing our 2 acres of pasture, half of which is pretty steep (20-25 degrees). I mowed straight up and down the slope as advised, following the manual's advice to back up the slopes rather than drive head first up hill. Hitting slight depressions and lumps at that angle is enough to make the tractor feel like it's getting close to rolling over, though. It was a little scary at times.

So any tips for a newbie mowing slopes would be appreciated!

I couple of specific questions:

1. The tractor came equipped with a loader + bucket, and I also have a box blade and a rotary-tiller (not yet connected). Is it best to mow slopes with or without these attachments? I did wonder whether having the loader on the front might give it some extra front weight so I could mow forward up the hill, rather than backing up the hills. Am I correct? Also, if I put the tiller / box blade on the back and keep it low to the ground, won't this also help prevent the tractor from tipping over backwards when mowing forward up a hill?
2. Is it possible to space the wheels wider on this tractor? Is it an expensive upgrade? Would this make much off a noticeable difference to its stability on slopes?
3. If I do tip the tractor over, will the ROPS and seatbelt save me, or is there still a good chance of getting killed? Will tipping the tractor over damage the tractor / mower at all?

I was in similar noob role a couple of years ago. my field mowing uses a rotary cutter on L3560. I follow the advise of those on back and forward up incline, 4wd, low and slow, dry conditions, front end loader down and avoiding sudden momentum and directional changes (holes, sudden braking). I also watch the rpms on the PTO to understand how hard the cutter is working (offers resistance to the tractor pulling the cutter up the hill and potentially torques the front end to come up a bit) and also gauge slow speed based on that (sound/listending also works). Seatbelt always! On my first cutting expeditions, I would plan out the mode of attack based on the field inclines and where big rocks are, trees, etc. The flat part of the field is a holiday. If in a new situation to cautiously work into, I go into it backwards Very slowly.

 

[JWR]

Look in you owners manual about wheel width spacing. There are numerous width’s you can set to by simply moving wheels around to take advantage of the offsets of mounting hardware on rims and the dish offset of the centers. The wider the better up to a point. I wouldnt want it wider than my cutter.

These small Kubotas have no wheel width adjustment. The only way he gets more stability by width is to install rear wheel spacers and that raises issues of potential conflict with the belly mower. Take measurements. Whoever above said people use bat wing mowers to cope with steep slopes is off base -- batwings are hinged and thus have no apprciable effect on mowing steep slopes. Besides batwing mowers are not very relevant with a small Kubota !

If we face the realities of this case there are several points:
1) A belly mower equipped small Kubota is the wrong tool for steep slopes, especially pasture fields.
2) If you must do it, use rear wheel spacers. But the tires may then not clear the mower deck.
3) Front wheel width is largely unimportant because the front axle pivots in the middle and contributes nothing to rollover resistance.
4) A 25 degree slope (amounts to a 45 to 47 % slope) is steep but not all that prohibitively steep. A 20 deg slope is not very steep for most tractors. The 5 degrees does make a big difference. A tractor with wide rear wheel spacing and reasonably low cg will have no problem on 40% slope. I do it all the time with a larger farm tractor and have measured the steepness. Holes or dips or depressions on the lower side can be killers. With just a few acres this guy should rather soon know every inch of it and know where his hazzards are.
5) With a 40-45% slope, if it is the slightest bit wet or muddy you are going to slide off it, especially with the turf tires I bet you have on the tractor.
6) Being a novice and on his first tractor as someone else said is a very bad combo for steep ground -- great advice to gain plenty of experience and then go tackle the steeper ground.
7) The loader is good to keep on the machine if you keep it low to the ground and tipped up enough so you don't accidentlly dig in for a sudden unplanned event. The FEL can lower your cg a little but if you raise it it can be your worst nightmare for tipping over. I don't think it matters what you have hung on the rear of the tractor as it won't lower the cg by very much if any.
8) There is no reason to be backing up the slope unless you lack space at the top/upper part to make turns.
9) Forget tipping over backwards. That is not going to happen on any slope you can get that machine up or down.

 

[hube2]

“The belly mower won't keep you from going over.”

The mower sticks out each side, is firmly attached and has wheels on the ground At the outside edge. It will make it difficult for a side roll over.

I do not believe that this is an accurate statement that the belly mower will help prevent rollover.

My mid mower attachment works the same as my 3PH. There is no down pressure. The mower is free to move up from wherever it is lowered to. If you start to roll the ground will just push the deck up. If you've already started to tip you'll be tipped that much further when the mower finally hits the top and by then I think you'll already be too far gone for what sticks out to stop you from going over.

The only thing that my mower does is lower my CoG by putting 275# on the bottom of my tractor.

 

[JWR]

“The belly mower won't keep you from going over.”

The mower sticks out each side, is firmly attached and has wheels on the ground At the outside edge. It will make it difficult for a side roll over.

Only slightly so. The belly mower's best characteristic is all of its weight being very low to the ground. It will help slightly to prevent sideways rollover but if you are tipped over enough for the mower to make a difference you already have much bigger problems!

 

[marhar]

Mate, operating your tractor, especially on gradients, is all about balance = front and rear weight.

A FEL with bucket PLUS your box blade (a ballast box, carried as low as practical would be better), whilst going up and backing down slowly will keep you safe. Take your time on these inclines and you'll be fine, as long as you keep your FEL & 3PH implement low in order to keep the tractor's centre of gravity as low as possible.

Don't get cocky.

Reversing your front tyres (as easy as swapping the wheels around) will help on braking on steep inclines. It won't harm anything on regular operation. As long as you don't cross the extreme incline you'll be stable.

If it all goes to custard and you do tip the tractor, as long as you're wearing the seatbelt, then the ROPS will save you.

I agree with everything Wagtail has written. In addition, you should be careful that your 3point attachment does not "hang up" on something like a rock or stump. I have heard of a fellow doing what you describe and his bush hog caught a stump and caused the front end to come off the ground rolling the tractor.

I mow a pasture that is steep and I always mow up the hill taking my time. Go slow and if you ever feel uncertain do not take a risk.

 

[Gord Baker]

Tallguy, are you sure the manual says to back up the hill and drive down? That is exactly opposite of what I would do. I try to keep the weight on my back wheels as much as possible.

I would drive up the hill and back down the hill always in 4WD and slow.

Backing Up and driving Down assures that you maintain Steering. Much better than backing down with a light frontend.

 

[nacl9163]

Make sure your roll over protection system is secure--check bolts etc. And wear your seatbelt. If you do go over, at least you won't fall out and get pancaked by the tractor.

 

[tallguy104]

Big thank you for all the advice folks! I can definitely see a consensus around what to do and not do

 

[Frogmore]

I have a B2620, which is about the same size as your B2301. There is no way that I would feel safe using it on a 20 degree slope and I have had it for more than a decade. I love my B2620, but I would NEVER consider it a good tool for mowing anything over 10 degrees. Now, my slopes are such that it is pretty much impossible to mow them up and down, so I do a fair amount of side slope mowing in the 10-15 degree range with some spots at about 20 degree (but pretty sure nothing as steep as 25 degrees). At a constant 25 degrees, you are approaching the point where you really need to start worrying about oil starvation.

Before I got my B2620, I mowed with a John Deere X300. After I got the B2620, I borrowed a rotary cutter and tried mowing with it, but didn't like it for anything but relatively flat ground. I now have an X534 (about what the X584 is today) that is much more capable and an X749 that is AWD and would be great for the task you have.

While you can mow with your B2301, I don't believe it is a good or the right tool for the conditions on your property. Yes, another mower is expensive (even used), but it is probably much less expensive than a significant accident that is just waiting to happen.

 

[leonz]

So I finally took delivery of my Kubota B2301 with underbelly mower. I've had a go at mowing our 2 acres of pasture, half of which is pretty steep (20-25 degrees). I mowed straight up and down the slope as advised, following the manual's advice to back up the slopes rather than drive head first up hill. Hitting slight depressions and lumps at that angle is enough to make the tractor feel like it's getting close to rolling over, though. It was a little scary at times.

So any tips for a newbie mowing slopes would be appreciated!

I couple of specific questions:

1. The tractor came equipped with a loader + bucket, and I also have a box blade and a rotary-tiller (not yet connected). Is it best to mow slopes with or without these attachments? I did wonder whether having the loader on the front might give it some extra front weight so I could mow forward up the hill, rather than backing up the hills. Am I correct? Also, if I put the tiller / box blade on the back and keep it low to the ground, won't this also help prevent the tractor from tipping over backwards when mowing forward up a hill?
2. Is it possible to space the wheels wider on this tractor? Is it an expensive upgrade? Would this make much off a noticeable difference to its stability on slopes?
3. If I do tip the tractor over, will the ROPS and seatbelt save me, or is there still a good chance of getting killed? Will tipping the tractor over damage the tractor / mower at all?

Did they even bother to offer to come out and look at your mowing needs?????????????????????


1. NO
2. I have no idea how much wheel spacers cost but they are generally used only for tire chains
3. you may end up with a lot of broken bones in any case from trapped limbs.
You never ever drive up a slope over 15 degree's as the tractor may cartwheel(been there done that; lucky I did not break my sternum) on you as the rears will gain traction and the front will get light and result in a tip over.

The only way to counter this is to invest in smaller wheels and tires for the front and rear to make the center of gravity lower to the ground and load the rear tires and invest in a ballast box to use on the three point hitch when mowing backing up and driving down the slope.

Spacers are good for tire chains but not for side hill work as you need a very low center of gravity.

Side hill tractors and combines are built with a lower center of gravity and the engine compartments and tractor/combine cab and frame tilt to the up hill side to increase adhesion and add weight to the up hill tires.

Its better that you continue backing up the slope and driving down and only mow when the turf is dry and there is no mud.

Get the rear tires loaded with liquid ballast quickly.

I would tell you the same thing if you had an BX1870.

 

[Frogmore]

I read more of the posts and looked at the pictures. You need an AWD mower for that hill. I would suggest later model X728 or X748, or X729, X749, X738, X739, or X758. The X7x9 have all wheel steer which you probably don't need. The ones with 4 or 5 in the middle have diesel engines for better fuel economy and longer engine life (at a higher initial cost). They all generally come with HDAP tires which provide really good traction and a MUCH lower center of gravity than the B2301. You could go with the newer X500 series too, but they don't have AWD, so easier to lose control under less than ideal conditions.

 

[yanmars]

You might see what your manual/dealer says about adding some fluid to the tires.

 

[tallguy104]

So the manual says I can add ballast weight to the rear tyres if needed to improve stability. It says to fill max 75% with a water and calcium chloride solution...the calcium chloride apparently to prevent freezing, but it never gets close to freezing here so I presume just water is all I would need.

What I'm confused about: it says that the "ballast should be removed when it's not needed".

....is there any real reason why I can't just leave the ballast in there indefinitely? I'm planning to mow this area every few weeks indefinitely, so it will doesn't really make sense for me to keep removing it again and again. Will the ballast go rotten or damage the wheels or something if left in there?

 

[Cougsfan]

Yea, just leave whatever ballast you have attached all the time.

 

[Frogmore]

I have RimGuard in my rear tires. It is heavier than water and has worked well for over a decade. I leave it in there always.

I still think that slope is too steep for the little B. Make sure you have the ROPS up and your seat belt on, so when it rolls due to a moment's inattention you don't die.

 

[Wagtail]

Quick question Mate... What tyres are running? R1, R4... ?

 

[Diggin It]

So the manual says I can add ballast weight to the rear tyres if needed to improve stability. It says to fill max 75% with a water and calcium chloride solution...the calcium chloride apparently to prevent freezing, but it never gets close to freezing here so I presume just water is all I would need.

What I'm confused about: it says that the "ballast should be removed when it's not needed".

....is there any real reason why I can't just leave the ballast in there indefinitely? I'm planning to mow this area every few weeks indefinitely, so it will doesn't really make sense for me to keep removing it again and again. Will the ballast go rotten or damage the wheels or something if left in there?

Definitely do NOT use CC. Lots of stories here about rotted, corroded, rusted out wheels. Water and steel do not mix. CC makes it worse.

Some use RV type anti freeze. My dealer filled mine (all four) with RimGuard (beet juice). Won't freeze or corrode or damage stuff if it leaks out.


Inclinometer on my DumbPhone says my hill is 23 degrees. I drive up and down it with no problem. I keep the FEL on and carry it low. Tried it once or twice with the BH on, but it didn't feel right, so no more of that. I mow up and down that same hill with both riding mowers with no issues, but both of those are old and the transmissions are weak, so I can only make a few passes before I have to let them cool.

I can't imagine backing up that hill with the SCUT once or twice, let alone the 20 or so times I'd have to while mowing.

 

[Egon]

For those who say the mmm is no deterrent to a side flip l’d suggest they lift up on an outer side and see how high they can lift it.

 

[oosik]

Tallguy - just a note of caution. If you are going to add ballast to the rear tires. Use something other than a water/CaCl solution. The CaCl solution can be VERY corrosive.

Suggested alternatives - RimGuard, low temperature windshield washer solution, RV antifreeze, methanol.

 

[workinonit]

We have the uphill camp and the downhill camp, the mower deters a rollover camp and not, FEL on and off camp. I'm so confused. Good thing I live in SC with no hills and have a Hydraslide ditch bank cutter.

Pick your poison Tallguy.

The one i really didn't understand was someone posted about a 20 to 25 degree slope actually being 40 to 45 degrees. Huh? And the fact that he mows a 45 degree slope. I couldn't sit my tractor on a 45 degree slope with a helicopter and get it to stay upright. You guys need a big set of training wheels for your tractors. Hmmm, there's a thought. Hydraulically lifted outriggers.