Tilt Meter

CurlyDave · Jan 20, 2006

I have a JD 110 TLB.

I just got a Tilt Meter for it, but neither the JD manual nor the Tilt Meter instructions gives me any idea of just how much tilt is safe and how much is too much.

Is there any rule of thumb for this?

I don't want to find out how much is too much by watching the meter as I tip over...

IslandTractor · Jan 20, 2006

One of the tiltmeters from R&B has yellow letters for 15% and red for higher numbers. See photo from their website. As the tiltmeter is designed for tractors, that sounds like it would be wise to keep it at 15% or lower. Higher than that induces pucker factor anyway. I'd be extra careful using the FEL or dragging anything if I got anywhere near 15% too.

CurlyDave · Jan 20, 2006

That is exactly the model I got. (Bought it from the link on TBN) I noticed the yellow & red numbers & took the 15 degrees to mean "danger here" and the red numbers to mean "extreme danger here", but every tractor is going to be different.

Maybe I should rephrase the question to:

"Is there any data available on where different machines would start to tip?"

texredneck · Jan 20, 2006

Personally, after operating heavy equipment in construction I would take the sensation that each tractor would need its own numbers. WIth wheel width, center of gravity and other factors. I would admit you can probably get pretty close, maybe, but if youre **** bent on running by the numbers, youre prolly at some time going to think you can run it right to their maxes. Or atleast close. I personally feel you gotta get comfortable with your machine before taking on something like this. Even then, and youre one iwth your machine, accidents happen. You must be prepared for this if you deciede to. Ive often seen the highway crews mowing on the embankments and its scary. But they do it. Dont make it right. My granddad has a ford 3000. I dont remmber the year but mid 70's I think. No ROPS. I once asked him if hed like me to make him one that I could make it real fancy with shade and everything. Add some mirrors and the works. Well he declined. His response was that he never does anything on slopes. He said its easy on his own property...its flat. He said the only time it would help is mowing at the church theres a embankment area. The church has had to hire a guy to mow this area. They tried to get him to do it. He told him he dint have the rops system and couldnt. After I thought about it all made sense. If you dont feel comfortable with something, dont do it. Thats rops system, might save your life...but dont expect it to make the world perfect either. Having been in construction long enough Id take a gander to say that one its been in a rollover you need to replace the rops. Wheterh or not it looks damaged, its probabnly weakened the steel. Ive used the old B on some slopes in the past. A little dangerous, but I dint know no better. My gramps told me if you feel yourself sliding get out of there. I feel this is a good rule, but not the only. Seatbelt tend to hinder this effect, but I think one can figure it out pretty easily. Whatever one does play it safe. These tilt meters are never one hundred perceent even if there calibrated to a certain machien. The type of soil, the weight your carrying, your speed and other factors all make a differnce in this. Good luck and safe tractoring

BB_TX · Jan 20, 2006

There are far too many variables for the manufacturers to put numbers in a manual. All tractors are different and any additional added equipment such as type of ROPS (if any), canopy, FEL, any 3ph attachment, etc would affect the center of gravity. On smaller tractors, even the weight of the operator could have quite an influence on the COG. I have a tilt meter on mine. But I use it more just for reference than anything. I go more by my pucker factor. But the tilt meter does show me that my pucker factor tends to kick in at about the same point pretty consistently. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Bird · Jan 20, 2006

Good answer by Bill (BB TX). I've read somewhere that the tractors should remain upright up to 20 degrees, but that's for the tractor alone; no implements, accessories, etc. And of course if you're moving, and you're already at 20 degrees, it won't take much of a twig or pebble on the high side, or tiny low spot on the low side, to increase that angle too much too fast. As an experiment once, I eased my Kubota onto 18 degrees with the finish mower on the 3-point, and got off to see if I could push it over enough to raise the wheels on the high side. I did not get the wheels off the ground, but might have been able to with a little more muscle. At any rate, I was very careful when I passed 10 degrees and just made 15 my personal maximum.

CarlGlas · Jan 28, 2006

While shopping at Wal*Mart this evening I ran across the following in the automotive section where they sell RV supplies and accessories and was thinking that this may work the same as a tilt meter.

The prices were under $10

http://tinyurl.com/dcuw4

Bird · Jan 28, 2006

Having been an RVer for many years, I've used several different models of those. When you park an RV, you want it as level as possible for a couple of reasons. If your bed isn't fairly level, you may not sleep very well (most can sleep with the head a little high, but not the feet or side to side). And RV refrigerators may not work if they aren't level (newer ones are not quite as sensitive as the old ones were). Those cheap RV levels work to just get a rig level, but if want to know the angle, you'll have to do some measuring and marking yourself. And of course the quality of materials and construction in the RV levels are not even close to the tiltmeter so they probably won't last as long or be as accurate even if you get them marked.

trlong · Jan 28, 2006

Dave,

I've read most every "Tilt Meter" thread on TBN. Also, I agree with the repsonses here, to your post.

That said, I've yet to "waste" (IMHO) $'s on a tilt-meter. One would have done me, absolutely, no good when I rolled my new 4115 as the edge of the ramp I was building gave way. Fortunately, it was a very slow roll and I just pulled the seatbelt tighter and held on.

IMHO, the Human inner ear is a significantly more accurate instrument than any device we've come up with (equipment on high tech aircraft being, perhaps, an exception). If you hit a sudden hole or bump (especially when moving TOO fast), no tilt meter will help...it's over before you know it!

Again, IMHO, the best tilt meters are your inner ear, the little voice in your head saying "slow down and get off this slope", and your instinctive "pucker factor". Keeping it low, and slow with the ROPS up and the seat belt tight will beat monitoring a tilt meter every time.

JMHO,

Tom

escavader · Jan 28, 2006

I really dont believe in any set degree,to prevent roll over,too many factors .You may say i am all right if i dont go over..this amount,but you could be in the safe zone,and traveling too fast on rough ground ,and put it over.A slack tire,might dump you over.a bucket,loaded,going down a hill,and slamming on the brakes,could put you over.A bucket loaded too heavy on one side,could....and on and on.Common sense must not overide,a tilt meters safe zone.At my work,at a lumber mill we all have to undergo forklift training each year.One thing that is taught to prevent rollover,is a thing called a STABILITY TRANGLE.Ever heard of it? I would believe a tractor has one just like a forklift would.Get your center of gravity out of the stability triangle,and your going over,no matter what your tilt meter says.Dont get me wrong,id like to have a tiltmeter,but common sense must not be forfeited for a tilt meter.
ALAN

CarlGlas · Jan 28, 2006

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Having been an RVer for many years, I've used several different models of those. When you park an RV, you want it as level as possible for a couple of reasons. If your bed isn't fairly level, you may not sleep very well (most can sleep with the head a little high, but not the feet or side to side). And RV refrigerators may not work if they aren't level (newer ones are not quite as sensitive as the old ones were). Those cheap RV levels work to just get a rig level, but if want to know the angle, you'll have to do some measuring and marking yourself. And of course the quality of materials and construction in the RV levels are not even close to the tiltmeter so they probably won't last as long or be as accurate even if you get them marked. )</font>

While I don't have a degree in Tiltmeterology," I could swear your tractor tilt meter and the RV tilt meter look like they could be twins. Of course I know that application and price is everything. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Tractor Tilt Meter
http://tinyurl.com/btp7j

RV Tilt Meter
http://tinyurl.com/dcuw4

CubSpaceCadet50 · Jan 29, 2006

So Tom, didja replace the ROPS after your little incident? /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Seriously, did you have the dealer at least assess the ROPS post spill?

)

I should talk, I mow on one embankment and little garden tractors don't know ROPS from a hole in the ground...

Bob

trlong · Jan 30, 2006

Bob,

Yup, but not for months. They checked it when they took it in to install/set-up the front-end snowblower. Said it was fine. The "roll" was very slow and all that was broken was the downhill side's turnsignal/brakelight housing lenses. I was lucky.

Let me see, "Bridport"...nice little town on the "border" of Vermont, right: /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Beats B-town or Montpeculiar though, by a long shot!

BTW: Welcome to the forum.

Tom

F100Panel · Jan 31, 2006

I posted here about a year ago advocating tilt meters. Are they 100% the answer? No...... But for my own comfort formula, I put the tractor with implements raised & lowered an various angles, got off & grabbed the ROPS ( I'm a sizeable guy/can yarn pretty good on stuff...) & gave the rops all the rocking motion I could muster. At 15 degree tilt I was never able to raise a wheel with implements at lowest transport height. With the loader over waist high tipping was easy... ( 3000 pd tractor/Chinese..). What did all this come to mean to me? At 15 degrees on known good terrain, no real worry. Anything over 15 degrees think it over & operate accordingly. I'd recommend you do the same on your own tractor to come up with a GUIDE that your comfortable with...

CarlGlas · Jan 31, 2006

In addition to using a Tilt Meter, it wouldn't hurt to use a little Common Sense too. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

wilkesland · Feb 3, 2006

I agree with the other posters - pay attention to your own tractor and take those yellow and red numbers very seriously.

For those posters who advocate common sense, let me provide a different perspective. Some of us, like me for example, don't have much, and I don't want to get hurt or die getting it. I'm new to tractoring, put a tiltmeter on my tractor and found out to my dismay that a slope I had been mowing with the 4 wheeler and brush mower was a little better than 15 degrees. So, the tiltmeter served to increase my pucker factor when I didn't have the sense to have one before. In fact when I got on the slope, I experienced the minor wheel rise from small mound on the high side and small depression on the low sided that Bird talks about, and holy smokes, it pegged!!!. I was going very slow at the time - actually trying to get back out of the situation I had gotten myself into. I remembered also Bird's story about trying to push the tractor over. So,STOPPED, shut engine down, took a few deep breaths, got off the tractor on the high side, then tried hard to push it over - didn't budge -good. Got back on, lowered the FEL and rear blades as low as I could and very s- l -o- w -l -y began to work the tractor back up the slope. Not going there again!!!

Two lessons learned, one about slopes, and more importantly a second one of trying to think of a safer way to assess the danger of a situation than putting myself in it. I'm not afraid of my machinery, but I've personally resolved to try and think and be careful - this is potentially dangerous stuff.

Barry

CoyoteLake · Feb 12, 2006

Any suggestions on where to mount an R/B tiltmeter on a JD 3x20?

Bird · Feb 12, 2006

I really don't know what would be the best place to mount your tiltmeter on your tractor. I had mine mounted to the frame of my canopy. Others have posted pictures of them mounted above the instrument panel, on the upright for a front end loader, and I don't remember where all else.