Tractor Stability

[spapke]

I currently own a Zen-noh (Kubota) L2201DT with front end loader. This is my first tractor, and let me say that owning a tractor is great!! I've added a ROP's with seatbelt to the tractor since purchasing it. I'm very cautious when using the front end loader for moving dirt, but get a little nervous at times about roll-over when working on a cross-slope. The tractor is equipped with the narrow rice patty tires (8.5x22). The tires are brand new so I hate to look for wider rims and tires, whether new or used. Has anyone heard of rear wheel spacers? I read a post from a gentleman (can't remember where) who said he saw a set on ebay several months back, but I have not been able to find anything of the sort. Are these spacer something that someone manufacturers, or are they basically home made? If home made, can anyone pass on ideas on how to design them? My thought is that I could have some fabricated if I could come up with a good design. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color=blue>...get a little nervous at times about roll-over when working on a cross-slope...</font color=blue>

Side-hilling with any tractor can be spooky enough even with years of experience... but having a loader attached compounds the issue even more so... and then with a load in the bucket... it can be a disaster waiting to happen... /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

First, load up your rear tires with weight... whether by liquid or wheel weights... and then start looking for some wheel spacers...

Most spacers will only give you say ~~4 or 5 inches on each side for a total of up to ~ 10 additional inches of wheel width... this will increase your stance and add to your stability but not nearly as much as adding ballast... but yes do both if you can...

You should be able to go to most any Kubota dealer and order the wheel spacers... you may also turn your rear wheels "out" for a wider stance... (don't forget to reverse sides to keep your chevron's facing forward...)

Lastly... go up and down slopes versus transversing them sideways to minimize rollovers (given the choice)...

 

[Surge]

This is a bit obvious, but just to make sure it is covered as your post did not state it... are the wheels reversed to the widest setting ie: wheels with the outermost hub on the inside to push the wheels out? Many times, imports with rice tires are set to the narrow width to stay in the 48" rototiller path....

Just want to make sure you have looked at that first for the widest stance.... as noted by Mr. Miller, thinking ahead, finding the safest path and staying out of trouble is key to tractor safety....

 

[BillK]

We have made some wheelspacers for L2201 in the past.
Started with a 100mm block of steel flamecut to roughly the right size. Then machined male and female spigots to carry
the hub on the inside and the wheel on the outside. Once this
was done we drilled accuratly through the block 6 times to line up with the wheel bolts. We then used long bolts to go through the wheels and spacers . This whole excersise needs proper engineering equipment, lathe, decent drill etc. and due to the thickness of the spacers, there is a fair bit of work here
so it will not be cheap.

The other way we widen the wheels is simply cut the wheel off
the rim where it welds to the hub. We grind the welds out, then clean and reposition the centre hub out on the rim, to the widest point possible. Then reweld hub to rim with a good welder,making sure the centre is true to the rim. This gains about 70 mm per side and should cost a lot less than making
spacers. You will no longer be able to use the narrow wheel
setting,as the wheel will interfere with the guard. But I don't
think many people would want to go back to the narrow setup
anyway.

This modification, and as John said, fill tires with fluid, will improve on stability, but travelling across the face of a slope
is still a problem depending on the gradient. The rule of thumb is: if it feels dangerous......it is. Most times the tractor
tends to slide down the face of a slope, before it rolls.But something like a hollow on the low side, or a rock on the high side upsets the stability,and they can roll. The rollframe and
seatbelt would have saved many operators and is a legal
requirement here in Australia.

Of course there are proper tractors designed for high gradient
operation, but they tend to be at the upper end of the price scale. But then what price is safety?

BillK