Turn wheel when tipping over?

[flusher]

I would agree with this, right or wrong I don't know, as I still have an old Ford 8N and have been in this situation or close to it several times. The strange thing is the new L2501 Kubota doesn't feel as stable to me on a slight hill side as the old Ford does. Maybe because I only have 35 hours on the Kubota so it doesn't feel as comfortable as the Ford does that I have hundreds and hundreds of hours on? I realize the new Kubota is 1000X safer with the ROPS/Seatbelt than the old 8N. Could be I am just too chicken to get the "new" machine dirty on the wrong end up. :laughing:

Re your 8N: that old Ford is a straddle tractor (you ride it like a horse with the seat attached to the top of the transmission case) whereas that L2501 is a platform tractor (the seat is high and your feet are on the platform (floor) that's attached to the top of the transmission case.. The center of gravity of that 8N is lower than the Kubota's hence more stable.

My old 1964 MF135 diesel is a straddle tractor like your 8N and has been set up to squat very low with 18.4x16 tires on 16" diameter rims.

View attachment 435080View attachment 435081

This arrangement lowers the center of gravity about as much as reasonably possible for a tractor this size. The previous owner made this modification for work in his olive orchard. But that 135 would be a safe tractor for mowing slopes. I never had a chance to try this out because my 10 acre place was flat as a pancake.

However, I do know what a near rollover feels like. I nearly rolled my Kubota B7510HST when the right front tire dropped into a tire rut while I was loading up the FEL bucket. I was able to drop the bucket in time to prevent a rollover A hairy, scary moment in my life.

Good luck and be careful out there.

 

[NoNewParts]

run into it a lot at my camp.
if you drop the bucket or turn downhill some and don't go over....
Pretend you are on a tightrope and climb off the high side.....Get off it.
I've got off some I had to hold cuz they were teetering.
piled my pack, hunting stuff..whatever, on the high side.
Pull up a stump seat and think about it some.
Tie off a higher on the hill point to a tree securely, so it can't tip over.
comealong on the lowest point, dragging it sideways until you can
get back on and drive/back straight down the hill.

You can't risk rolling anything down a hill in the woods even with a good roll cage.
Those little saplings will be broken off as you roll........very effective spears

 

[oosik]

I had the uphill tire start to lift on my M6040 one time. Fortunately, I was able to drop the bucket and rear blade and bring everything back down on the ground.

Its the only time in my life I've had my knees knocking together like a pair of castanets. I had a load of gravel in the bucket of the FEL - so I gently dumped that - right there. I then put the empty bucket back flat on the ground and slowly applied a small amount of down pressure. I turned the steering wheel so the front tires pointed down the hill and proceeded to very slowly drive forward. I left the rear blade down - dragging on the ground, I also had the bucket flat on the ground. I do not know if this is the "recommended procedure " or not - it did get me and the tractor out of this situation.

At that time I'd only had this new tractor about a week and was in a "learning mode". That is the one and only time I've ever been in a situation like that. Time and experience will allow you to develop a "pucker factor sense" and you will know when you are approaching the limits of your tractor.

I've never seen or heard of a recommended procedure - I think each situation must be evaluated and the best possible approach used.

Actually - the best overall approach is to stay the h*ll away from steep slopes. I think the basic design of tractors is for use on flat ground.

I know some tractors are designed/modified for use on slopes - but that's not what I would consider to be a basic design.

 

[ultrarunner]

I got into a bad spot when I first got my D3 Dozer... everything I tried made it worse...

Got a couple of come-alongs and went to get another and the first two had the cable snap by the time I got back.

Ended up calling a friend of a friend that was a retired operator... he came over and with a big cigar in his mouth gave a chuckle... told me I needed to pivot the dozer facing down slope and either back up or drive down... he made it look simple... told him to take the wife out for dinner and gave him a $50 which he didn't want... told me to call him anytime... thankfully never got in that predicament again.

 

[Sodo]

I got into a bad spot when I first got my D3 Dozer... everything I tried made it worse...

Got a couple of come-alongs and went to get another and the first two had the cable snap by the time I got back.

I'da got off the dozer, and tried to lift one track to see how stable it was on the hill.








ooops.

Sounds like a pretty unstable hillside you were on.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'da got off the dozer, and tried to lift one track to see how stable it was on the hill.








ooops.

Sounds like a pretty unstable hillside you were on.

All ravines and ridges... nothing flat except what I leveled... the fire inspector wanted a perimeter firebreak which was not possible... he agreed to have fire trails down the center and fanning out on the ridge tops... never would have had the dozer except the quotes the folks were getting cost more than the dozer!

Got off on to the shoulder which was not compacted and the Dozer ended up at a 45 and was slipping... put down the rippers which almost pushed it over...

In the blink of an eye the operator pivoted and just backed it out... at least the D3 had ROPS and I had a good seat belt... still would have had to do a lot of explaining...

Not related... another time I was blazing a trail down to the creek... it was mid summer... the ground was somewhat sandy without a trace of moisture... ended up leaving it there for almost 2 months.. had to wait for the first good rain to firm up the soil and then no problem... sure had a lot of fun the 17 years I owned it.

 

[gwstang]

There has been some really great info shared on this thread. I have definitely learned quite a few things about working around hill.! Thanks to everyone for the info and stories shared. Hope it will help me/other newbies stay alive to ride another day!

I have one more question for this subject. I have seen this and others make the statement: (lifted this from another thread) :

"Use your 4wd on the hills so your braking on the rears will also control the fronts, giving you 4 wheel braking as long as it's in gear and the clutch pedal is not depressed."

How does this work? Do the front wheels on my new L2501 4WD DT/FEL actually have brake parts built in? How does the signal get from the rear to front (when in 4WD) to brake when the rears brake? Is this a hydraulic system to the front (I have read about the "wet" brakes)?

Getting down to the nitty gritty of better understanding how this works, as people say.

 

[Sodo]

"Use your 4wd on the hills so your braking on the rears will also control the fronts, giving you 4 wheel braking as long as it's in gear and the clutch pedal is not depressed."

How does this work? Do the front wheels on my new L2501 4WD DT/FEL actually have brake parts built in?

No it's because the front and read are connected mechanically. Braking force from a rear brake is same as drive, it goes thru the same mechanical connection that the drive goes thru.

 

[yanmars]

I now always have my tractor in 4 wheel drive (it is a mechanical type) when on hills. There was a time or two I had it in 2 wheel drive going down the hill and that was not a pleasant experience. I dropped my front end loader to stop what was getting to be a wild ride.

 

[ultrarunner]

4wd is what makes are small tractors so effective...

Beaware you can still lose control is one rear and one front don't have traction with most 4wd...

Loading my rear tires also helped because the foam added weight down low and no more flats!

 

[s219]

In the scenario described, turn downhill if the tractor was tipping downhill. However, that assumes two things -- 1) that there is a downhill that is safe, and that 2) you were tipping because the side edge of the tire was the pivot point. There are lots of scenarios where these are not true, so turning downhill won't work!

And there is a separate scenario where a wheel slides over the edge of a hill. I had that happen when clearing snow off my driveway in February this year, going clockwise around a corner. Got a little close to the edge right near a ravine, and between the rear blade acting as a rudder and the slippery driveway, my right rear wheel slid over the edge onto the hill and was set to take the rest of the tractor with it. In that case, I straightened out the front wheels and mashed the HST pedal to gun straight for the middle of the driveway. It was spooky. I came very close that day. Next winter I plan to put up some marker stakes so I don't get too close to the edge.

 

[Grandad4]

In the scenario described, turn downhill if the tractor was tipping downhill. However, that assumes two things -- 1) that there is a downhill that is safe... There are lots of scenarios where these are not true, so turning downhill won't work!

+1 that comment. It's all too easy to get into situations with a) poor odds of success and b) no good recovery options. The classic saying about old pilots and bold pilots probably applies in some measure to equipment operators also.

 

[herringchoker]

The superior pilot/driver/operator is the one who uses his superior judgment to avoid getting into situations that require his superior skill to get out of.

 

[oosik]

Ha, ha, ha - and the superior pilot/driver/operator sure never lets it be known - should he find himself in a situation such as this.

 

[Sodo]

Not to mention the superior operator gets the job done. Perhaps due to experience gained, over time, performing sketchy maneuvers that he felt he had the skill to deal with. Or didn't but learned it without becoming a statistic.

 

[SPYDERLK]

There has been some really great info shared on this thread. I have definitely learned quite a few things about working around hill.! Thanks to everyone for the info and stories shared. Hope it will help me/other newbies stay alive to ride another day!

I have one more question for this subject. I have seen this and others make the statement: (lifted this from another thread) :

"Use your 4wd on the hills so your braking on the rears will also control the fronts, giving you 4 wheel braking as long as it's in gear and the clutch pedal is not depressed."

How does this work? Do the front wheels on my new L2501 4WD DT/FEL actually have brake parts built in? How does the signal get from the rear to front (when in 4WD) to brake when the rears brake? Is this a hydraulic system to the front (I have read about the "wet" brakes)?

Getting down to the nitty gritty of better understanding how this works, as people say.

You will have 4w brakes when a mechanical 4wd is engaged, regardless of the clutch. The clutch, being between engine and transmission, does not affect linkage of the front/rear drive.

Also, momentary use of the downhill brake will aid a turn downhill if you are moving as the uphill wheel lightens. ... Another reason to become accustomed to split brakes.
larry

 

[gwstang]

Also, momentary use of the downhill brake will aid a turn downhill if you are moving as the uphill wheel lightens. ... Another reason to become accustomed to split brakes.
larry

Interesting, I never yet "un-linked" my brake pedals. I don't do much farming though. On the old 8N, I am use to hitting one or the other when turning with a bush hog. Reckon I need to unlink the 'bota so that will be available. I do think one reason I haven't unlinked is because of the power steering. I love that power steering after driving the old N for so many years and having to "man handle" the steering wheel at the end of turns if I wasn't going very fast. Turns easily when going faster, kind of like the old cars that didn't have power steering and in a parking lot going slow it got to being a real chore and bicep builder to park...lol. :laughing:

 

[SPYDERLK]

Yeah! Been there with manual steering.
,,,,You seldom have a situation where split brakes are critical, but you need experience using them so you dont fumble. I think the two biggest impediments to natural acclimation are; 1] Only one pedal locks, and the other has to be locked to it for parking - the ratchet should engage both pedals so you can run unlinked and still park effectively without an extra action, 2] Ergonomic placement of the pedal pair so that application of either or both is easy to accomplish reliably in a flash by 2nd nature.
larry

 

[chim]

This is so true. Just by shutting off the engine and getting into a non-rushed meditative state can work wonders.

That worked for me on a hill back when I was a kid. Had an old Jeep that we were doing some hillclimbing with. About 3/4 of the way up, it lost forward momentum and started to dig in. I decided to dig her in and stand on the brake till I could sort things out. A couple brave buds sat on the front bumper while I descended backwards in 4WD Low.

How about this for presence of mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McBznI6h2jA

 

[My Hoe]

That worked for me on a hill back when I was a kid. Had an old Jeep that we were doing some hillclimbing with. About 3/4 of the way up, it lost forward momentum and started to dig in. I decided to dig her in and stand on the brake till I could sort things out. A couple brave buds sat on the front bumper while I descended backwards in 4WD Low.

How about this for presence of mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McBznI6h2jA

Chim,

That youtube video is a wonderful illustration of the benefit's of the O.P.'s question, about turning downhill--well played--and I can't wait to send it to my friends!
:drink:

My Hoe