Would you go up it??

[Timber]

Well it seems to me you have plenty of experience running off road and if your gut tells you to be concerned then I would listen to your instincts. Personally I think Eddie gave you the best advice. There are plenty of examples in the safety thread of people that have lost it and rolled. At best you will wreck your tractor. If you don't need to go up there that often then I would scope out a better path and make a new road.

 

[Gordon Gould]

If I'm not sure I back up the hill the first time to get a read on traction and the feel of things. Usually it is easier than I thought. Backing up gives you an escape route facing forward which is much more comfortable.
You will not go over backwards unless your rear impliment or load gets stuck on something or you goose the throttle.
If I was pulling a log up there I would drop it at the bottom and winch it up in stages or when I got to the top.
I think weight in the bucket helps if you can keep the bucket low.

Thats my 2 cents.

 

[ratter]

I've got what looks to be a similar trail on my property. The kind of slope that has you grabbing for the grass in front of you as you're walking up it. In my old tractor, with questionable transmission and brakes, you wouldn't catch me dead on that hill (pun intended.) But with my new tractor, 4wd, everything in good working order, I'll take it no problem, even as the rookie operator that I am. Nice and slow, slow walking speed both up and down, and on full alert, if you know what I mean. Both hands and feet ready to grab at whatever controls might need grabbed.

I mention that because, as careful as we all are, I think it's human nature to get too comfortable sometimes, like when you're going in a straight line at walking speed, like I do going up and down this slope.

That point was brought home to me after I had gotten to the top of the hill, where I was brush hogging a flat spot up there. A yellowjacket stung me on the head! For those few moments there, all of your attention goes to the point of impact and isn't on the tractor, where it should be. Granted I was up on the flat, but wasn't too far from the edge of the slope either.

I guess what I learned that day is, the question isn't whether or not you can handle tricky areas under optimal conditions, but whether you can still handle them when somebody throws a wrench into the works, like that yellowjacket did to me.

Now of course, my neighbor and his son, both lifelong farmers, will mow that same hill side-to-side. Hopefully that means that, despite my pucker factor, I'm still well within safe limits by going up and down.

 

[mars1952]

I have some pretty steep hills on my property and I was just wondering what kind of tractors you have and if you would attempt to go up this incline? Would you do it in forward or Reverse? I had my other tractor up here and I went in reverse with box blade and loader. It took quite a few tries and when I lost traction I would drop the box blade and head on down the hill. That would give me about 4 more feet of level ground and traction and I would proceed up once agin till I got to the top. Here's a few pics and I am Dying to try to go straight up it with my new tractor. Sure would save a lot of time but what if I lose traction and it veers sideways?? Would you or wouldn't you??

What we need to see the steepness of the hill is a picture taken across ( not up and down) the trail at the steepest point.
I mow hill that look that steep by driving backwards. I leased the same pasture one year and the tenant actually ran a baler sideways on that hill, yikes
To prevent rear rollovers you should drive backwards up and forwards down steep hills. If you do drive up the hill make sure that you have a good strong box blade or another implement that won't fold up if you start to roll backwards. Another way to cause a rear rollover is to brake hard while backing down a hill.
I like the idea of cutting a few switchbacks or just stick to the ATV.
Here is a link to a Rollover thread.
Good Luck, Marshall

 

[thingy]

Hey,,I started a thread over,[down] on pt,[power trac] section talking about them and hills,,guy on there gave me simple directions to figure out degree of slope,,about in middle of that thread, or you could probably do a search,,,,alls you need is a 4 ft straight stick/board or something thats ridgid and 4 ft long,,a yard stick and a level,,,,you can than tell degree of slope,,,20 degrees according to this way is pretty steep,,,but I drive tractor up it and drive 4wd truck up it,,,,
thats about the only way for showing others real slope,found that out.

To me that slope in picture just don't look that steep,,you can kinda tell by trees,,if it was real steep,those trees would show more of an angle looks to me like.
So if you wanta know if you can go up it as far as steepness,,,do that,,,,20 degrees and under you should have no problems,,,,now if its wet or got a layer of leaves you might spin,,but the steepness shouldn't be what gets you.
Also of course ag tires go better than turf or others,,,and if you got ag tires,they don't get real good traction backwards,,course we all knowed that,,just thought I'd through it in,,,,,
Check that thread out if you wanta know how to figure degree of slope,,it was a learning thing for me,,,,thingy

 

[thingy]

Well john,,what degree was it,,you went over and got directions and all I see?? city people!!,,,yeah,,little snow won't hurt your measurements none,,do it,,,bet I could drive truck up it in two wheeled drive,[or chinese jinma],,,if it ain't over 20 degrees you can about go up it in a sears riding lawnmower!,,,again,,city people!! thingy

 

[johnk]

I sure ain't walking up there. With 2 ft of snow on the ground it's a little deep for the quad. Have to see what mother nature brings this weekend. You're welcome to hold the end of the 2x4 if you can stand the cold....

 

[johnk]

I was up there the last 2 days but didn't take my tractor up. I took some pics that show the grade and washed out sides a little better. I'll be backing the tractor up that sucker in a couple more weeks..The good news is the snow is gone. Planted 100 Black Walnut, 80 Austrian pine and 25 wild apple trees on the property admist the other trees. Lots of work but the grandkids will be happy..

 

[RedRocker]

Add rocks and boulders and you have my place, I drive all over it. Course rock crawling Jeeps is my hobby.

 

[KentT]

Add rocks and boulders and you have my place, I drive all over it. Course rock crawling Jeeps is my hobby.

Yep. My biggest concern would be spinning due to lack of weight and consequently traction. If you can get traction so you don't side sideways, climbing it should be no problem. Keep the loader bucket down low, go slow, and go on up it without thinking twice about it... but only when the ground is dry enough that the tractor won't slide around. Loaded tires would really help here -- extra weight, and all of it on the ground, not up the air (like a ballast box) to change the center of gravity...

 

[Reg]

I would first adjust the loader bucket 15 or 20 degrees forwards, then I'd back it up with the bucket barely off the ground.
If I got REALLY nervous maybe I would float the loader, i.e. back drag it.
That way the bucket could act as a ratchet if things REALLY turned ugly.
Not that it looks THAT steep from the pics.

 

[johnk]

I made it up there with my other tractor I had but never attacked it going forward. Took me about 45 minutes to get up the little steep pff camber spot. When all the tires started spinning I'd drop the box scrapers with the rippers fully extended and drag that four or five feet back downhill. Then I just kept making runs at it in reverse and kept dropping the box blade which was numerous times till I finally made it up. At the top I kept dumping new dirt and rock down the washed out steep part and dragged it with the box scraper. Haven't attempted with my new tractor yet since it's still pretty slick up there. I'll keep you posted.

Thingy,,,,,

I think the pics are deceiving. I get 5 foot of air going off bumps with my Honda foreman and it isn't scary. I go up that hill in 2nd gear on the ATV and hang on tight. Been going up it with the ATV for 6 years now and I still hang over the handle bars. Take a ride up here and I'll supply the food and drink and deer if it's during hunting season.. Maybe as I get older I fear more....

 

[thingy]

yeah,,guess so,,pictures are pictures,,,well good! we got you up,,,oh,,****,,,gotta go down now,,just go around?? thingy

 

[pat32rf]

That hill looks like the best reason I have ever seen for a HST. I normally use my 4300JD (R4s)to make the bad hills passible( comfortable) for the 600 Sportsman. If the ground is not actually muddy I head up frontwards until I break traction then back-drag the bucket to fill the ruts. Just be careful because this tends to swing the front end sideways at times.
I wouldn't expect any trouble going up though, especially with a bit of a load in the bucket and no heavy implement on the rear, just loaded tires and a ballast box that rides no farther out than the 3pth arms.
Don't know about Kubota HSTs losing their prime on steep hills, mine seemed OK, just that 17hp wasn't enough, I always had to run in low range on our hills.

 

[KentT]

I keep hearing recommendations to go up hills backwards, but in my experience you can climb things going forward that you can't in reverse, simply because of traction. I guess other people's experience is different...

R-1 and R-4 tires are made to get traction going forward. They do a lousy job in reverse, in comparison -- they just scuff the ground rather than digging in. My concern in trying to back up that hill is just that -- traction, especially with an FEL on the front. With an FEL hanging on the front and the weight distribution being transferred because of the slope, most of the weight would be on the front tires, not the rears. Consequently, the rear tires will try to spin, and likely will because of the tires turning opposite of the way they're designed for traction... That is, unless you've got something quite heavy hanging off the 3-pt hitch. A big heavy BB or rotary cutter on the back would help you get up it backwards...

In comparison, when you go up it forward, most of the weight distribution would transfer to the rears, and the bars on your tires would be turning in the direction they're supposed to, and that combination would give you the traction you need. Plus, you can put extra weight in the bucket, if needed to help hold the front down -- i.e. it's "adjustable." But, I wouldn't try going up it forward with a heavy implement hanging on the 3-pt unless I had enough weight in the bucket to counter-balance it... Then, your concern is simply the power to climb it, carrying that heavy load.

In either case, I'd only try it if the ground was dry... My two cents.

 

[teachdocs]

I have some pretty steep hills on my property and I was just wondering what kind of tractors you have and if you would attempt to go up this incline? Would you do it in forward or Reverse? I had my other tractor up here and I went in reverse with box blade and loader. It took quite a few tries and when I lost traction I would drop the box blade and head on down the hill. That would give me about 4 more feet of level ground and traction and I would proceed up once agin till I got to the top. Here's a few pics and I am Dying to try to go straight up it with my new tractor. Sure would save a lot of time but what if I lose traction and it veers sideways?? Would you or wouldn't you??

The hill should be no problem as long as you pay attention to what you are doing. If you have the FEL on the tractor, then definitely go up forward. If you only have something on the rear, then it will be a little "pop-wheelie" and I suggest backing up the hill. If you have problems with traction going in reverse, then reverse the front tires to run the opposite direction. This is what we used to do with combines in a muddy field. You always wanted to have better traction backing out of too much mud rather than taking you in.

My first BX2200 had turf tires only and you can see from the following pics that hills are no problem. I dug out a pond and made a large hill for a large waterfall feature.

 

[mars1952]

HI KentT:
The reason it is recommended to go up steep hills backwards is to prevent a rear rollover.
Check out this thread:
Tractor Rollover Myths and Facts
Good Luck, Marshall

I keep hearing recommendations to go up hills backwards, but in my experience you can climb things going forward that you can't in reverse, simply because of traction. I guess other people's experience is different...

R-1 and R-4 tires are made to get traction going forward. They do a lousy job in reverse, in comparison -- they just scuff the ground rather than digging in. My concern in trying to back up that hill is just that -- traction, especially with an FEL on the front. With an FEL hanging on the front and the weight distribution being transferred because of the slope, most of the weight would be on the front tires, not the rears. Consequently, the rear tires will try to spin, and likely will because of the tires turning opposite of the way they're designed for traction... That is, unless you've got something quite heavy hanging off the 3-pt hitch. A big heavy BB or rotary cutter on the back would help you get up it backwards...

In comparison, when you go up it forward, most of the weight distribution would transfer to the rears, and the bars on your tires would be turning in the direction they're supposed to, and that combination would give you the traction you need. Plus, you can put extra weight in the bucket, if needed to help hold the front down -- i.e. it's "adjustable." But, I wouldn't try going up it forward with a heavy implement hanging on the 3-pt unless I had enough weight in the bucket to counter-balance it... Then, your concern is simply the power to climb it, carrying that heavy load.

In either case, I'd only try it if the ground was dry... My two cents.

 

[KentT]

HI KentT:
The reason it is recommended to go up steep hills backwards is to prevent a rear rollover.
Check out this thread:
Tractor Rollover Myths and Facts
Good Luck, Marshall

Yes, I understand, and the easiest ways to prevent a rollover are (1) never buy a tractor, or (2) never take it out of the shed or barn.

Seriously, he has no risk of a rear rollover with an FEL mounted, unless he has a VERY heavy attachment (such as a HD BB, big rotary cutter, etc) on the rear. Plus, the FEL bucket allows him to vary the amount of counterbalance he puts on the front....

IMO, what he has a real risk of when trying to back up rough, steep slopes is the tractor sliding slideways while spinning the tires -- then all bets are off....

IMO, the recommendation to back up slopes makes great sense if the most of the weight from implements is on the rear -- but not if the weight is hanging out in front of the tractor as is the case with an FEL. If he does try to back up the hill, he needs to make sure his 3PT hitch chains are VERY tight to prevent ANY side-to-side swaying, and that his "manufacturer's assisted FWD" is up to the challenge, because it will be putting an incredible strain on it since it will be pushing the tractor up the slope instead of the rear wheels pulling it.

Would you recommend climbing rough, steep slopes in an empty 4WD truck in reverse? In both cases the majority of weight is on the front of the vehicle, not the rear, and in both cases traction becomes the real limiting factor. The steeper the slope, the more weight is shifted off that already light rear of the vehicle onto the front, downhill end...

 

[mars1952]

Seriously, he has no risk of a rear rollover with an FEL mounted, unless he has a VERY heavy attachment (such as a HD BB, big rotary cutter, etc) on the rear. Plus, the FEL bucket allows him to vary the amount of counterbalance he puts on the front....

This is very dangerous and ill-informed advice.
Marshall