How Steep a Slope Can I Take My Tractor On?

This is one of my most-asked questions..."How steep a slope is it safe to take my tractor on?" Today we're going to try to answer that question by telling you that it's impossible to predict, and talk about the various factors that contribute to tractor rollover.

In the days before ROPS (roll over protection systems, or roll bars), if a tractor turned over, most of the time the operator was killed or maimed for life. Modern tractors have the bar there to protect you, but it only works well if you have your seat belt on. So, it is possible to walk away from a rollover, but the best way to survive, is to understand the many factors that can lead to the tractor going over and prevent putting yourself in that danger.

For this subject, I went to a real expert on operating equipment on slopes. Robert Schultheis is a University of Missouri Extension Safety Specialist, who grew up farming some pretty severe slopes...places I definitely wouldn't go with my tractor.

I was a little surprised about what he listed as the first factor that contributes to rollover...speed. The faster you're going, the more apt you are to lose control of your tractor and turn it over. You'll notice in the video of me brush hogging on my place, I'm really creeping around on the hillsides.

Center of gravity is another major factor that can contribute to tipping over. While you can't control the center of gravity of just the tractor, it is impacted by attachments, most notably, the front end loader. Always carry your load as low as possible on hills, the higher the bucket, the more potential you have for rolling the tractor. Also, if you have a three point mounted implement that sticks out to one side (like a disc mower or sickle mower), have that implement headed uphill. That acts as a counterweight to keep the tractor on the ground.

Wheel spacing also affects the center of gravity. On deluxe tractors the rim and the center section are bolted together which may allow multiple rear tire tread width settings. In extreme hills that’s a huge feature. When I worked at a dealership we had one customer who brush hogged mountains in northwest Arkansas, areas where I’d never go. He had the deluxe tractor with multiple tire width settings. He had us set them out at the widest point, and literally the inside edge of the tire was at the outside edge of the fender…it would barely fit on the trailer. On most of the basic tractors without bolt-on center sections, the rear tread width can be widened by swapping the tires from side to side. In other words, the rim offset is different and if you move the left wheel to the right side and vice versa, the footprint gets wider.

Ballast is important to maintaining traction on slopes. There are four ways of adding weight to a tractor to keep it stable on hills. The first and most common; is fluid in the tires. I like this option because the weight is low. If you live where it never freezes, water is an option. The rest of us have to use a liquid that has a lower freezing point. In the old days, farmers used calcium chloride. It’s the cheapest stuff to put in there, but don’t! Because it is caustic, over time it will eat up the rims of the tractor. The other options that I do recommend are alchohol-based substances (like antifreeze) and beet pulp. The second form of ballast is wheel weights which are heavy cast discs that mount with long bolts inside the rims of the tractor. The disadvantage here is the weight sits up higher than fluid. The final two methods of ballasting I do not recommend. First is a “ballast box” that goes on the three point. Some people love these because they can remove the weight when not needed, if you need weight when brush hogging you can’t add it because the three point is tied up with the cutter. Plus, the hydraulic system carries the ballast. The final option is foam filling the tires. This will add a huge amount of weight but be a very massive problem if the tires ever wear out. Getting the foam away from the rims is a problem. It’s also going to make the tractor ride rough.

Weather can also affect hillside stability. Wet grass can cause huge problems, and if it's windy, the mowed grass can blow over to where you'll soon be driving and that can get treacherous. Finally, fatigue, haste and equipment maintenance all factor in to slope stability.

The bottom line to all of this...if the slope worries you, don't go there, and understand, there are so many factors to rollover prevention, it's impossible to predict where you can drive safely.

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Видео How Steep a Slope Can I Take My Tractor On? канала Tractor Mike