Re: Re: Re: Rollover Point
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Posted by Gerald on October 26, 1998 at 20:18:50:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Rollover Point posted by Fred on October 26, 1998 at 19:15:46:
: : : Is there any standard that new tractors must meet when it comes to operating on hillsides? I'm just wondering if it is possible to know how much slope can be negotiated (slowly) without a definite rollover. I have the wheels adjusted out as far as possible, loaded tires, and have ROPS. There are some places where I must either mow across the hill or let it go. : : : Thanks. : : There is an SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) standard for testing the roll over point, but I don't remember there is one specifying what it must be. : : You may be able to ask the engineering department of your tractor's maker for the center of gravity and then work out the geometry that the tractor keeps the wheels down so long as the gravity vector from that center of gravity is never placed OUTSIDE the center of the rear wheels. I saw this question asked not too long ago and there was a hint that the center of gravity might be in some more recent Nebraska Tractor test details. Some of those can be found by internet from Nebraska Extension and probably most any ordered for a price. : : It will be a hard thing to get answered precisely because on sloping dirt as you put most of the load on the down hill tire the dirt there is going to give unpredictably and tip you further than you wish. And the ROPS may save your neck if you are wearing a seat belt, but the front of the tractor may not be pretty afterwards. Maybe those really sloped places should be hired out to a weed wacker or a herd of goats or sheep... : : Gerald : Thanks for the advice. I'll give Nebraska a try. My initial attempts with the company resulted in no answer with some legalize about each owner changing the center of gravity with weights, and the company couldn't be responsible for providing information that might not fit the situation etc. I really don't want to push the limits, but would like to know what they are. I think that I tend to chicken out long before the tractor has any problem. Better safe than... : I have not yet ruled out the goat approach, and may resort to that. Cattle will handle most of the same area, but are a bit more picky about what they eat. There is too much of it for weed whacker use. : Thanks. You could add a sideways roll bar, e.g. a sturdy beam under the tractor frame sticking out the sides several feet that would catch the tractor (if with wheels, "training wheels") to catch the tractor if the slope is long enough that the downhill side wouldn't dig in or fall down an even steeper slope. The big problem is the give of the ground under the downhill tires that's nearly impossible to predict and will be different each time you mow. The ground strength will strongly depend on ground water flows, frosts, traffic packing... Makes it really tough to call. Wheel weight helps on the up hill side, but hurts on the down hill side. Duals would help with the ground penetration and the outer dual would probably be out further than the normal single wheels at the ends of the axles. There are weed whackers on wheels with 5 or 10 hp engines that will do a fair sized patch, according to their early morning (e.g. Samualson's farm show) commercials. Or plant that steep slope with tall growing prairie grass to hide the weeds.. Switchgrass seems tough to get started but cattle will eat it decently and in the mean time I might hide the weeds. I'll know more in a couple years maybe... Gerald
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