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Opinions on tractor stability

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paluvsjoshua
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 61 White Mountains - New Hampshire
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2004-06-21          89005

New constuction and land has multiple slopes of varying degree. Would like your opinion on degree of difficulty using a JD 4115 w/R4 tires as I am a newbie with minimum tractor experience. Will also be maintaining driveway.

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Views can be deceiving, grade can drop over 15 feet on a 100 foot run. And now with the construction site work the back yard is level at the expense of having a drop of 12 - 15 feet which seems unlikely that I can mow with the tractor and may have to put some ground cover at those locations. Any suggestions for ground cover or just stone would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

Using a LX5


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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2004-06-21          89028

Beautiful setting for a home!

I have a 4115 and a lot that has a 16 foot rise per 100 feet.

I feel very comfortable with 300 pounds of wheel weights and a bit of common sense. I hasten to add that my ground is very dry and there is little chance of it slipping out from under the tractor. ....

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paluvsjoshua
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 61 White Mountains - New Hampshire
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-06-21          89031

Thank You, yes we have a gem of a location. I will use a 3pt ballast box filled with Portland cement for ballast. Have no CACI in tires. Hopefully ballast box will do fine. Not sure how to attack the different slopes, will depend alot on common sense. Where they filled the yard in the back drops off on the sides considrably and not sure what to place there, either rock or ground cover. Soil is all clay and hopefully won't wash away quickly. Gonna need to install a lawn both front and back with the tractor, still deciding on a box blade and/or rake w/fip blade and guage wheels. ....

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Wildman1
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 196 Chugiak, Alaska
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2004-06-23          89178

Keep your bucket low and avoid sidehilling. With clay the R4's could fill and traction become troublesome. ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2004-06-23          89181

fifteen ft. in a hundred ft. run is a pretty safe slope long as the slope is consistent. Wheel weights, a ballast box carried low or anything to lower your center of gravity will make it safer. Long as you have a ROPS on the tracor and wear your seatbelt you should be OK. Frank. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-06-23          89190

With the exception of our friend Ken's little slide into the history books, you will generally find that tractor stability has more to do with the 'nut behind the wheel' than anything else.

Common sence and the 'pucker factor' (the backside stability gauge) will go a long way towards keeping an operator and machine safe. If it feels uncomfortable, STOP and find a different way or approach to it.

Most importantly, DON'T RUSH, a gopher hole or rock on the side of a hill can be the difference between finishing the job and finishing you. It's faster to go slow than to have an accident.

Best of luck. ....

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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2004-06-24          89260

There are tractor safety oriented sites and organizations that produce a lot of reading material. I read a lot when I first got a tractor but the reading does have to be merged with experience before it becomes meaningful in practice. As mentioned the two together produces a well calibrated backside stability gauge and neither are great on their own.

As an illustration, a few weeks ago I got a call from a neighbour who is a supervisor in a provincial park. A water main was leaking and he wanted me to trench back along both sides of the leak to do the repair. The side slope on one side of the leak was very significant but with bush only on the uphill side. I carefully climbed the hill and maneuvered into position.

I was about to start digging when my former reading kicked in. The hoe manual says 'never dump to the downhill side. 'Sorry' I said to the supervisor but I have to complicate backfilling by dumping into the bush. He's been around equipment for most of his life and I didn't have to explain why.

I'd read everything I can find and then start testing the envelope. Avoid anything that doesn't feel comfortable but be aware that the envelope does get bigger as you gain experience. ....

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jkjordan
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 25 East Tennessee
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-06-24          89269

>Most importantly, DON'T RUSH, a gopher hole or rock
>on the side of a hill can be the difference between
>finishing the job and finishing you.

Something else to think about on a hill and a reason to work very slowly: watch out when moving the loader - the force can torque the entire tractor if the downhill side of the bucket catches while raising the bucket or the uphill side comes down on a stump or rock.

I did the former ONCE, and the tractor was even mostly aimed up and down the hill instead of sideways. I don't think I came close to flipping the tractor but it scared me enough to lose a few years. I wouldn't even try using the loader when sideways on more than an very very very gentle slope.

When this happened to me, I was curling the bucket when it caught and I was nearly caught off guard - if I hadn't been working VERY slowly I might have jerked the control stick the wrong way in a panic and might not be here now to write about it.

JKJ ....

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paluvsjoshua
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 61 White Mountains - New Hampshire
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-06-24          89285

thanks so much to everyone for thier valuable comments. Since posting I have had a chance to request my site contractor to bring in some extra fill and stretch out the radical grades so that they would be more workable with the tractor. Vertical with the grain is the way I will proceed until my "pucker" gets familiar with my new JD. Time is getting close for delivery of my new 4115, can't wait. Do have one more question though. Since my back yard is new (fill) and with a new leach field, do you recommend riding the tractor over the leach field while distributing/grading loam? ....

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lucerne
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 192 Lucerne Maine
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2004-06-24          89286

Wildman, you're right about the r4's, I have slid down grades sideways a few times when the ground is wet and it's run over a few times it gets kinda greasy. ....

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ncrunch32
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 762 Kingston, NY
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2004-06-24          89295

Palovsjoshua, I used my 4310 to distribute 64 yards of bank run around my poolyard and all the time while crossing my leach field. I have to cross it often when moving stuff around the house and will be crossing it to fine tune the 64 yards in a few months (or next year). I think that as long as you don't make a road and kill the grass and permanently harden the ground you will be OK. ....

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paluvsjoshua
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 61 White Mountains - New Hampshire
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-06-24          89296

crunch, I was concerned about the weight of the tractor and narrow R4's possible destroying the leach pipe since this is relatively new soil not packed by settling. ....

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ncrunch32
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 762 Kingston, NY
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2004-06-24          89301

Paluvsjoshua, I just installed and covered 100 feet of 6" black plastic poly pipe for drainage around my yard - used the 4310 - 5,000 lbs with hoe and fel to cover it. It was down about 18 inches and I had no damage (although I was concerned). I think the leach pipe and take an amazing amount of pressure if down a foot or 18" and you are dealing with harder pvc pipe. But I am not an expert and obviously judgement and risk are involved. ....

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