Down-Hill In A Hurry

[WI_Hedgehog]

This Memorial weekend I was farming rocks, and while they do move on their own, some needed a bit of help getting from Point A to Point B as they were not destined to head that direction.

Point A is back on a flat at the top of a hill, Point B is mid-way up the hill, and it's a pretty steep hill.

I didn't have the weight bucket out back because...it was just a few rocks.

Well, I had a fatty (rock, not that fatty) and was headed down the hill in reverse at a snail's pace to the point I think a snail did actually pass me up. And the tractor got a bit off perfectly-straight-up-and-down-vertical, not much, but enough to lift one rear wheel a little. Now, little did I know, but the BX I own does not have a locking differential, so once one tire was off the ground I was rocketing down the hill, in reverse, with obstructions like rocks and trees and a turn at the bottom--at light speed--so fast I didn't have time to look where I was headed and had to steer from memory. In reverse. (I almost had a new racing stripe, not on the tractor itself.)

Thinking about it in hindsight, there is a pedal to lock the differential, which being Spring and not having used the diff-lock since last year I'd completely forgotten about. I also had on turf tires, because...I was on turf.

After that incident I was definitely just as cautious going down "the other, steeper hill," however facing forward. I had a much lighter load than "fat Gertrude" and figured I was fine.

Well, guess how that went.

Same situation, one tire lost traction and I was heading downhill toward the side of the garage at light speed, so fast bugs were spattering on my eyeballs as if it were a car windshield. I don't know if you know this, but I didn't know it: the brakes affect only the rear wheels. So here I am mashing the brake pedal without any effect other that looking a bit more...uh, "puzzled." However, this time I couldn't "ride it out" because the roller-coaster was headed right for a building. BAM! Dropped the bucket and between the friction of the bucket and the braking force of the rear wheels now firmly planted on the ground everything came to a halt, other than some of what was in the bucket which continued on another few feet. (No rocks required medical attention.) However, everything stopped short of the garage, so all good there.


LESSON: Put your tractor in four-wheel-drive when on hills with a load. It's that simple. I think. I haven't tried it yet.

 

[chim]

With a load, rear of the tractor should be pointing downhill. Carry the load almost on the ground so the bucket can quickly become a brake.

There were a few times in snow when things got sketchy. Dropping the bucket pointed uphill didn't always bring the tractor to a sudden stop but it did become the rudder that prevented the tractor from swapping ends.

 

[Sawdust&Shavings]

This Memorial weekend I was farming rocks, and while they do move on their own, some needed a bit of help getting from Point A to Point B as they were not destined to head that direction.

Point A is back on a flat at the top of a hill, Point B is mid-way up the hill, and it's a pretty steep hill.

I didn't have the weight bucket out back because...it was just a few rocks.

Well, I had a fattie (rock, not that fattie) and was headed down the hill in reverse at a snail's pace to the point I think a snail did actually pass me up. And the tractor got a bit off perfectly-straight-up-and-down-vertical, not much, but enough to lift one rear wheel a little. Now, little did I know, but the BX I own does not have a locking differential, so once one tire was off the ground I was rocketing down the hill, in reverse, with obstructions like rocks and trees and a turn at the bottom--at light speed--so fast I didn't have time to look where I was headed and had to steer from memory. (I almost had a new racing stripe, not on the tractor itself.)

Thinking about it in hindsight, there is a pedal to lock the differential, which being Spring and not having used the diff-lock since last year I'd completely forgotten about. I also had on turf tires, because...I was on turf.

After that incident I was definitely just as cautious going down "the other, steeper hill," however facing forward. I had a much lighter load than "fat Gertrude" and figured I was fine.

Well, guess how that went.

Same situation, one tire lost traction and I was heading downhill toward the side of the garage at light speed, so fast bugs were spattering on my eyeballs as if it were a windshield. I don't know if you know this, but I didn't know it: the brakes affect only the rear wheels. So here I am mashing the brake pedal without any effect other that looking a bit more...uh, "puzzled." However, this time I couldn't "ride it out" because the roller-coaster was headed right for a building. BAM! Dropped the bucket and between the friction of the bucket and the braking force of the rear wheels now firmly planted on the ground everything came to a halt, other than some of what was in the bucket which continued on another few feet. However, everything stopped short of the garage, so all good there.


LESSON: Put your tractor in four-wheel-drive when on hills with a load. It's that simple. I think. I haven't tried it yet.

Yes, as you well know 4WD is your friend; I use it anytime I have the FEL on and I cannot remember the last time I needed brakes with the FEL on, but I can remember the last the brakes were not enough when the FEL was off…turf tires, wet grass, hills, trees … pucker up big boy!!!

 

[TheOldHokie]

This Memorial weekend I was farming rocks, and while they do move on their own, some needed a bit of help getting from Point A to Point B as they were not destined to head that direction.

Point A is back on a flat at the top of a hill, Point B is mid-way up the hill, and it's a pretty steep hill.

I didn't have the weight bucket out back because...it was just a few rocks.

Well, I had a fattie (rock, not that fattie) and was headed down the hill in reverse at a snail's pace to the point I think a snail did actually pass me up. And the tractor got a bit off perfectly-straight-up-and-down-vertical, not much, but enough to lift one rear wheel a little. Now, little did I know, but the BX I own does not have a locking differential, so once one tire was off the ground I was rocketing down the hill, in reverse, with obstructions like rocks and trees and a turn at the bottom--at light speed--so fast I didn't have time to look where I was headed and had to steer from memory. (I almost had a new racing stripe, not on the tractor itself.)

Thinking about it in hindsight, there is a pedal to lock the differential, which being Spring and not having used the diff-lock since last year I'd completely forgotten about. I also had on turf tires, because...I was on turf.

After that incident I was definitely just as cautious going down "the other, steeper hill," however facing forward. I had a much lighter load than "fat Gertrude" and figured I was fine.

Well, guess how that went.

Same situation, one tire lost traction and I was heading downhill toward the side of the garage at light speed, so fast bugs were spattering on my eyeballs as if it were a windshield. I don't know if you know this, but I didn't know it: the brakes affect only the rear wheels. So here I am mashing the brake pedal without any effect other that looking a bit more...uh, "puzzled." However, this time I couldn't "ride it out" because the roller-coaster was headed right for a building. BAM! Dropped the bucket and between the friction of the bucket and the braking force of the rear wheels now firmly planted on the ground everything came to a halt, other than some of what was in the bucket which continued on another few feet. However, everything stopped short of the garage, so all good there.


LESSON: Put your tractor in four-wheel-drive when on hills with a load. It's that simple. I think. I haven't tried it yet.

I know thst ride well!!!. Congrats on every one and every things survival.

Dan

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I've never taken my B or L out of 4wd, way too much grade action goes on around here.

 

[Flintknapper]

I know thst ride well!!!. Congrats on every one and every things survival.

Dan

Yep, been there, done that and got the T-Shirt.

Never done it again since that one time!

Glad the Hedgehog wasn't hurt (or worse), we would miss him around here.

 

[NCL4701]

LESSON: Put your tractor in four-wheel-drive when on hills with a load. It's that simple. I think. I haven't tried it yet.

Good write up. Glad you and your stuff are all OK.

4WD. Try it. You’ll like it.

I’ve taken that ride on a 2WD loader a time or three. One of the reasons I’m not a fan of 2WD loaders and rarely have mine in 2WD for anything involving the loader.

One big advantage of keeping the loader as low as practical on near capacity lifts, aside from lowering COG, I’ve had several times the tractor tipped forward but the loader was so low the rear wheel were barely off the ground when the bucket hit the ground stopping forward tipping and stabilizing the tractor without relying on my ability to react timely.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

4WD. Try it. You’ll like it.

Absolutely. I was thinking, "I'm going down-hill, I won't need 4WD..."
Wah-wrong.

(for new operators: I should have gone down the hills backwards (so stuff didn't fly out of the bucket if something went amiss) in 4WD with diff-lock engaged, and of course should have had counter-weight on the rear--lessons learned. members have said how dangerous operating a Front End Loader is, and yet i'm still learning the hard way)

Side note: I must have looked something like this flying down-hill:

 

[Tractor Gal]

Wow...now THAT'S a story. So glad you didn't tip over or hit the garage.

I've only used 4 WD a couple of times...when I needed more traction. Yes, I know...that's a DUH. I have always thought it was to be used when needed, not all the time. But, this story is saying to use it all the time in case it's needed?

Tractor Gal

 

[Hugo Habicht]

I've never taken my B or L out of 4wd, way too much grade action goes on around here.

Nice if you have 4wd. Maybe I have to upgrade already? My baby tractor has only two wheel drive, and as I noticed uphills or in rough terrain only one (or zero) wheel drive if one wheel spins. A bit of momentum is no mistake here

And going down into the valley for the first time I was not really familiar with the HST and brake pedal and a tree eventually stopped my travel. Since I have not straightened the front bumper yet (tractor must have hit other obstacles in it's former life) nothing really happened

 

[Kennyd4110]

Glad you and your machine are OK!

I didn't have the weight bucket out back because...it was just a few rocks.

Common mistake!

 

[armylifer]

View attachment 155303

This Memorial weekend I was farming rocks, and while they do move on their own, some needed a bit of help getting from Point A to Point B as they were not destined to head that direction.

Point A is back on a flat at the top of a hill, Point B is mid-way up the hill, and it's a pretty steep hill.

I didn't have the weight bucket out back because...it was just a few rocks.

Well, I had a fatty (rock, not that fatty) and was headed down the hill in reverse at a snail's pace to the point I think a snail did actually pass me up. And the tractor got a bit off perfectly-straight-up-and-down-vertical, not much, but enough to lift one rear wheel a little. Now, little did I know, but the BX I own does not have a locking differential, so once one tire was off the ground I was rocketing down the hill, in reverse, with obstructions like rocks and trees and a turn at the bottom--at light speed--so fast I didn't have time to look where I was headed and had to steer from memory. In reverse. (I almost had a new racing stripe, not on the tractor itself.)

Thinking about it in hindsight, there is a pedal to lock the differential, which being Spring and not having used the diff-lock since last year I'd completely forgotten about. I also had on turf tires, because...I was on turf.

After that incident I was definitely just as cautious going down "the other, steeper hill," however facing forward. I had a much lighter load than "fat Gertrude" and figured I was fine.

Well, guess how that went.

Same situation, one tire lost traction and I was heading downhill toward the side of the garage at light speed, so fast bugs were spattering on my eyeballs as if it were a car windshield. I don't know if you know this, but I didn't know it: the brakes affect only the rear wheels. So here I am mashing the brake pedal without any effect other that looking a bit more...uh, "puzzled." However, this time I couldn't "ride it out" because the roller-coaster was headed right for a building. BAM! Dropped the bucket and between the friction of the bucket and the braking force of the rear wheels now firmly planted on the ground everything came to a halt, other than some of what was in the bucket which continued on another few feet. (No rocks required medical attention.) However, everything stopped short of the garage, so all good there.


LESSON: Put your tractor in four-wheel-drive when on hills with a load. It's that simple. I think. I haven't tried it yet.

You mentioned that your BX does not have a locking differential. If you are talking about the BX2370 in your profile, it does have a locking differential. Check this link out.

TractorData.com Kubota BX2370 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

 

[Hoserman]

I use my dif lock quite a bit. When there are times, I feel queasy about where I'm at, and think about those nasty "what ifs" I make sure I'm the one in control, not Murphy's law

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Wow...now THAT'S a story. So glad you didn't tip over or hit the garage.

I've only used 4 WD a couple of times...when I needed more traction. Yes, I know...that's a DUH. I have always thought it was to be used when needed, not all the time. But, this story is saying to use it all the time in case it's needed?

Thank you (and others) for the sentiment, I'm pretty happy myself!

i don't know if the front wheels lock up as if on a solid axle or what, I should look sometime--or just ask, members here know pretty much everything. --Hey, how's 4WD engage the wheels on a BX???

Anyway, I only use 4WD when the situation calls for it, as it tends to tear up the lawn more and I would "guess" could result in more wear on the drivetrain. In the woods it's always on, on pavement "always off" (except for ice), and the lawn...I guess I'll use it more on the hills when the tractor is carrying a heavy load.

I use my dif lock quite a bit. When there are times, I feel queasy about where I'm at, and think about those nasty "what ifs" I make sure I'm the one in control, not Murphy's law

You know, I used diff-lock a lot last year and forgot about it this year until writing the original post. Being more of a car guy until getting an actual tractor (or, micro-tractor), I thought the BX should really have an auto-locking differential; that thought was on the hill after a few weeks of very little sleep, and that's when bad things tend to happen in my world, so I should have known better, but I didn't.

I think diff. lock does more damage on hills than 4WD, so I tend to use 4WD (and forget it's on as there are a lot of things that need attention paid to them when mowing a tiny yard with a big tractor). But in this case (or "cases") I was headed down-hill and thought traction therefore wouldn't be an issue--turned out it was. I guess 4WD and diff. lock are those type of things that should be used before they're needed.

That raises another question, does diff. lock affect the front wheels when in 4WD?

 

[armylifer]

Diff lock only affects the rear wheels whether in 4WD or 2WD.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Diff lock only affects the rear wheels whether in 4WD or 2WD.

Are the front wheels always unlocked in 4WD, or locked, or...? The tractor seems to turn well in tight corners as if they're not locked yet I've never seen one lose traction and spin backwards as if they are locked.

 

[armylifer]

Are the front wheels always unlocked in 4WD, or locked, or...? The tractor seems to turn well in tight corners as if they're not locked yet I've never seen one lose traction and spin backwards as if they are locked.

As with any 4WD car or truck, the wheels are not really locked in 4WD. All that you really get in 4WD is an equal power distribution between the front axle and the rear axle. The front axle on your tractor does not lock both front wheels in 4WD.

 

[RCW]

Glad it worked out okay. Can be scary and dangerous in some cases.

 

[D2Cat]

Thank you (and others) for the sentiment, I'm pretty happy myself!

i don't know if the front wheels lock up as if on a solid axle or what, I should look sometime--or just ask, members here know pretty much everything. --Hey, how's 4WD engage the wheels on a BX???

Anyway, I only use 4WD when the situation calls for it, as it tends to tear up the lawn more and I would "guess" could result in more wear on the drivetrain. In the woods it's always on, on pavement "always off" (except for ice), and the lawn...I guess I'll use it more on the hills when the tractor is carrying a heavy load.


You know, I used diff-lock a lot last year and forgot about it this year until writing the original post. Being more of a car guy until getting an actual tractor (or, micro-tractor), I thought the BX should really have an auto-locking differential; that thought was on the hill after a few weeks of very little sleep, and that's when bad things tend to happen in my world, so I should have known better, but I didn't.

I think diff. lock does more damage on hills than 4WD, so I tend to use 4WD (and forget it's on as there are a lot of things that need attention paid to them when mowing a tiny yard with a big tractor). But in this case (or "cases") I was headed down-hill and thought traction therefore wouldn't be an issue--turned out it was. I guess 4WD and diff. lock are those type of things that should be used before they're needed.

That raises another question, does diff. lock affect the front wheels when in 4WD?

Differential lock never affects the front wheel, ever! It only locks the rear wheels together. That is why you can not turn a tractor when both rear wheel are locked, one can not turn without the other turning....so you go straight!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

If you want locking front diff you'll need to bump up to an M series unit.