I'm not sure I understand this. I have an MX5800 with rear ballast and an FEL. I also have the backhoe attachment. I put it in and out of 4WD, but haven't ever lost the ability to brake. Am I just lucky, or does this tractor (or the way I have it set up) prevent it from happening?
Keep it in 4WD!
- Thread starter Polishammer
- Start date
It's a matter of keeping enough force between the rear tires and ground to maintain braking. With proper rear ballast this is maintained during loader use.I'm not sure I understand this. I have an MX5800 with rear ballast and an FEL. I also have the backhoe attachment. I put it in and out of 4WD, but haven't ever lost the ability to brake. Am I just lucky, or does this tractor (or the way I have it set up) prevent it from happening?
Don't use rear ballast and the loading on the rear tires can diminish to unsafe levels during FEL use as the OP found out the hard way.
First off, to the OP: I like your black tractor better than your orange one - cool rig!
That said, Kubota really needs to put a 4x4 "on" indicator lamp on the dashboard somewhere. That is a cheap way for people to both be safer and reduce wear when they don't need it.
As for braking in 2WD: you can have all the ballast in the world but on a steep enough slope you will still slide. Weight always transfers to the downhill side of a vehicle on a slope. This means even with a heavily rear loaded vehicle a lot of that weight transfers to the front. A good rule of thumb is never go down a hill you can't back up. The reason is that if there isn't enough traction to back up the hill, there isn't enough to stop coming down, either.
4x4 greatly increases the ability of a machine to back up a slope and likewise stop coming down. But it is still possible to slide down a slope even in 4x4.
I flail mow steep reservoir dams as part of my job, and have a lot of experience on slopes in general with a tractor. The key is to use caution and never get complacent. I back up a 100-foot dam in two-foot tall grass probably a hundred times to mow down it. It's nerve-wracking every time, and I've had all four wheels slip momentarily while attempting to climb. The back end tends to feel very light during this process, despite 1000 lbs of flail mower hanging off the back and loaded rear tires. I tend to keep my loader on with the bucket attached for several reasons: a training wheel to prevent the rear wheels from ever coming off the ground, an emergency stopping method, and more metal between me and whatever I hit if I slide uncontrollably.
One last thought: if you can't stop and are sliding downhill, the best policy is to keep the tractor wheels turning forward under power, probably as fast as possible without having to change gears or ranges. This will help you maintain steering control.
Earlier this spring I was mowing a landfill in a 4/1 slope area. I mow sidehill on the 3/1 sections and when the slope increases to 4/1 I turn sharply downhill to avoid tipping. In this case, I forgot I was still in 2WD and went for a wild ride on my L4310. I slid for 100 feet and was just able to gain control before cresting the next tier of the landfill cap and likely crashing in a very severe manner. I am extremely cautious about 4x4 usage but became complacent or distracted in that moment. Let's face it, something like that could cost a life...extreme care is needed on slopes.
That said, Kubota really needs to put a 4x4 "on" indicator lamp on the dashboard somewhere. That is a cheap way for people to both be safer and reduce wear when they don't need it.
As for braking in 2WD: you can have all the ballast in the world but on a steep enough slope you will still slide. Weight always transfers to the downhill side of a vehicle on a slope. This means even with a heavily rear loaded vehicle a lot of that weight transfers to the front. A good rule of thumb is never go down a hill you can't back up. The reason is that if there isn't enough traction to back up the hill, there isn't enough to stop coming down, either.
4x4 greatly increases the ability of a machine to back up a slope and likewise stop coming down. But it is still possible to slide down a slope even in 4x4.
I flail mow steep reservoir dams as part of my job, and have a lot of experience on slopes in general with a tractor. The key is to use caution and never get complacent. I back up a 100-foot dam in two-foot tall grass probably a hundred times to mow down it. It's nerve-wracking every time, and I've had all four wheels slip momentarily while attempting to climb. The back end tends to feel very light during this process, despite 1000 lbs of flail mower hanging off the back and loaded rear tires. I tend to keep my loader on with the bucket attached for several reasons: a training wheel to prevent the rear wheels from ever coming off the ground, an emergency stopping method, and more metal between me and whatever I hit if I slide uncontrollably.
One last thought: if you can't stop and are sliding downhill, the best policy is to keep the tractor wheels turning forward under power, probably as fast as possible without having to change gears or ranges. This will help you maintain steering control.
Earlier this spring I was mowing a landfill in a 4/1 slope area. I mow sidehill on the 3/1 sections and when the slope increases to 4/1 I turn sharply downhill to avoid tipping. In this case, I forgot I was still in 2WD and went for a wild ride on my L4310. I slid for 100 feet and was just able to gain control before cresting the next tier of the landfill cap and likely crashing in a very severe manner. I am extremely cautious about 4x4 usage but became complacent or distracted in that moment. Let's face it, something like that could cost a life...extreme care is needed on slopes.
I dropped off a hill with my little BX and a bucket full of dirt I do think I hit and pulled every lever and pedal on that tractor but could not drop the bucket or the chisel plow for a anchor on the back until it stopped about 25 yards down the dirt road. The brake pedal did absolutely nothing. Under extreme stress you forget which lever to push. I did not know until that time it had no front brakes but I do now. All I could do what keep it straight cause she was bucking like a bull with the bucket bouncing off the ground. If she rolled I was planning on climbing up not down. WHEW what a ride
That's due to the very heavy backhoe mounted behind the rear wheels, adding considerable weight to the rear axle. Without the backhoe, it would be a different world.I'm not sure I understand this. I have an MX5800 with rear ballast and an FEL. I also have the backhoe attachment. I put it in and out of 4WD, but haven't ever lost the ability to brake. Am I just lucky, or does this tractor (or the way I have it set up) prevent it from happening?
SDT
I once owned a NH T4050 Deluxe with that feature.One of the items I like on my larger New Holland is that when you step on the brakes the tractor is instantly/electronically put in 4 wheel drive. My Kubota does not do this......
Of course, this is possible only with electric over hydraulic FWA, which Kubota does not offer on anything but large AG tractors.
SDT