I've been using that exact "Lev-O-Gauge" product for 30 years on the two Kubotas that I have owned. I mow the exact same terrain over and over again, and I'm intimately familiar with any irregularities (there are basically none). When I'm on the pond bank and backside of my pond dam, I mow e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y slowly, with my loader almost touching the ground, in 4-wd, and with my brakes separated from one another, giving me the chance to "persuade' any correction that might be necessary. Although I can't say it's comfortable, I see 30° routinely. Your previous video gives an excellent account of all the variables that may affect stability.
Hello, would you mind sharing your set up? Tractor model, ballast if any? I have very hilly property that I work with a 2502. Just trying to get a better frame of reference. Thank you!
@@electriced8205 My Kubota is an MX4700 with loaded rear tires. I estimate this adds about 900 lbs to its operating weight of about 3600 pounds. For years I did not have a front end loader, but I had about 400 pounds of suitcase weights hanging off the front. I now have the loader, usually with a 400 pound grapple, and estimate the loader alone probably weighs 1300 pounds. My bushhog is a 5' SQ160 cutter weighing about 600 pounds. I go very slowly, in 4-wd, with my brake pedals separated if differential braking should be necessary, and the loader is as close to the ground as I can manage without digging the grapple into the dirt. In addition to avoiding a roll-over scenario, I also have to be careful not to allow the tires to slide into the pond edge. I usually leave a couple of feet of buffer that I have to come back with a weedeater a couple times a year to clean the job up properly. Hope this helps, Good luck and stay safe!
Excellent couple of videos on operating tractors on slopes. Mike I’m with you when it comes to slopes, I’m a weeny too. I have operated tractors for 55 years and have never even come close to a roll over and I never want to. I’m a very conservative tractor operator and I’m proud to say that. Thanks Mike for making awesome videos.
Thank you so much for doing this video! I've been sitting on two different prototypes on tools I've built three years ago. Not knowing the process and To scared to take the next step. You've give me some hope! Sincerely & Great fully yours Ron Doyle 🙏🏻 God bless you my brother.
I've had good luck so far with a pucker meter. It wasn't programmed very well when i was younger, and i survived by luck and grace, but enough time running old tractors with bad brakes on Kentucky hills will teach you to pay close attention to that pucker.
I have had one on my tractor for a couple of years and while I don’t use it to know the limits of my tractor on a slope, I feel more informed about the slope I am on.
Western Arkansas here in the foothills of the river valley. I find the suspension seats can play havoc with your senses, when running slopes. I tend to not run mine up much, to allow my backside to feel the real slope. I also agree with your comments on the loader being low. It’s save me a few times by pushing it down, to steady my lean. Lastly I followed your advise about fluid in the tires and got beet juice in my rears. At 880 lbs of weight, down low, it’s amazing how much better my tractor feel, riding my slopes. So thank you on that suggestion.
well said Sir! I have been trying to “think through” this for a few years now and have concluded many of the same points you already mentioned. Thanks again for sharing your experience. What I would say to my loved ones - “ Go slow and don’t take chances without carefully evaluating your situation.”
i've got the same exact meter on my 3series John Deere. Been to 30 degrees with it while box blading a ditch but i'm like you Mike, 15 is my pucker factor and i try not to push it more than that
Howdy Mike! 5 years ago when I first got my tractor, my pucker factor was good to about 5 degrees or when I ran over a 3 inch rock with the rear tire. Now I can run over a 4 inch rock without being to scared 😂. I don’t know the tipping point of my tractor, but my comfort level is way better nowadays. Thanks for the video..
I actually installed mine to help let me know when the loader is level side to side. Then I watched your first video and now this one. Thank you for sharing this information.
I loved this video as it confirms my comfort level / pucker factor. Thihs gauge says to me between 15-20 Deg. That feels like my limit too. My wife will drive our UTV up and across slopes that are steep and never blink. But when I put the tractor on them and try to drive across....i quickly back up and find the straightest way down the slope. I will even slide the bucket on the ground just to make sure it is low. And as I said last video. The only time I almost rolled the tractor so far is when I was on a slope and doing fine but was too close to the edge of the ditch. The bank caved in tilting me to over 45 deg. Only my prompt bucket work prevented the roll over.
@@earlyriser8998 anything can happen! River Bank, ditches! Last winter my tractor slid sideways while plowing the snow due to an icy road crown. I stopped right before the ditch by dropping the bucket! Stay safe! Thanks Mike for making it a frequent topic on your channel.
15° is a substantial angle. On submarines, we would occasionally do high-speed maneuvers: turns and depth changes that would result in 15-20° angles. That's about all I've got tolerance for at any speed.
Used one for nearly 65 years on our sailboats. Of course on a boat if you capsize you just get wet. Thanks for all your great advice. My construction equipment operator father in law always talked about the bubble in his butt when talking about 'feeling' grades...
I know they make them wired into the battery where it can be mounted on top the dash. That way you don't have to look away from running it. When I mow one of my pastures I remove the bucket so I can get closer to a barb wire fence and can keep the loader arms down and not have to raise higher than the fence. After I go around a few times I put the bucket back on for extra weight but keeping it low. The first time mowing it kinda scared me because of the angle and I then mowed up and down. A guy I worked with was driving a forklift with a cab and he got too close to the edge and there was a 12 inch drop-off. The company wanted everyone to wear a seat belt. He didn't have it on and probably that helped him from getting hurt. The cab had a built-in rops but it mangled the cab pretty bad. As it was turning over he went out the side window and jumped to safety. He was lucky. The forklift landed on railroad tracks.
Hi Mike, your stuff has been helpful. 200h on a BX here, loaded tires and spacers. My yard is 15° with some 40° ditches. I start to get antsy at 15 and don’t go past 20. I do the ditches vertically. I have the gauge, mounted on the dash which works well. My garage has about 1/4” ROPS clearance, so I built a cover below the top and keep them up with my seatbelt. I go slow and am working on more leveling with the box blade. Thanks for the info, it’s a hard topic to research due to the liability.
Mike, I have to date not had a roll over experience. I have responded to a few to help. My personal experience of close to roll over is 2 fold. 1) was trying to pull a root wad, and had a rear tire lift off the ground. Not a biggie, as sitting still, so only need was to remove the attempted lift. The other was much scarier, I was brush cutting, not going real fast, but moving 2-3mph as best guess. It was unfamiliar ground so part of the reason for not a lot of speed. No side slope, but a slight down hill. Loader bucket was close to ground (thank the Lord) as otherwise I may have gone over. As I turned out, I ran over an unseen log and then ran into a hole. If the had bern at hood height or higher, I believe to this day it would have tipped, as it was it was a very scary ride for maybe 10’.
I'm retired with a 1974 Kubota B6000 (it's my first Tractor) that's tried to kill me twice in 18 months. Most of my land is vertical except for the gullys (which it's obsessed with). A roll-over bar would have prevented both of my live-saving para-rolls over the mud guard. Though I may invest in one of these slope gauge things.
I have a hill field and I mow it up and down. Takes longer but when I’m done I can eat my wife’s supper not the hospitals supper. Thanks for the videos.
Hi Mike. I installed one of those a few weeks ago. I think I bought the wrong one as it goes to 15 degrees. But at that angle pucker factor starts anyway around point 😅
Those department of highways operators have two things going for them. One they have tons of recent experience and know what their equipment feels like. Two, they aren’t paying for it (financially) if it rolls. At the beginning of the year it’s hard to get off the flat. By the end of the year you’re on 3 tires 😅 Thankfully I’ve never rolled my equipment but I have come closest on days when I am either in a hurry or worse when I am tired. If I start to feel tired now in the evenings I make myself quit.
An inclinometer is just as useful as a compass, clock or radio channel you are listening to in preventing a rollover. Unless you know the data that dictates what is safe or not… what implements you have attached, accounting for your weight (or added weights on your tractor) you have no idea what limits you have… or are exceeding. Might as well be reading tea leaves when you are out working the terrain.
Yep, I’d NEVER mow at angles that the Highway Road Crews do - Never…! Call it whatever, but as you said, I’m still alive after operating a tractor for the last 57 years…
Put this exact inclometer on my kioti when new but you dont know the tipping point,thought about strapping it to a tree and jacking it up to see how much angle it would take to tip it and then subtract from there.
I have had one just like that on my tractor 🚜 for a few years. When it gets to 10 degrees i start being very careful and i wont go past 15 degrees. Mine is mounted on a bar i installed between the front mounts on my Canopy.
People roll vehicles and tractors over on flat ground....an inclinometer don't do any good when you get people out there that are doing things they shouldn't be doing. Driving too fast for conditions, taking corners too fast, etc....with a tractor, on flat ground rolling one over isn't that hard to do if you have a load in the bucket without the proper ballast, load way too high, and make a tight turn for example, just might tip the tractor over. It all comes down to common sense, which as we all know seems to be lost in recent years. If you don't feel comfortable, or it don't look right, avoid that hill, simple as that. Like you said Mike, plant some flowers there, or whatever so you don't have to try mowing it....same as people who think they need 4WD to mow their yard....if you need 4WD to mow your yard, you need to change your landscaping LOL.
I have a JD 4020 and a JD 3038e. All my acreage is on a hilllside that ranges between 5% (5 ft. Vertical for every 100 ft. Horizontal) up to around 20% slope. I have beet juice in the rear tires, and often put lead bands (50# each) from an abandoned 20” pipeline on the 3 point and inside the loader bucket. There is NO WAY I would trust an inclinometer. There is no way in hell I have any standardized conditions to know what is safe. Maybe if I measured empirically (trial and error) by exceeding safe limits and drafting the results.. rolling my tractor and noting where it was when I rolled over… would I ever have the practical data as to what was safe… and not safe. Then do it again for every implement I may have on my tractor in the first place doing work. Post hole digger, brush hog or just hauling off wood from a downed tree. Too damn unpredictable. Too many variables to be certain! Just.. common sense…. Best solution for me. To me, trusting an inclinometer is like trusting your speedometer about how fast you can safely drive… on an interstate highway or a windy, gravel dirt road with blind curves driving off a steep mountain with no guardrails.
Degree of slant is useful if you know the max slant safe for your machine. But no tractor maker is going to tell you that, because lifting the implement changes the slope to tip over. I am regrading the slopes that I feel uncomfortable mowing going across the slope. Just one 50 ft section left to cut the top back 2 ft and take out dirt tapering down to the roadside ditch.
I've been using that exact "Lev-O-Gauge" product for 30 years on the two Kubotas that I have owned. I mow the exact same terrain over and over again, and I'm intimately familiar with any irregularities (there are basically none). When I'm on the pond bank and backside of my pond dam, I mow e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y slowly, with my loader almost touching the ground, in 4-wd, and with my brakes separated from one another, giving me the chance to "persuade' any correction that might be necessary. Although I can't say it's comfortable, I see 30° routinely. Your previous video gives an excellent account of all the variables that may affect stability.
Hello, would you mind sharing your set up? Tractor model, ballast if any? I have very hilly property that I work with a 2502. Just trying to get a better frame of reference.
Thank you!
@@electriced8205 My Kubota is an MX4700 with loaded rear tires. I estimate this adds about 900 lbs to its operating weight of about 3600 pounds. For years I did not have a front end loader, but I had about 400 pounds of suitcase weights hanging off the front. I now have the loader, usually with a 400 pound grapple, and estimate the loader alone probably weighs 1300 pounds. My bushhog is a 5' SQ160 cutter weighing about 600 pounds. I go very slowly, in 4-wd, with my brake pedals separated if differential braking should be necessary, and the loader is as close to the ground as I can manage without digging the grapple into the dirt. In addition to avoiding a roll-over scenario, I also have to be careful not to allow the tires to slide into the pond edge. I usually leave a couple of feet of buffer that I have to come back with a weedeater a couple times a year to clean the job up properly. Hope this helps, Good luck and stay safe!
Thank you for the time and effort you put into this. I am glad I am not the only one who gets antsy at 15 degrees!
Excellent couple of videos on operating tractors on slopes. Mike I’m with you when it comes to slopes, I’m a weeny too. I have operated tractors for 55 years and have never even come close to a roll over and I never want to. I’m a very conservative tractor operator and I’m proud to say that. Thanks Mike for making awesome videos.
Thank you so much for doing this video! I've been sitting on two different prototypes on tools I've built three years ago. Not knowing the process and To scared to take the next step. You've give me some hope! Sincerely & Great fully yours Ron Doyle 🙏🏻 God bless you my brother.
I've had good luck so far with a pucker meter. It wasn't programmed very well when i was younger, and i survived by luck and grace, but enough time running old tractors with bad brakes on Kentucky hills will teach you to pay close attention to that pucker.
I have had one on my tractor for a couple of years and while I don’t use it to know the limits of my tractor on a slope, I feel more informed about the slope I am on.
Western Arkansas here in the foothills of the river valley. I find the suspension seats can play havoc with your senses, when running slopes. I tend to not run mine up much, to allow my backside to feel the real slope. I also agree with your comments on the loader being low. It’s save me a few times by pushing it down, to steady my lean. Lastly I followed your advise about fluid in the tires and got beet juice in my rears. At 880 lbs of weight, down low, it’s amazing how much better my tractor feel, riding my slopes. So thank you on that suggestion.
well said Sir!
I have been trying to “think through” this for a few years now and have concluded many of the same points you already mentioned. Thanks again for sharing your experience.
What I would say to my loved ones - “ Go slow and don’t take chances without carefully evaluating your situation.”
i've got the same exact meter on my 3series John Deere. Been to 30 degrees with it while box blading a ditch but i'm like you Mike, 15 is my pucker factor and i try not to push it more than that
Howdy Mike! 5 years ago when I first got my tractor, my pucker factor was good to about 5 degrees or when I ran over a 3 inch rock with the rear tire. Now I can run over a 4 inch rock without being to scared 😂. I don’t know the tipping point of my tractor, but my comfort level is way better nowadays. Thanks for the video..
I actually installed mine to help let me know when the loader is level side to side. Then I watched your first video and now this one. Thank you for sharing this information.
Good tips. Thanks tractor Mike. 🙏🏻 God bless you.
I’m a new tractor owner. Love your channel.
I loved this video as it confirms my comfort level / pucker factor. Thihs gauge says to me between 15-20 Deg. That feels like my limit too.
My wife will drive our UTV up and across slopes that are steep and never blink. But when I put the tractor on them and try to drive across....i quickly back up and find the straightest way down the slope. I will even slide the bucket on the ground just to make sure it is low.
And as I said last video. The only time I almost rolled the tractor so far is when I was on a slope and doing fine but was too close to the edge of the ditch. The bank caved in tilting me to over 45 deg. Only my prompt bucket work prevented the roll over.
@@earlyriser8998 anything can happen! River Bank, ditches! Last winter my tractor slid sideways while plowing the snow due to an icy road crown. I stopped right before the ditch by dropping the bucket! Stay safe! Thanks Mike for making it a frequent topic on your channel.
15° is a substantial angle. On submarines, we would occasionally do high-speed maneuvers: turns and depth changes that would result in 15-20° angles. That's about all I've got tolerance for at any speed.
Used one for nearly 65 years on our sailboats. Of course on a boat if you capsize you just get wet. Thanks for all your great advice. My construction equipment operator father in law always talked about the bubble in his butt when talking about 'feeling' grades...
I know they make them wired into the battery where it can be mounted on top the dash. That way you don't have to look away from running it. When I mow one of my pastures I remove the bucket so I can get closer to a barb wire fence and can keep the loader arms down and not have to raise higher than the fence. After I go around a few times I put the bucket back on for extra weight but keeping it low. The first time mowing it kinda scared me because of the angle and I then mowed up and down. A guy I worked with was driving a forklift with a cab and he got too close to the edge and there was a 12 inch drop-off. The company wanted everyone to wear a seat belt. He didn't have it on and probably that helped him from getting hurt. The cab had a built-in rops but it mangled the cab pretty bad. As it was turning over he went out the side window and jumped to safety. He was lucky. The forklift landed on railroad tracks.
Hi Mike, your stuff has been helpful. 200h on a BX here, loaded tires and spacers. My yard is 15° with some 40° ditches. I start to get antsy at 15 and don’t go past 20. I do the ditches vertically. I have the gauge, mounted on the dash which works well. My garage has about 1/4” ROPS clearance, so I built a cover below the top and keep them up with my seatbelt. I go slow and am working on more leveling with the box blade. Thanks for the info, it’s a hard topic to research due to the liability.
I am with you Mike. Why chance a rollover and all the stuff that goes with it. 😮
Mike, I have to date not had a roll over experience. I have responded to a few to help. My personal experience of close to roll over is 2 fold. 1) was trying to pull a root wad, and had a rear tire lift off the ground. Not a biggie, as sitting still, so only need was to remove the attempted lift.
The other was much scarier, I was brush cutting, not going real fast, but moving 2-3mph as best guess. It was unfamiliar ground so part of the reason for not a lot of speed. No side slope, but a slight down hill. Loader bucket was close to ground (thank the Lord) as otherwise I may have gone over. As I turned out, I ran over an unseen log and then ran into a hole. If the had bern at hood height or higher, I believe to this day it would have tipped, as it was it was a very scary ride for maybe 10’.
I'm retired with a 1974 Kubota B6000 (it's my first Tractor) that's tried to kill me twice in 18 months.
Most of my land is vertical except for the gullys (which it's obsessed with).
A roll-over bar would have prevented both of my live-saving para-rolls over the mud guard.
Though I may invest in one of these slope gauge things.
I have a hill field and I mow it up and down. Takes longer but when I’m done I can eat my wife’s supper not the hospitals supper. Thanks for the videos.
16 degrees is a lot. It represents approx. 28 percent slope when a steep road should not be more than 15 percent (say a garage ramp).
Ventrac makes a mower for hills, but very expensive. However it's much better than getting hurt!!!!
Hi Mike. I installed one of those a few weeks ago. I think I bought the wrong one as it goes to 15 degrees. But at that angle pucker factor starts anyway around point 😅
Those department of highways operators have two things going for them. One they have tons of recent experience and know what their equipment feels like. Two, they aren’t paying for it (financially) if it rolls.
At the beginning of the year it’s hard to get off the flat. By the end of the year you’re on 3 tires 😅 Thankfully I’ve never rolled my equipment but I have come closest on days when I am either in a hurry or worse when I am tired. If I start to feel tired now in the evenings I make myself quit.
An inclinometer is just as useful as a compass, clock or radio channel you are listening to in preventing a rollover. Unless you know the data that dictates what is safe or not… what implements you have attached, accounting for your weight (or added weights on your tractor) you have no idea what limits you have… or are exceeding. Might as well be reading tea leaves when you are out working the terrain.
Yep, I’d NEVER mow at angles that the Highway Road Crews do - Never…! Call it whatever, but as you said, I’m still alive after operating a tractor for the last 57 years…
Roll overs anywhere are scary, but near water is extra terrifying
Mowers on booms are getting common. Hire someone once a year. Or even two years. Don't risk it. Cows do a good job on pond banks.
Put this exact inclometer on my kioti when new but you dont know the tipping point,thought about strapping it to a tree and jacking it up to see how much angle it would take to tip it and then subtract from there.
That would be a static test… when you add inertia and momentum to the equation you get different results.
if you think you need a slope meter you need a set of dual rear tires.
You don't have to but it helps.
I have had one just like that on my tractor 🚜 for a few years. When it gets to 10 degrees i start being very careful and i wont go past 15 degrees. Mine is mounted on a bar i installed between the front mounts on my Canopy.
I mow the right of way at the front of my farm property. Healthy slope and there are pucker marks on my tractor seat.
People roll vehicles and tractors over on flat ground....an inclinometer don't do any good when you get people out there that are doing things they shouldn't be doing. Driving too fast for conditions, taking corners too fast, etc....with a tractor, on flat ground rolling one over isn't that hard to do if you have a load in the bucket without the proper ballast, load way too high, and make a tight turn for example, just might tip the tractor over. It all comes down to common sense, which as we all know seems to be lost in recent years.
If you don't feel comfortable, or it don't look right, avoid that hill, simple as that. Like you said Mike, plant some flowers there, or whatever so you don't have to try mowing it....same as people who think they need 4WD to mow their yard....if you need 4WD to mow your yard, you need to change your landscaping LOL.
I have a JD 4020 and a JD 3038e. All my acreage is on a hilllside that ranges between 5% (5 ft. Vertical for every 100 ft. Horizontal) up to around 20% slope. I have beet juice in the rear tires, and often put lead bands (50# each) from an abandoned 20” pipeline on the 3 point and inside the loader bucket. There is NO WAY I would trust an inclinometer. There is no way in hell I have any standardized conditions to know what is safe.
Maybe if I measured empirically (trial and error) by exceeding safe limits and drafting the results.. rolling my tractor and noting where it was when I rolled over… would I ever have the practical data as to what was safe… and not safe. Then do it again for every implement I may have on my tractor in the first place doing work. Post hole digger, brush hog or just hauling off wood from a downed tree. Too damn unpredictable.
Too many variables to be certain! Just.. common sense…. Best solution for me.
To me, trusting an inclinometer is like trusting your speedometer about how fast you can safely drive… on an interstate highway or a windy, gravel dirt road with blind curves driving off a steep mountain with no guardrails.
Common sense goes a long way, if it feels
uncomfortable "Don't do i". See how easy that was.
I got one built in my butt.
Degree of slant is useful if you know the max slant safe for your machine.
But no tractor maker is going to tell you that, because lifting the implement changes the slope to tip over.
I am regrading the slopes that I feel uncomfortable mowing going across the slope. Just one 50 ft section left to cut the top back 2 ft and take out dirt tapering down to the roadside ditch.
Sissy