John Deere Maintenance Monday: Preventing overturns
Living the Country Life Radio Program with Betsy Freese
Radio interview source: Dick Parish, professor of agricultural engineering, LSU Ag Center
In this edition of Maintenance Monday, we're answering a question from Dave in Michigan. He just bought an acreage that has plenty of steep slopes, and he's asking for some tips on maneuvering them without rolling the tractor.
Dick Parish with the LSU Ag Center says the first thing you need to do when operating on a slope is to have a roll-over protection system, and keep your seatbelt fastened. The safest way to maneuver a slope is to back up the hill and drive down, rather than sideways.
"If you back up and drive down, that keeps the drive wheels uphill," Parish says. "If you should start losing traction, it will tend to slide, rather than overturning. If you try to drive up a hill, driving forward up a slope, and you start to overturn, the front wheels will lift and the overturn will be accelerated, and it will come right on around before you can stop it."
There are some situations where it's not possible to mow up and down the hill and you have to drive across it. If you start to feel yourself going over, steering downhill can help to stabilize the tractor. Don't turn uphill when it feels unsteady. As long as you have a rollover protection structure, stay in the seat, and don't try to stop the tractor with your foot.
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