[AT] narrow vs. wide front tractors

[Howard Weeks]

Herb,

Those mowers were 3 point rear mounted, same width as the rear tire span 
and did not have a trailing wheel. Did have about a 2" wide skid on each 
side that was adjustable for cutting height.  If we were on a bank, we 
kept them pushed hard against the ground but not enough to lighten the 
rear tires. That helped to keep the tractor from sliding sideways and 
did keep us from going over backwards.

We did have one "invincible" guy that would cut a bank over a creek or 
stream bridge/culvert by placing the down hill tire on the concrete 
abutment over the stream which was sometimes 10 - 20 feet down into 
water. One tiny slip and you were gone..  That strip of concrete was 
rarely more than 10 - 12 inches wide. So far as I know, he never slipped 
and there was no way that I or any of the others ever tried that.

I don't think any of the tractors were modified or anything other than 
standard configuration. I do know that the mowers were picked because of 
their utility on the banks.

The main reason that I bring the whole experience up is that many people 
do not know that turning downhill can stop a roll over if you are quick 
enough.

Howard

On 4/8/2014 3:04 AM, Herb Metz wrote:
> Howard, Thanks for sharing. Wow!
> A Ford Clipper rotary cutter was a ?' rear/belly/pull behind/side/front
> mount?  My initial opinion is type of mounting would not be significant
> unless cutter width were large (suggest >12') and mounting was very rigid;
> in such situation the mounting may serve as a side "wheely bar"?  Quite
> often such dedicated use tractors have smaller diameter tractor tires, which
> definitely improves stability by lowering tractor center of gravity.
> After a few "experiences", did some of you young guys tend to develop an
> invincible feeling?
> Herb
>
> From: Howard Weeks
> :I spent several summers as a teenager in Texas driving a Ford tractor
> with a Ford Clipper rotary cutter on it cutting highway shoulders.  We
> had lots of banks that were too steep to take a tractor on.  They
> weren't marked as such so we had to learn to make that judgement on our
> own.  If we chose to attempt a cut on a steep bank, we were taught to
> ride with one hand laying on the fender of the up-hill tire and pay lots
> of attention to it.  If the fender/tire started to float (you can feel
> it) turn the front end down hill until it stopped. If the wheel came up
> aggressively, you stopped it by hitting the down hill brake and
> immediately turning the tractor straight down hill and running to the
> bottom if required.  I and the others came off a lot of banks that way
> and never had a turn over.
>
> We had to stay off doubtful banks that were over bridge abutments and
> other drop offs that could get you even if you avoided a roll over at
> the top.
>
> Had one death, a 65 year old man, that got too close to a 24 inch drop
> off into a ditch with a flat bottom.  The edge crumbled and dropped the
> wheel on that side of the tractor into the ditch and turned it over
> pinning the guy underneath. Our lesson was to stay away from sharp edges
> like that.
>
> Another "gotcha" was loose gravel, wet clay or mud on a steep bank. On
> those, the rear wheels would usually break loose suddenly and start down
> first leaving the front end up hill.  That situation was hard to recover
> from.  We were using rotary cutters with down force. Keeping it pushed
> into the ground would usually keep us from going over backwards.
>
> And I agree with Dean!
>
> Howard in GA
>
> On 4/6/2014 4:22 PM, Dean VP wrote:
>> I'm going to summarize the physics of a possible roll-over on our tractors
>> as described in an article which I am unable to find on the internet right
>> now. It is a very complex issue and the difference of potential roll-overs
>> on a Narrow Front End tractor vs a Wide Front End Tractor is stated to be
>> not nearly as much as we might want to believe.  However, there are three
>> conditions that have to be considered to properly analyze what might
>> happen
>> and why. These are whether there are any static vs dynamic forces
>> involved.
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