Dangerous tractor

I built a track plane for grooming the pulling track at some pulls in the local area where we use our local sled instead of one of the more established sleds. We had a pull Saturday and the host farm owner borrowed a compact JD from a neighboring business to pull the drag because his small tractor was out for repair. Being the builder of the plane I have unwittingly become the one to have to keep somebody on it. I wanted to get it properly adjusted anyway, so I got into the cab and started dragging. After a couple of passes I pulled down off the track and turned to come around, and the tractor came up on two wheels!!! I straightened the wheel quickly and it came right back down but this was a shock!!! I would never have entertained the least concern of instability on any other tractor that I have ever been on in this situation. The incline was nowhere near steep. I stopped to check things out. The drag was well below the center of gravity so it was adding to stability. The cab on this little tractor adds a considerable amount of weight well above the CG. The loader frame with no bucket even though down, perhaps does not help. The biggest thing appeared to be that the rear tires were set in as close as they could possibly be. I take responsibility for not having walked around it before starting to work it, but it appears that the dealer set up was far from correct for this little tractor, making it necessary to operate it with much more than normal caution. You can never fully depend on those before you doing things exactly right.

Need to know more info

If the owner had it set up for orchard, vineyard or nursery work the setup would be right aka narrow. A lot of vineyard guys work some fairly steep inclines.

What size tractor was it?

Ran dads narrow front H with loader for many years. Worked
fine.

Got a compact NH 1720 a few years ago, neat little loader
tractor.

About crapped myself taking an empty wagon down the
driveway the 2nd day i had it, rear end was so light it pushed
me down the hill, all I could do was try to steer it straight.

Parked that thing until the coop got there with CC to load the
rear tires.

Now it s a good little stable tractor.

Don't know how folks can use those little compact tractors
without proper ballisting. Read all the time over at the compact
tractor site, how folks don't want all that weight in their tractor
tires.

Don't get it, they are so terribly unstable without it.

Paul

(quoted from post at 19:46:37 10/27/13) If the owner had it set up for orchard, vineyard or nursery work the setup would be right aka narrow. A lot of vineyard guys work some fairly steep inclines.

What size tractor was it?

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I would put it at about 30HP. I suppose It would work OK in a tight orchard because the trees would keep it from tipping to far LOL. Seriously though, some aggressive ballasting would help a lot, but it were mine I would set the tires out to more like my small tractor's rears are.

(quoted from post at 20:29:14 10/27/13) Ran dads narrow front H with loader for many years. Worked
fine.

Got a compact NH 1720 a few years ago, neat little loader
tractor.

About crapped myself taking an empty wagon down the
driveway the 2nd day i had it, rear end was so light it pushed
me down the hill, all I could do was try to steer it straight.

Parked that thing until the coop got there with CC to load the
rear tires.

Now it s a good little stable tractor.

Don't know how folks can use those little compact tractors
without proper ballisting. Read all the time over at the compact
tractor site, how folks don't want all that weight in their tractor
tires.

Don't get it, they are so terribly unstable without it.

Paul

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Seems to me most people I see running those CUT are using them as overgrown lawn mowers. Most of the suburban commandos are more concerned about shiny paint, cup holders and brand status than ability. When they do get around to trying to actually DO something with them thats when they break them. Always mystifies me that some people will go out and literally put $20-30K into a plastic "tractor" toy when they could have put $3-5K into a real tractor.

You can set the tires in really narrow on them for getting in tight
places but they generally have a warning the tires must be set to
widest setting when a loader is mounted. Even empty a loader is
heavy up front.

We have a 50 hp compact but the tires are loaded and set out wide.
We mow ditch banks etc with it that I can't take any of our other
tractors on where the cows used to keep trimmed.

I only know of one dealer in my area that WILL NOT let a compact tractor with a FEL leave the lot until it is weighted. Mostly they add washer fluid to the rears.
I think this is a wise practice. These tractors are so light and the FEL lift so much more then older tractors did.

I was being very careful, but wanted to just try mine out without weight in the read tires. 700Lbs was the limit without moving.

ya, these new little ones are so light with such a short wheelbase.
add in a narrow tire setting, a loader frame and cab, and
I bet it would turn over on a fast turn.
I'm very happy with my 30hp modern loader tractor,
but it doesn't get used without its big counterweight
or an implement on the back (filled tires too)
Safer, and I try to lessen the strain on that
little front end.
On my model, it has a wide stance and the rears are not adjustable.
The previous one I traded in was adjustable and the narrow setting looked very unsafe.
At the dealer I told them to put em wide and fill em before delivery.

The problem with setting the tires out wide is if they are wider than the loader bucket, you can't push brush, dig trenches, or plow snow.

Those little compacts have tiny tires. Don't hold much calcium, maybe 100-150lbs at most. Won't make much difference, except to cut bigger ruts in the lawn.

My experience with the compacts is they have plenty if not too much hydraulic power. I could lift the rear tires off the ground with my Kubota L245 loader when loading heavy wet dirt, way too much power. Combine that with a fairly narrow tract and a short wheelbase, you had to be careful.

I loaded the rears and always had a blade when doing loader work with it, but it sure was handy due to its size. Its scary the amount of youtube videos with guys having one or both rear tires off the ground with CUT. The cab don't help the center of gravity either.

I much prefer to be on my NH3930 or Case backhoe for moving/loading dirt. Much more stable.

Rick

(quoted from post at 08:54:55 10/28/13)
My experience with the compacts is they have plenty if not too much hydraulic power. I could lift the rear tires off the ground with my Kubota L245 loader when loading heavy wet dirt, way too much power. Combine that with a fairly narrow tract and a short wheelbase, you had to be careful.

I loaded the rears and always had a blade when doing loader work with it, but it sure was handy due to its size. Its scary the amount of youtube videos with guys having one or both rear tires off the ground with CUT. The cab don't help the center of gravity either.

I much prefer to be on my NH3930 or Case backhoe for moving/loading dirt. Much more stable.

Rick

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Another thing to be careful with on a CUT w/loader. Don't let the clutch out too fast backing up with a load in 4x4 or it will set the tractor right on it's nose....