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Tips for driving tractors in mud

J

JohnV2000

Member
I am a new tractor driver, and I have a question about driving tractors in mud, specifically a narrow front end tractor.

Is there anything special to do when driving on a slight hillside in mud? I noticed yesterday the front wheels were sliding a little bit, and it was difficult to turn because the front wheels would not get any traction to turn the tractor.

Any special tips or should I just avoid turning in mud if at all possible?

Thanks, John
 
Ahhhhhh, the Joy's of farming in the spring! Once frost went out of the ground you just tried to follow
the ruts from point to point, and forget about getting out of those ruts until you got to solid ground
again. Keep RPM's up, steer with the brakes, and the same chains that let you get around on snow & ice
in winter will help you maneuver in mud. It will probably be Memorial Day before you can do anything with
the ruts, we had an old road drag we pulled over the entire barnyard to smooth out the ruts. Using it was
actually a safety measure, manual steering on a NFE tractor could RIP the spinner right out of your hand
and beat you up when crossing ruts at an angle. You only had THAT happen once.
 
First and most important tip. Wait till things dry up.
Tractors were never intended to operate in mud.
That is why tracked tractors were created. Wheel
tractors are for field operations and narrow front
tractors were intended for cultivation and harvesting
row crop, both things are done in dryer conditions,
and not on hillsides
 

Set those front wheels as far apart as possible so they will not collect the mud in between them. Put a set of chains on the rear wheels.
 

After you leave the muddy field, don't put it in road gear right away. You might get hit in the head by one of the chunks that will be flying off the wheels! :)
 
Stack the manure until the ground dries up.

If you are wood cutting, get out early in the morning while the
ground is still frozen and come back in when it is about to get
smeary.

Stay off the hillsides when wet, that includes with a combine.

Wood working is taking an imperfect board and making
something beautiful from it. Farming is like that. So you have
to think about what you are doing.

Paul
 
Use your brakes to assist you with turning in these situations. Use the brake for the side that you are turning towards, i.e., use the left brake when turning to the left and the right brake when turning to the right. The brakes are what will help you the most with turning. That being said, your tractor is small and has a narrow front. Both of those factors are going to make it difficult with mud and hillside driving.
 

Growing up, we had over 300 head of steers in various dirt feedlots. Dirt turns to mud. Those cattle had to be fed and taken care of and we had to use the tractors. We learned how to operate tractors in the mud.
 
(quoted from post at 12:43:50 03/11/19) Stay off the hill side when wet .
stay off the hill side until you get comfortable with tractor
Click to expand...

In my opinion, that second piece of advice is the best.....since you say you are new to tractors, you need to get more experience before working your side hill.
Narrow front tractors are notorious for rolling over when turning while going down hill.
Also remember, the lugs on tractor tires are made for pulling and have little traction for stopping or backing.
A local farmer and the best tractor driver I ever knew made the fatal mistake of travelling down a wet field toward a steep embankment and not being able to stop.
He was in his early sixties and had just retired from a lifetime of hard work as a successful purebred holstein farmer.
 
Where does this BS come from that a narrow front tractor tips more on a down hill turn. You might get me to maybe buy on an up hill turn ,and not even then. The front end has less to do with tipping, than the operator does. We have hills here and never tipped a narrow front over in all my 50 years running them. I have come closer with wide fronts than the narrow. Since the Front pivots on the front axle.
 
Pat the directional brake, Tricycles are a pain to go across the
muck lot , They make miserable feeding tractors and therefore i use
wide fronts, Me and Dad Always Avoided using the tractor in the
mud holes . . Even for building fence. My daredevil brother was
always getting scolded for rutting up the fields and scratching up
the grass needlessly.we are the caretakers of this earth My great
uncles Always would say .
 
More precisely, IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO, then don't operate in the mud. Obviously you would not let your animals starve over a little mud, but you also don't want to tear your fields, yard, driveways up unless you absolutely have to.

Where you can, build up driveways so you don't have to drive in the mud. That's more than a skim coat of gravel on top of the dirt.

Be careful steering with brakes. Some tractors can have grabby brakes. That front end's sliding, you tap the brakes, and suddenly find yourself 90 degrees from your previous trajectory.
 
Well said. Engineer your work space to minimize having to
work in the mud.

And we all know from time to time you will need some skills in
the mud but it should be the exception and not the rule.

Paul
 
Use your brakes as suggested.

Be real careful on muddy or icy hillsides, can get in trouble in hurry.
 
Just remember that the lugs & ribs on tractors look really aggressive and could go anywhere, but they are designed to give traction
in soft & hard dirt. They have poor traction in mud, snow, ice, and any "lubricated" surface.

Pete
 
Here is my tip to add. Once you drive in the mud and end up getting stuck STOP ! Get off and go get something bigger to pull you out. DO NOT just sit there spinning your wheels digging in deeper and deeper.
 
I have been working in the mud off and on all winter feeding hay to six lots. Three inches of mud over frozen ground below is like trying to drive in three inches of grease. I should have put the tire chains on. It would have helped some. I'll have to plow up all my places I drive and disc it fine and pack it when it dries out. Probly some time in June the way it is going now.

Best tip if it is not necessary don't!
 
(quoted from post at 16:13:31 03/11/19) Where does this BS come from that a narrow front tractor tips more on a down hill turn. You might get me to maybe buy on an up hill turn ,and not even then. The front end has less to do with tipping, than the operator does. We have hills here and never tipped a narrow front over in all my 50 years running them. I have come closer with wide fronts than the narrow. Since the Front pivots on the front axle.
Click to expand...

OK....the axle pivots....but it pivots at a higher point than the NF pivots at ground level. There is definitely some geometry working there.
I have my Dad's '51 WD with a front end loader that I have driven since about 1959. I haven't tipped it over yet.
I have a WD-45 and a D-17 with WFs and I will still say that the NF is more likely to tip if it catches a hole on a downhill turn.
And....I do not think that is BS!!
 
(quoted from post at 08:13:31 03/11/19) Where does this BS come from that a narrow front tractor tips more on a down hill turn. You might get me to maybe buy on an up hill turn ,and not even then. The front end has less to do with tipping, than the operator does. We have hills here and never tipped a narrow front over in all my 50 years running them. I have come closer with wide fronts than the narrow. Since the Front pivots on the front axle.
Click to expand...

Caterpillar guy, I too have come closer to tipping with wfs than nfs, and it is obvious and goes without saying that the operator has more to do with it. However, try this: take one of your DOT triangular reflectors and try to stand it on the point. Maybe you will see it then.
 
One of the most dangerous things to do with a tractor is to traverse a slippery hillside. That goes for any slippery surface, not just mud; wet grass or ice can be quite dangerous. If the tractor start sliding sideways, it's going to keep going and pick up speed until it hits something that stops it, which could be a rock, stump, tree or the bottom of the hill. And when it stops, it will almost certainly roll over.
 
I agree with rusty all the way, and grew up doing same every winter, narrow front Farmalls pullin feed cart, and drawbar draggin in mud, never got stuck. You have to feed your animals no matter what.
 
A neighbor's driveway is on a curve, just north of my property. The curve has a slope to it. I was turning around in that area, to come back home. It was in the winter and I pressed the left brake to help it turn. The left wheel locked, the right tire seem to suddenly drive the tractor faster, the tractor slide across the road and hit the snow bank. There isn't a ditch at the edge of the blacktop. It is a dirt bank that goes up. I hit it going mostly sideways. Two rim clamps broke and the rim came off the wheel. In a snow bank, on uneven ground, in the winter, just before dark. Sucked big time. If it doesn't kill you, you will learn how not to do some things. Using brakes to turn is ok, but don't be overly aggressive when doing it. My uncle told the story of how a man would slide his loader tractor on concrete. I think the man eventually rolled the tractor. Your tractor is going to do what you make it do, even when you are not aware of what you just made it do. Like when a person turns the key, while stand along side the tractor and it starts while in gear.
 
Brian The wide front will ketch you when you get on
to strep of a hill a narrow front will just tip over
 
If you do have to drive in mud with a narrow front end tractor, remember to clean as much mud as possible from between the front tires at the time that you park it. If they are not cleaned, the mud can freeze or dry hard enough to prevent the front wheels from rolling. It is much easier to dig out mud while it is soft than it is after it has dried hard or frozen solid.
 
I would have to say both SV and Traditional are correct, different circumstances.

I lifted a load of sand with a wide front tractor that was too light in the back. One rear tire rose but the tip stopped when the wide front axle stop stopped the roll of the rest of the tractor. Had that been a narrow front it would have rolled.

If a tractor is on a hillside and begins to roll I would agree with Traditional the tractor would continue to roll. The geometries and dynamics are different.

My two cents.

Paul
 
The narrow front tractors all have a way of widening the front wheels. Set the front wheels six or eight inches away from each other and you have no more problems in mud than you'd have with a wide front. The old H's and M's had a slick system to
spraddle the fronts for winter. They do steer a little harder widened out but it's better than mud packing between the fronts.
 
(quoted from post at 04:46:33 03/11/19) I am a new tractor driver, and I have a question about driving tractors in mud, specifically a narrow front end tractor.

Is there anything special to do when driving on a slight hillside in mud? I noticed yesterday the front wheels were sliding a little bit, and it was difficult to turn because the front wheels would not get any traction to turn the tractor.

Any special tips or should I just avoid turning in mud if at all possible?

Thanks, John
Click to expand...

Remove one front tire and wheel.................BE CAREFUL! !
 

Rusty Farmall and Wolfman both made the valid suggestion of widening the front track. In order to do that all you need to do is reverse the wheels. The inside tire will then help the turn a lot more.
 
And after you get it out of the mud be sure to have a heated place to get it in and plenty of water to wash out all the mud or it will freeze solid and you cannot get that mud out or move the tractor untill summer when it thaws out and then you can wash it out with a high pressure water hose. You cannot get inbetween the wheels enough to dig it hot with your hands.
 
(quoted from post at 17:46:43 03/11/19) I agree with rusty all the way, and grew up doing same every winter, narrow front Farmalls pullin feed cart, and drawbar draggin in mud, never got stuck. You have to feed your animals no matter what.
Click to expand...

Obviously we have both been there, and even more obvious is the fact that no one else replying to this thread has a clue about caring for livestock.
 
(quoted from post at 06:38:10 03/12/19)
(quoted from post at 17:46:43 03/11/19) I agree with rusty all the way, and grew up doing same every winter, narrow front Farmalls pullin feed cart, and drawbar draggin in mud, never got stuck. You have to feed your animals no matter what.
Click to expand...

Obviously we have both been there, and even more obvious is the fact that no one else replying to this thread has a clue about caring for livestock.
Click to expand...

Well, rusty it all depends on what you consider a fact I suppose. We have kind of gotten use to fake news and telling of lies.
 
(quoted from post at 15:23:30 03/12/19)
(quoted from post at 06:38:10 03/12/19)
(quoted from post at 17:46:43 03/11/19) I agree with rusty all the way, and grew up doing same every winter, narrow front Farmalls pullin feed cart, and drawbar draggin in mud, never got stuck. You have to feed your animals no matter what.
Click to expand...

Obviously we have both been there, and even more obvious is the fact that no one else replying to this thread has a clue about caring for livestock.
Click to expand...

Well, rusty it all depends on what you consider a fact I suppose. We have kind of gotten use to fake news and telling of lies.
Click to expand...

I see you live in New Hampshire. How many head of cattle have you finished? How many loads of ear corn have you run through a grinder-mixer? How many feed bunks and self feeders have you filled? Did you do it in the winter? Did you do it in the spring when the frost was coming out of the ground? Do you like to eat beef steak and hamburgers? Do you realize that most of that beef comes from Iowa and Nebraska?
 
(quoted from post at 05:13:34 03/13/19)
(quoted from post at 15:23:30 03/12/19)
(quoted from post at 06:38:10 03/12/19)
(quoted from post at 17:46:43 03/11/19) I agree with rusty all the way, and grew up doing same every winter, narrow front Farmalls pullin feed cart, and drawbar draggin in mud, never got stuck. You have to feed your animals no matter what.
Click to expand...

Obviously we have both been there, and even more obvious is the fact that no one else replying to this thread has a clue about caring for livestock.
Click to expand...

Well, rusty it all depends on what you consider a fact I suppose. We have kind of gotten use to fake news and telling of lies.
Click to expand...

I see you live in New Hampshire. How many head of cattle have you finished? How many loads of ear corn have you run through a grinder-mixer? How many feed bunks and self feeders have you filled? Did you do it in the winter? Did you do it in the spring when the frost was coming out of the ground? Do you like to eat beef steak and hamburgers? Do you realize that most of that beef comes from Iowa and Nebraska?
Click to expand...

Rusty, I haven't had animals in probably over twenty years. I was referring to the various others who posted to this thread such as Bruce from Canada who we all know feeds animals everyday, yet in your post you say that he has no clue about feeding animals.
 
(quoted from post at 06:09:20 03/13/19)
(quoted from post at 05:13:34 03/13/19)
(quoted from post at 15:23:30 03/12/19)
(quoted from post at 06:38:10 03/12/19)
(quoted from post at 17:46:43 03/11/19) I agree with rusty all the way, and grew up doing same every winter, narrow front Farmalls pullin feed cart, and drawbar draggin in mud, never got stuck. You have to feed your animals no matter what.
Click to expand...

Obviously we have both been there, and even more obvious is the fact that no one else replying to this thread has a clue about caring for livestock.
Click to expand...

Well, rusty it all depends on what you consider a fact I suppose. We have kind of gotten use to fake news and telling of lies.
Click to expand...

I see you live in New Hampshire. How many head of cattle have you finished? How many loads of ear corn have you run through a grinder-mixer? How many feed bunks and self feeders have you filled? Did you do it in the winter? Did you do it in the spring when the frost was coming out of the ground? Do you like to eat beef steak and hamburgers? Do you realize that most of that beef comes from Iowa and Nebraska?
Click to expand...

Rusty, I haven't had animals in probably over twenty years. I was referring to the various others who posted to this thread such as Bruce from Canada who we all know feeds animals everyday, yet in your post you say that he has no clue about feeding animals.
Click to expand...

Then he should have mentioned that sometimes, a tractor HAS to be operated in the mud, and I'm sure he knows how to do it.
 
Well, this thread started out as a question about driving a tractor in mud.
It morphed into something altogether different.
BTW, there are other reasons for having to drive tractors under muddy side hill conditions.
Right now, here in New York State, it is time for collecting maple sap.
Not all the trees can be "tubed" to a tank at the bottom of the hill.
 
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