# Sliding down hill !!



## Mayhill (Sep 1, 2018)

Hi All, new to the forum and only had tractor for year - so still learning!!

Have a dirt/grass track which is steep in places, been up and down many times. Reverse with heavy stuff like water bowser on the back, and always in low ratio 2nd.

Last week downhill - Low 2nd and nothing on the rear, but loader down on the front, and when it got to the steep bit she just slid....pretty sure the rear wheel were not rotating which I can't figure out...not a fun ride!

Rear tread ok but not great but enough to make impressions usually.

Found out the 4WD was faulty and off - which will not have helped...but any ideas why she would slide and rear wheels not rotate? Brakes NOT touched.

Case 895XL 

Thanks


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## Guest (Sep 1, 2018)

Hello Mayhill, and welcome to the Tractor Forum. We have some very knowledgeable and experienced members and I'm sure one or more of the members will also chime in to help.

Here's your invitation to put your tractor in the Showcase (located under the TRACTOR button at the top of the page). A perk is that if you add your tractor to the Showcase, it becomes instantly eligible to be entered in our monthly tractor contest, in progress right now. Please be sure to add your vote for October's Tractor of the Month, which is found on the main Forum menu as the fourth category, listed as "Tractor of the month". The poll will start shortly and will be at the top of the page. Thank you for your vote, and again, welcome to The Tractor Forum!

A few thoughts about the sliding.....first, as you are well aware, you are operating with factors that cause an unsafe condition when added up. High angle of hill, no weight on back of drive wheels, poor tread on drive wheels to name the most obvious. To operate safely YOU must change as many of the unsafe conditions as possible. 

Probably cause of the sliding is that gear/engine speed combined told the wheels to drive at say 2mph. Weight of tractor pulling it down the hill pulled it faster, say 5 mph, so you broke traction and she slid until ground speed again matched drive wheel speed.

Your owner/operators manual should give information on tractor limitations, but note that these will be for a tractor in perfect condition, under ideal circumstances, which you don't have currently.

Be safe.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I wonder if the wheels locked up, or perhaps you slid faster than the tires were rotating.


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## Mayhill (Sep 1, 2018)

Graysonr said:


> Hello Mayhill, and welcome to the Tractor Forum. We have some very knowledgeable and experienced members and I'm sure one or more of the members will also chime in to help.
> 
> Here's your invitation to put your tractor in the Showcase (located under the TRACTOR button at the top of the page). A perk is that if you add your tractor to the Showcase, it becomes instantly eligible to be entered in our monthly tractor contest, in progress right now. Please be sure to add your vote for October's Tractor of the Month, which is found on the main Forum menu as the fourth category, listed as "Tractor of the month". The poll will start shortly and will be at the top of the page. Thank you for your vote, and again, welcome to The Tractor Forum!
> 
> ...


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## Mayhill (Sep 1, 2018)

Thank you Graysonr - I will go to Showcase shortly.

Think you are right speed of slide overtook wheel /engine speed.
Probably need to get ballast added to the rear wheel. or keep the flail mower attached.

Thank you


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

You need to get your 4 wheel drive fixed. The loader (fulcrum) transfers weight to the front axle and takes away weight from the rear axle.


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

What you describe is common when weight is front biased, and rear wheels lift enough to lose traction. Engine compression will act like brake, rear wheels lose traction and turn much slower than tractor speed would dictate. Wheels then slide. Fortunate you did not slide the back end sideways and roll the tractor.


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## Guest (Sep 1, 2018)

What ever weight you use on back needs to be BELOW the center of gravity for your tractor. RC Wells is correct, as back end slides it wants to pass the front end, either to the left or right. Not a good ride. Again YOU are the only thinking component in the situation, it's up to you to correct the conditions causing the slide. Be safe, we want you as a member for a long time.


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## Guest (Sep 1, 2018)

Not knowing the restraints your property imposes, in the future you may want to change the routing of this trail from a vertical climb to a "switchback" route. Safer in the long run, no pun intended.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

You have a front loader right? Eliminate the hill! I kid you of course.

Yeah, if the rear wheels aren't ballasted, you need to get some weight in them, and as others have said, get that MFWD operating again. If you aren't doing anything but moving straight forward, I'd even consider hitting the differential lock going down the hill, to lock up both those rear wheels, but not if you turn the front tires, as that would be dangerous.


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## DK35vince (Jan 22, 2006)

Mayhill said:


> Found out the 4WD was faulty and off - which will not have helped...but any ideas why she would slide and rear wheels not rotate? Brakes NOT touched


Generally 4 WD on tractors does help braking and keeping the back wheels from sliding when going down hills (by a lot from my experience)
I always use 4 WD when working on our hill.


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

I recommend that you stay off your dirt/grass trail when it's wet or muddy, even with your 4WD working. That's flirting with a serious incident.


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## deerhide (Oct 20, 2016)

With a loader on the front you MUST, at least, put a ballast liquid in the rear tires.


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## Mayhill (Sep 1, 2018)

Thank you all for the advice.

I will be getting the MFD fixed, ballast in rear wheels, and also found I can move the rear wheels out by 3-4 inches each side, so will get a wider wheelbase.


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## Tracoz (Sep 3, 2018)

yup, better to stay off from the muddy areas


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## Ed Williams (Jun 13, 2019)

When working on hilly ground, I add extra safety precautions. First, t h e rears are ballasted 75%, the max you can get with the valve at 12. I put on the winter chains for added traction and an additional 100 lbs weight per tire, I keep the tire track at a medium setting all the time. Sometimes too wide can be as bad as too narrow. The last thing I do is attach the 7 ft grader blade. I do not have a loader. The length and weight or the grader blade adds additional weight bias to the rears, and you can steer with brakes if you overdo it. An added bonus is if you stsrt going too fast, you c an lower the blade and control your speed. Rather crude, but quite efficient. I am at the stage that I will not traverse a steep patch of ground without the grader blade attached to the rear. Operating a tractor without 100% control at all times is inviting a disaster.y


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