I bought my first tracked skid steer recently to clear and maintain my 22 arce property. I had a couple of questions I'm hoping an experienced user might be able to answer... 1. I have a lot of woodland which is sloped, but nothing too steep. I have a CID Xtreme brush cutter that weighs 1670lbs... should I always cut facing downhill? And with that 1670lbs attachment if I'm on a 15-20 degree down slope where would you expect the tipping point to be? 2. I want to take my bucket and the cutter down to the woods - can I drive the skid steer back up a 15 degree slope without an attachment or would I have to back all the way out? Thanks for your help!
Welcome to the Forums jncl! I am not familiar with the SVL75-2 and it's operating weights with attachments however we have several members who own them.
I run a similar size machine in a Takeuchi TL 130. I mow forwards up hills and down hills. Generally you can back up a steeper grade than you can drive up. When mowing watch for the tracks to pick up moisture and the ground to be wet chopping off thick grass especially. This leads to a skidding situation and can be quite dangerous. If it happens try to keep the machine perpendicular to the grade, don't spin the tracks and don't try to turn. For me it is more nerve racking to slide backwards because I can't see as well. Stay away from ponds, ditches and the like until you get a feel for how the machine will react with the mower out front. John
OK thanks for the info, it's good to know I can mow uphill with the risk of tipping backward. I presumed that was the case because with the weight and size of the attachment out front if must shift the weight balance forward enough to not worry about being too heavy at the back Anyone have any experience of driving back and forth on slopes without any attachment?
I avoid side slope travel if at all possible. It's easier to jump a track, it's the most unstable way to travel, and will make you pucker hard. Usually my tl130 will break loose and slide sideways before it gets light. But like I said above anytime you are sliding/skidding things are going to get sketchy fast. Your Kubota will be balanced to the rear, so with no attachment running cross slope will make the high track run light in the toe, heavy in the heel, and crowd down on the low side track and try to push it sideways. One of the things I really like about Kubota's undercarriage is the double flange front rollers which I think would make them harder to detrack. John
Curious - why would you need/want too?
There is no way to safely answer that, slopes change, ground conditions change way to many variables to be sure. The safest thing to do is to go up the slope backward if you have any concern. This can apply when you have an attachment on or not, but especially without.
Well it is a safety issue but more importantly a means and methods question. I very rarely find myself needing to go up or down a slope without an attachment - just curious what the OP is doing that would require that.