Tractor Choice for Slopes

ZigBee

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
Hi All,

If this question has already been answered then apologies for the post but I couldn't find an easy way to search previous threads and would appreciate some advice on tractor selection, please.

We've moved from the flat land of Oxfordshire to the slopes of Somerset with 36% gradients in places across 30 acres. Not being an experienced driver on sloping land I'd be interested in what tractors you'd go for with a £25K +VAT budget. We're breeding horses, I know madness (she got me drunk one night) so harrowing, rolling, mowing, spraying and taking away muck to a neighbour, as well as hedgerow management and doing our own fencing.

I'm debating between a JD6320 (8.5K hours), McCormick T100 Max (2K hours) or possibly an Alpine for extra safety (no experience with them), all with a fitted loader. Assume the JD and McCormick will need wheel weights.... any other advice, thoughts or views gratefully received.

Many thanks...
 

Cowabunga

Member
Location
Ceredigion,Wales
Any reasonably modern 70+hp tractor 4wd tractor should walk it. With the proviso that it has an appropriate amount of front ballast for the load on the rear links, mainly to keep the front end planted up hill while providing traction. Also that the tyres have a good amount of lug and are inflated appropriately. Most importantly, as it may vary literally from hour to hour, that the ground conditions are suitable. Beware of dew and lush grass and wet patches. Also any rough bits of ground and especially stones and rabbit holes. Any of which may be considered high risk.

Also make sure that your tractor is well serviced, that you use an appropriate gear ratio to avoid overspeed or stalling and that the oil levels in both engine and transmission are topped up to the maximum mark. You do not want to lose your steering or PTO or to seize your engine up on the slope. If traversing or turning on the slope, be aware of your centre of gravity and if appropriate, widen your tractor’s track width to as wide as practical for other work and still watch for any undulations/holes/bumps that could throw you over.
 
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gatepost

Member
Location
Cotswolds
I run deeres on steep ground, I like the parking brake/gear as an extra to the hand brake, most modern tractors will be fine in that dept to be fair, I just grew up with old majors a MF 65 (foot brake catch) and an trashnal 574 with no hand brake as such.
 

Abacus

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South east
I got a Antonio carraro for my wife its a 5500 she dose the same as you on about 60 acers and it handles every thing but a separate loader is advisable loading fertiliser into a spreader then hitching up can get interesting with 600kg in it

 

Jim B

Member
Agree with some of the comments above, something SDF, so SAME, Deutz Fahr, Lamborghini. Low centre of gravity, and front axle brakes.

£25k would buy you a nice Deutz Agrofarm and loader. SAME Explorer3 or similar also.
 

Cowabunga

Member
Location
Ceredigion,Wales
Agree with some of the comments above, something SDF, so SAME, Deutz Fahr, Lamborghini. Low centre of gravity, and front axle brakes.

£25k would buy you a nice Deutz Agrofarm and loader. SAME Explorer3 or similar also.
Much as I like Same they do not have a lower centre of gravity than any other. They are conventionally designed with the engine crank in line with the high mounted internal PTO shaft to the rear with the straight-running 4wd shaft running under the sump direct into the front diff through the centre of its swivel. This is no different to most other brands.
For a significantly lower centre of gravity you need to look at tractors with low mounted engines and transmissions, exemplified by tractors such as the [dreadful] MF 500 series, or the much better 300 series which had a side mounted front drive shaft to maintain a reasonable ground clearance.

My personal choice of tractors for slopes comes down to larger tractors. My Same Titan 160 and MF7490 vario. These canter up and down my slopes with my feet up on the windscreen frame either side of the dash going down. In more dodgy ground conditions I may reverse down.
 
Much as I like Same they do not have a lower centre of gravity than any other. They are conventionally designed with the engine crank in line with the high mounted internal PTO shaft to the rear with the straight-running 4wd shaft running under the sump direct into the front diff through the centre of its swivel. This is no different to most other brands.
For a significantly lower centre of gravity you need to look at tractors with low mounted engines and transmissions, exemplified by tractors such as the [dreadful] MF 500 series, or the much better 300 series which had a side mounted front drive shaft to maintain a reasonable ground clearance.

My personal choice of tractors for slopes comes down to larger tractors. My Same Titan 160 and MF7490 vario. These canter up and down my slopes with my feet up on the windscreen frame either side of the dash going down. In more dodgy ground conditions I may reverse down.
Interesting thoughts, but I would respectfully suggest you come and have a look at what fencing contractors are using on the steep slopes in NZ... nearly always SDF products followed by Italian-built Landini/MCormick
 

bravheart

Member
Location
scottish borders
What the duck said at the top but be very aware that any ballast added to the front for stability with a heavy load attached to the rear should be removed when not required. Too much weight on the front on steep slopes can completely unbalance the tractor. The same also applies to a front end loader on steep ground
 

jondear

Member
Location
Devon
Always found the SDF stable of tractors good on slopes, deutz agrofarm, same silver etc, probably due to their Italian heritage. They have a low centre of gravity and are great for traction. Front axle breaking also a great feature on these smaller tractors, should be standard feature on all tractors IMO.
Had a Lamborghini R2 was as stable as a rock with 30 back tyres and front weight
 

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